KING HARBOR - Before three youths from theLifeSail organization prepared to set sail for Catalina Island last summer they tore themselves away from training in their 8-foot Optimist also helped 16-year-old sailor Zac Sunderland, who is currently out to set a record for the youngest solo circumnavigation in his 36-footer, "Intrepid".
At the 2008, Olympics over 85% of the medal winning boat skippers sailed Optimist before.
Youths Cruise to Catalina in 8-foot Sailboats By: Ambrosia Sarabia | Thursday, November 06, 2008 12:00:00 AM Last updated: Thursday, November 13, 2008 11:26:00 AM LifeSail members also helped Zac Sunderland prepare for circumnavigation. Photo by: Photos courtesy of Matt Schulz Photo by: Photos courtesy of Matt Schulz Photo by: Photos courtesy of Matt Schulz & Damon Grant KING HARBOR – Before three youths from the LifeSail organization prepared to set sail for Catalina Island last summer, they tore themselves away from training in their 8-foot Optimis & Sabots to help 16-year-old sailor Zac Sunderland, who is currently out to set a record for the youngest solo circumnavigation in his 36-footer, Intrepid. Like Sunderland, the three boys -- Steven Schulz, 12; Dan Dimal, 13; and Alex Legaspi, 14 -- understood how it felt to have a dream they hoped to accomplish. Before they reached their goal of sailing to Catalina’s Two Harbors in August, the boys and other members of LifeSail were busy assisting Sunderland in Marina del Rey. At the docks, the boys helped with odd jobs -- and, when it came to bigger jobs, such as tending to the boat when it was hauled out in Oxnard, older members volunteered Dr. David Benson, & RN Rowanda, their time. “They basically did whatever was necessary,” said LifeSail president/founder Matt Schulz. With the departure of Sunderland June 14 from the docks of the Marina del Rey Boat Show, the focus turned to training the three boys, to prepare them for the challenges they would encounter once out at sea.
Offering kids, primarily disadvantaged youths, opportunities they wouldn’t normally get to enjoy boating is only one of the missions of the nonprofit organization. Its aim is to build character through experiences in sailing and seamanship. That’s why, when the boys came to Matt Schulz with their idea to sail to Two Harbors, he decided to help them train and prepare for the demanding voyage. “We believe in children’s goals, and their way of developing those goals and finding a way to fulfill them,” Matt Schulz said. The young sailors learned how to use safety equipment and endured much strenuous training. They learned to sail in Sabots before transitioning over to 7-foot, 9-inch Optimist sailboats. The work paid off when the boys -- with a chase boat carrying Schulz and others close behind -- safely reached the island, six hours after they departed King Harbor. Matt Schulz, an avid sailor who has been in the marina industry for 27 years and has enjoyed sailing for 53 years, offered his sailing knowledge -- as did other sailing aficionados and LifeSail members. The organization relies on boat donations and volunteers, who are happy to spend their time mentoring the kids. With this goal accomplished, LifeSail has several more in mind: “We want to raise leaders in different communities -- and different ethnic backgrounds,” Matt Schulz said. For more information on LifeSail, visit www.lifesail.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article first appeared in the November 2008 issue of The Log Newspaper. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
