Needs for 2025 season
4 new Opti racing sails- black/heavy plus - $550 each
These sails will accommodate sailors 100-125 lbs and facilitate sailors sticking around on the Opti Race Team a year or two longer than the current average stint. Right now, our current racing sails are designed for smaller, lighter racers who do not need as much power behind them.
New travel trailer - $1800
Right now, our only road-safe powerboat trailers are the trailer for the 19 ft SeaArk, and the Opti trailer that holds the 13 ft RIB. We need some flexibility to take one of the 17 ft SeaArk on the road with us. This trailer would replace one of our current trailers that will make it down the hill once more to unload in June, and then effectively crumble. A 17ft SeaArk will likely replace the 19ft one as our primary 420 travel team coach boat. The 19ft boat has been beaten up on the road leading to some major hull cracks. It’s time to put her out to pasture after a few repairs (Blue Hill Bay only).
RIB replacement, plus opti trailer modifications - $18000 + $800
We’ve tried to make it work, but our 13 ft RIB is not the right boat to travel with. Adding a sand bag and a fin to the outboard has helped, but the boat can’t handle much wave action, and will only safely tolerate ~12-15 kts of wind. It would be great if we could retire this to Blue Hill Bay only, and find a replacement hull and engine. This would help cover our morning classes more effectively and act as infrastructure for our program to grow, and let our Opti program thrive in bigger wind and waves. We have began the search, and once we find the right boat, we will make adjustments to our current Opti trailer to fit the new boat below the racks.
4 sets of 420 mains, jibs, spinnakers- $5200 ($600/$350/$350)
Our current set of racing sails will be 5 and 6 seasons old this coming summer. This means that our practice race sails are ~10 years old. With the expansion of our 420 race team to include the freshly-graduated Opti sailors, we will need a couple new sets of race sails. We could get by with what we have, if needed (purchasing spinnakers only), but with this growth and aging sails, our practice race sails are quite tired and in need of replacement. To refresh our practice race sails, we would need to get new race sails and hand down our current race sails.
FUNDRAISING ITEMS
rowing, Opti, and 420 class fee scholarship - $400 to $420 per session
Since its inception, KSEA’s guiding principle has been to make sailing education and access to Blue Hill Bay available to all. Through class fee scholarships for our Rowing, Opti, and 420 classes, sailors and aspiring sailors get to experience the magic of sailing and rowing. These sailors, in particular, learn the basics of boat handling, seamanship, and racing, and have the chance to go on adventures far and wide.
Adult sailing scholarship - $420 per session
Scholarships for Adult sailing would allow entire families to take part in sailing education at KSEA. In summer 2024, parents came to sailing class while their kids were sailing or rowing and one parent even remarked how special it was to be learning a new skill/sport/hobby alongside her daughter.
Loaner life jacket - $50
If we had a couple of newer life jackets available as loaners, kids who need a life jacket while sailing at KSEA could feel cool in a sharp new jacket. For a kid who has to borrow one, this could start things off on a high note and help those who don't have one of their own blend in. The first day of a session can be daunting for a young/new sailor, and an old crusty lifejacket does no favors.
Electrical tape/sail tape/packing tape - $50
Any sailors will know that that electrical tape is one of the pillars of a functioning boat. With so many boats traveling to race (think a new roll for each regatta stepping and de-stepping masts), we go through a lot of tape.
Opti Wind Indicator - $25
Windicators, as they’re affectionately called, are a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to Optimist sailing. Our younger groups have the challenge of detecting the wind themselves, but our racing group uses these mast-top wind indicators in practice and racing to help them with their tactics on the racecourse.
420 guy hooks - $20
Our older sailors are eager to learn and master flying spinnakers. This learning and mastering comes with lots of wear and tear to our equipment. Guy hooks are some of the absorbers of this wear and tear and we end up needing a handful each season. These are used in instruction, practice, and racing for both our cruising and racing groups.
SAFETY
Instructor certification - $350 for each level
All full time instructors are required to have their US Sailing Level 1 Small Boat Instructor Certification. This training teaches our staff valuable skills in instruction, safety, and outdoor classroom management. As our instructors stick around and begin to teach more advanced classes and coach our race teams, they go on to get their Level 2 and Level 3 certifications.
Whole staff CPR/AED/First Aid training- $400
At the beginning of each summer, the whole staff participates in a CPR, First-Aid, and AED training, head, neck, and spine injury training, as well as receive training on our emergency action protocol. While we do the training in-house, the American Red Cross charges a small fee for each certification.
Trapeze harness for C420 - $300
We’re slowly cycling out the early 2000s trapeze harnesses. New harnesses help our sailors feel comfortable and agile in their racing equipment and provide the necessary safety features to ensure our sailors get the most out of their time on the water and the boats they’re sailing.
Boat fire extinguisher/flares - $40
This required equipment for all powerboats is not on the glamorous side of KSEA spending, but some of the most important. Safety is our top priority and with this comes extra spending to ensure our equipment is up to date, functional, and sufficient.
RACE TEAM NEEDS
Race team class fee scholarship - $210 per week
Our race team class fees cover coaching at KSEA and away at regattas. Many race team members join us for all 8 weeks of our program, and this can become a financial burden to some families. Providing support for families of racing sailors breaks one of the many barriers of entry to the sport of racing sailboats and is something that KSEA is proud to make available.
Race team sailor regatta entry fee and housing cost scholarship - $250
Some of our race team families benefit from assistance in the form of reimbursement for regatta entry fees and our shared regatta accommodations. This opens up the opportunities for kids to travel with the race team. Some of our travel events in the past included trips to Marblehead Youth Race Week, Boothbay Harbor for Battle of the Bay, and to South Freeport for the Harraseeket youth regatta. The regatta entry fees and housing costs associated with regatta travel start to add up. We are happy to be able to offer this type of scholarship to sailors who would not otherwise be able to travel to these events.
WAYS TO GIVE
Mail a check to: KSEA, PO Box 368, Blue Hill, ME 04614 *preferred method for larger gifts, to maximize the benefit to our sailors.