For more than a decade, the City of Orange Beach has held a summer sailing camp for youth. Now under the Coastal Resources division, the camp has grown to accommodate about 250 kids during the course of one summer. I have had the privilege of teaching sailing for the past several years here, and I must say that it is such a rewarding experience for both the instructors and students. Our students learn tacking, jibing, upwind and downwind sailing, capsize recovery methods, proper boat handling and more.

People are so electronically reliant in today's world; therefore it is an asset for our community to be able to provide education for skills that are acquired by literally working with the wind, waves, current and weather. I believe it generates an appreciation for things we normally would not recognize as being tools to maneuvering around.

Activities such as sailing tap into a whole new knowledge base that circulates around the environment one is in, instead of being dependent on motorized power. At the city’s summer Sail Camp, we strive to share this awareness of our natural resources by always making sure our sails are full with wind! For more information, visit WindAndWaterLearning.com.