Edgewood 2015 RECAP and SAILS APPEAL for 2016.

The volunteer Board of Directors asked to pass along this message to you.

This was a FANTASTIC year!

Here's why:

• The story starts early in May, with some youth skippers participating in Volvo Ocean Race youth regatta at Sail Newport.
• After a rousing SunFish raffle in January, Sailing School friends kicked off the season and raised cash for fleet upgrades with a night of food/cocktails by the Bay in Warwick.
• Another  lively "Fun-Raiser" at Edgewood opened the youth program classes.
• Two new Zim c420s on the docks, and a lot of volunteer work on the Fleet carried us "smartly" into two months of youth classes and four months of adult sailing.  
• Edgewood raced at the NBYA regattas, and hosted a roster of events here at the Club, including In July, our intrepid adult martyrs in the third annual Ancient Opti Elders Regatta, another successful Edgewood Optimist Invitational Regatta, and our first Adult-Youth 420 Regatta.
• Junior Race Week at Fort Getty in Jamestown in August wrapped up the Youth season.
• Our adult program continued through the first weeks of fall, pushing "Night Sailing" navigation, "Picnic Sails", and the giant haul-out after Columbus Day.
• Post-season, some youth sailors joined the fall Opti clinic at Sail Newport, while two boats of youth 420 sailors actually organized their own coached practice sessions at Edgewood on weekends.
• By October 17-18 the Opti and 420 youth sailors were back on the water in Newport  for the Halloween Howl – as cold and gusty as always – but our sailors toughed it out remarkably well.
• Now going into November the terrific Sailing School's Saturday morning volunteers are into action with maintenance projects, to see Edgewood Fleet safely ashore for winter storage.

In sum: thanks to everyone who participated in ESS this season. This year it truly took a broad community effort to keep our organization thriving. It was students, parents and supporters who were with us every day; and it was the huge effort of the instructors, staff and cheerful volunteers.  

WHAT WOULD TURN A SUPERB 2015, INTO AN EVEN BETTER 2016 ?
            . . . NEW MAINSAILS AND MORE ACTIVITY ON THE RHODES19s
                 . . .  WITH YOUR HELP

Here's why:

• Rhodes19s are the "big boats" in our fleet.
• From Youth "Starter Sailor" to adult "One-Design Racing", "Picnics"  and "Night Sailing" we depend on the 5 Rhodes19s.
• Next year ESS has plans to expand Rhodes19 racing, which would be a fun and exciting way to draw even more sailors into ESS programs.
• We could really use new Rhodes19 mainsails to make that racing even more enjoyable and competitive. The ones we have are sagging.
• The School is ordering a new set, to be built with help of local sailmaker (Doyle) in East Greenwich.  
• The School needs $4500 before spring.

       How can you help Edgewood get to the next "mark"  in this race?

• Your donation of $25, $50, $100, or $250 would go a long way towards the goal and  would start 2016 off on a "lifted tack."  With just $4500, we'd be able to equip the entire Rhodes fleet with new matching mainsails!
• (To donate on-line).

Please contact George Shuster at (401)737-1278 or george@edgewoodsailing.org if you have questions, or please go to www.edgewoodsailing.org to donate on-line and for information about the programs.

You can also mail a check to Edgewood Sailing School at P.O. Box 25641, Cranston, RI 02905.

We’ll be reporting on our fundraising progress between now and year-end, and hopefully we’ll be able to announce a fully-funded set of Rhodes mainsails before the start of 2016!.

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