83
For parents Kevin and Kathleen Molesky, costs of their sons’
chosen sport include boats, gear, appropriate clothing and
shoes, as well as associated costs of traveling to regattas.
But the nancial and time commitment is one they’re happy to
make for a sport their boys will enjoy their whole lives, a sport
that teaches great life lessons, including responsibility and the
rewards of hard work.
Neither parent has a sailing background. But along with their
boys, they have learned the sport’s ins and outs. Now, they enjoy
spending their weekends attending regattas, especially the local
ones, which they can watch from their own boat (motor, not sail.)
“Our kids have basically grown up on the water, fishing,
swimming” said Kathleen, a third-grade teacher at Wakeland
Elementary. “So, it’s not surprising that they’ve chosen sailing.”
Rising to the Challenges
Besides practice, skill and a sense of adventure — all of which
the Molesky boys possess, according to their coach and parents
— courage is required for sailing success. Each child owns or
rents his or her own one-person boat. When learning, sailors do
a lot of practicing on land.
But there comes a day when each child must push off from
shore, all alone in a boat, and face the fact they’re on their own,
responsible for themselves. Sure, their boats are small, roughly
seven feet, and coach boats are never far away. But for some kids,
especially the younger ones, this is a hurdle that can be panicinducing.
So much so that it scares them off from sailing altogether.
But for those who stick with it, they get over the fear fast. And
some, like Quinn for example, never had it to begin with.
“He wasn’t afraid to get into a boat,” Kathleen said. “He has a
real competitive nature.”
Quinn and Harrison acknowledge sailing’s many challenges.
They’ve sailed in rainy, windy, frigid conditions, often in wet suits
because the spray from waves can soak them. Harrison recalls