1Ben Sewell of Newburyport, Tor Johannessen of Amesbury and Galen March of Newbury have spent this past summer sailing local and distant waterways for the sake of experience and the heat of competition.
According to Groveland's Alice Twombly, a Rings Island Rowing Club unit leader and local Sea Scout Skipper since 1998, whether it be rowing, scuba diving, or surfing, Sea Scout experience has imbued many youths with invaluable safety and recreational knowledge.
"Utilizing nautical skills and adventures, we venture out on experiential learning activities like sailing, boogie boarding and camping. We'll try anything," said Twombly, whose rowing club and Sea Scout ship enables more than 50 local youths to discover the local rivers and Great Marsh every year. "According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Sea Scouting is the safest boating organization on the water."
Two local mariners who have spent their summer as racing partners are Johannessen and March. Johannessen, who became smitten with sailing following a two-week voyage from Orleans to Bar Harbor, Maine, is a 17-year-old senior at Amesbury High School, and March, who began taking summer sailing lessons at the American Yacht Club when he was 9, is a 15-year-old Newbury native and sophomore at the Waring School in Beverly.
In a span of just two weeks, the pair made their competitive sailing debut with showings in the 55th annual Marblehead Junior Race Week out of the Pleon Yacht Club and the fifth biennial William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
Green to competitive sailing, the duo didn't pull off any miracles in their 420 and CFJ sailboats, however, they did manage to surprise themselves.
"There were a few times that were kind of difficult," said Johannessen, who learned how to work a spinnaker on the move. "I'm totally new to sailing as my own skipper in a race, so sailing alone with Galen, as a first competitive experience, I thought we did pretty well, and I had a lot of fun in the process."
While racing through the waves off Marblehead, Johannessen and March placed 14th out of the 25 two-man teams in the 420 Green Class Series on July 19.
On Aug. 3, succeeding four days of qualifying races, the pair captured their best placing as a competitive sailing team. In the Koch International Sea Scout Cup regatta, they placed fifth out of 20 teams in the 2010 Kiwi Cup.
"We were really surprised by that," March said, "and very happy with the outcome."
Sailing's endless learning curve, as well as the lure of higher standings, has March and Johannessen gig-committed.
"There's just so much to learn about it, and even though I've been sailing for about six years now, I feel like I don't even know half or even less than half of what's involved," March said. "There are constantly new angles."
"I just always seem to be learning new things while I sail," Johannessen said. "And there's something about sailing by yourself that gives you this natural thrill when you get that wind in your sails perfectly."
A 16-year-old junior at St. John's Prep in Danvers, Newburyport's Sewell joined the Sea Scouts in 2008 after initially taking sailing lessons with the American Yacht Club.
Too tall to join the St. John's Prep sailing team — Sewell stands at 6-foot-3 — a suggestion by Twombly to apply for the Atlantic Challenge International as a member of the American team seemed like a no-brainer.
Sewell was ultimately accepted and soon joined a fleet of 17 similar-aged sailors for a grueling four-week training camp on Green's Island in Maine's Penobscot Bay in preparation for the 13-nation contest.
Once the monthlong camp was completed, Sewell and his team made the trip to the shores of Lake Huron in Midland, Ontario, Canada, for the Atlantic Challenge's weeklong competition.
A friendly contest of seamanship in Bantry Bay gigs — wooden replicas of late 18th century longboats — the Atlantic Challenge is held in a different host country every two years. Its aim is to build trust among nations and form an international community of youth and adults, while encouraging the practice of traditional maritime skills through sailing and rowing events, as well as with activities designed to hone technique and address maritime history.
When all was said and done, the American team finished sixth overall, an impressive accomplishment seeing as how Team USA was one of the youngest groups competing.
"I think I took a lot from it, and it was great to just meet people from all walks of life," Sewell said. "I actually got to row with the Northern Ireland team because they had some injured crew members. Even though it wasn't my country, it was great just to help for the pure sport of it. Their coach thanked me afterward, gave me a shirt and stated that I was an honorary member of their team."
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