Island youth take a ‘Brilliant’ sail: Hands-on, eye-opening excursion
This past week, adventurous 7th and 8th graders boarded the gorgeous white-hulled vessel Brilliant for small group-day sails.
Brilliant, an 89-year old, 38-ton auxiliary schooner operated by the Mystic Seaport Museum, has been described by WoodenBoat magazine as one of the 100 most beautiful classic boats in existence, and as “one of the best maintained and sailed classic yachts in the country — if not the world.”
The Shelter Island Educational Foundation provided this excursion, free of charge, to Island students as a COVID-safe alternative to the traditional five-day trip. Students raised sails, tacked, jibed, furled, navigated, logged, steered and stood watch. For many, this was their first sail.
Seeing the Island from the water gave the students a totally new perspective. Although 7th grader Harry Clark was soaked by a wave while on the bow, he still rated the trip “a 10 out of 10.”
The sailing experience fits within the mission of the Shelter Island Educational Foundation to augment school and community resources to help our children chart a productive course from their own abundant shores to the boundless world of knowledge and understanding.
