Taming the windy waters of Lake Minnetonka is a frightening proposition for most sailing novices. Now imagine how first-time sailors feel when they can't see.
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On a beautiful summer day this month, a group of 19 visually impaired high school students took a field trip to the Wayzata Community Sailing Center.
Before getting in the boats, they circled a boat that was on shore to get a feel for its design.
"Feel that?" one volunteer asked a girl while guiding her hand. "That's the very front of the boat."
Seconds later, the girl admitted, "I'm scared."
"It'll be fine," her helper reassured her.
Within minutes of boarding their boats, the groups set sail. The weather was perfect, with a slight breeze.
Rachel Hastings, 17, of Brooklyn Park, can see some colors and objects up close, but she has very limited vision. That didn't stop her from taking control of the sails and completing her first successful tack, which brought a huge smile to her face.
"I just feel the wind in my hair," she said with a laugh. "It's just been really, really, really fun."
Her sailing partner, 17-year-old Josh Arndt, a student at Madelia High School, also has limited vision. He steered the boat from the back.
"It's great," he said. "It's an experience like no other. You've got the wind just moving you along, no motor, no gas smell, it's just you and the water."
Their smiles bring a smile to the face of Ernest Brody, the man who helped make this possible. He was inspired after working with a group that was trying to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Beijing last year.
Brody said the Wayzata Community Sailing Center operates under a simple motto: "Sailing for Everyone."
"Yachting is supposed to be elitest," Brody said. "Well, not here."
This couldn't happen without help from several volunteers who are donating their boats and time.
"I'm very impressed," said Howard Noreen, who worked with two of the kids. "We've been out here about an hour and they both know how to control the boat."
Once scared, the kids are now hooked.
"I had one kid came in and said, 'How do I join?'" Brody said.
A week later, the Wayzata Community Sailing Center hosted another group of kids from Camp Courage. Just like the previous group, the kids had their doubts.
"I was like, I can't do this, I don't know how to sail, I'm gonna drown," said 12-year-old Faith Solinger-Hillenbrand, who was born with Cerebral Palsy.
But also like the previous group, the quickly conquered their fears.
"I know this is something that they'll forever remember," said the Courage Center's Taavasa Mamea, Jr.
Sailing isn't just a beautiful sport to watch. It's a powerful sport to feel.
"This has been, on a scale of 1 to 10, about a 12," Brody said. "Does my heart good, let me tell you."
Click here to learn more about the Wayzata Community Sailing Center's "Access Sailing" program. You can also contact Ernest Brody at access.sailing@earthlink.net.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE 11. All Rights Reserved.)
