Volunteers sought for sailing adventures

Volunteers sought for sailing adventures

Two groups kick off training sessions this week
By Carol South
Special to the Record-Eagle

TRAVERSE CITY -- Snow piling up with frigid temperatures outside?

Time to prepare for summer sailing adventures.

Two area maritime-related organizations hope to boost their volunteer rosters thanks to training sessions kicking off this week. Both sailing novices with no previous experience required and veterans of the water or specific programs are welcome to participate.

On Wednesday evening, the Inland Seas Education Association begins its annual instructor's training at the organization's Suttons Bay facility. Weekly sessions, except for a public seminar Jan. 13, run through March 24, each covering a station aboard the schoolship.

An intensive, all-day training will also be offered in April as an alternative for those who cannot make the weekly evening sessions. On-water session for all new instructors will be held in April to finish the training.

With a roster of just more than 200 volunteers, each winter Inland Seas looks to replace the 20-30 instructors who move on every year. And to build up a cushion of trained instructors.

"We're always looking to increase our volunteer corps because there are times of the year when we are really busy and, even with 200 people, we don't have enough," said Tom Kelly, who founded the organization in 1989 and serves as executive director.

"We just could not do these school programs without our volunteers," he said.

Thursday evening, the Maritime Heritage Alliance launches its own five-session crew training at the organization's Discovery Center -- Great Lakes, located on South West Bayshore Drive in Traverse City. Attendees will master skills required to sail the organization's schooner Madeline and the armed sloop Welcome. In the spring new crew members will complete on-water training in West Grand Traverse Bay.

After a busy season last summer, 2010 voyage destinations aboard these ships will include Bay City, Green Bay and Chicago. Excitement and adventure will abound for these volunteer crew members, said Mark Thompson, executive director for the Maritime Heritage Association.

"There will be a lot of cool sailing opportunities this year," he said. "We're really looking to build our crew of capable sailors for Welcome this year."

The 2009 crew training session drew more than 50 new students, with about 35 going on to sail with the organization.

"Our program is about history; we've got about 30 boats total in our fleet, though not all of them are currently sailing," Thompson said.

With a mission to protect the Great Lakes through education, Inland Seas and its 77-foot, two-masted schooner, appropriately named Inland Seas, teaches nearly 3,500 school children annually. About half of these children have never been aboard a ship before. Summer programs reach another 1,500 people.

The vision is that all will leave with a greater appreciation of these unique waters.

"The concept here is we're teaching science about how the Great Lakes work and by doing that we try to get kids excited about science and try to get them interested in protecting the Great Lakes for all of their lives," Kelly said. "Because after they've been out, and seen and experienced it firsthand, it makes a big difference."

For more information on Maritime Heritage Alliance basic crew training, call 946-2647 or see www.mhatc.net. For more information on Inland Seas instructor training, call 271-3077 or see www.schoolship.org.

Michigan Provides Framework for It's Share of Federal Great Lakes Restoration Money

UNDATED -- The state recently posted on a website the framework it will use when applying for a share of 475 million dollars set aside for the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Michigan may seek grants to continue restoration in areas such as the Saginaw Bay, Kalamazoo River and the Huron-Erie corridor. Also, the state could focus on the cleanup of contaminated sediment and mercury pollution.

Also mentioned in the funding documents are priorities like fighting invasive species, preventing the further spread of the Emerald Ash Borer, regulating ballast water discharge, public education about fish consumption, and beach cleanup.