Salmonberry Students Set Sail

— by Captain Ryan D. Downs, Master, S/V Carlyn —

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On Thursday, February 25, Emmy Gran and Shawn McKee’s first, second, and third grade from Salmonberry School classes came sailing with my crew and me aboard the yawl, Carlyn. It was the nicest day of the week, and we were fortunate not only to have great weather, but a lot of wonderful kids and chaperones aboard as well.

As a special treat, we got to have a former Captain of Carlyn aboard, Philo Lund. It was great to have him aboard, and hear all of the great stories of the Carlyn’s past adventures. At 1000 we left the dock, and enjoyed a pleasant breeze from the northwest. The Salmonberry students set the mizzen and jib, and we sailed at a nice and easy three knots. The young sailors learned to set, steer, trim, tack, and furl in a short time. Highlights of the trip were turning the engine off after we set the sails, a few harbor seal visitors and a beautiful, sunny day. We were back at the dock at noon and said goodbye.

The Salmonberry students are engaged in a year long exploration into sailing, using a holistic, integrated, thematic curriculum. The children are fully immersed in a interdisciplinary study of sailing, adding water, oceans, weather and the moon and stars to their study of sailing; Next will be boat design and exploration. Throughout the whole year there has been art and language arts lessons about sailing as well as practical skills involved in actually doing sailing. It will hopefully culminate in sailing lessons this spring.

The crew and myself set off immediately after for Bainbridge Island the next day to start Caryln’s spring programming.

The Carlyn is a 62 ft yawl, designed and built in 1996 in Albany, New York by the Scarano Brothers yard. Built specifically for Four Winds Westward Ho Camp in 1996, her first journey was over land, as the ship was trucked to the West Coast. Since then, the ship has been a beloved part of Camp for hundreds of children. A “big boat” has been a Four Winds Camp tradition since 1927, and famous sailing vessels like Martha, Dorade and Adventuress have called Camp home. Carlyn not only takes trips from camp to explore the San Juan Islands, but travels to Desolation Sound, Princess Louisa Inlet, and points north for a month every summer with 9 campers. In the spring and fall, the Carlyn is chartered by Salish Sea Expeditions, a 501c3 non-profit that facilitates student-led, inquiry-based marine science and sailing educational programming in the Puget Sound and San Juans.

I have been the Captain of Carlyn for a year, but I have been living in Washington for 10 years, when I first went to sea on the state’s ambassador tall ship Lady Washington. This is a dream job for me, because I get to teach children how to sail in my favorite waters in America. I have always been in love with the San Juan Islands, particularly Orcas, and I’ve seen the Caribbean, Alaska, Maine, the Chesapeake and every inch of the West Coast. I still find my way up here, and am so glad to be finally living here on Orcas. I look forward to continuing the relationship between the Carlyn and the Orcas community.