Students, apprentices, and staff in front of Rocking the Boat’s building in Hunts Point. Fall 2023.
It’s nearly a wrap on Rocking the Boat’s 25th anniversary year. As always, we measure it as much in milestone achievements as in memorable moments.
Ten of our sailors took the three-day US Sailing Level 1 Instructor test right here in Hunts Point and all 10 passed and were certified together, the largest group in our history. A cheering crowd of 200 family, friends, and neighbors gathered in June to celebrate the Boatbuilding student and apprentice classes each launching a newly completed wooden boat. The students launched Resilience, a 19-foot sailboat and the apprentices launched the Bronx Star, a 29-foot replica of the boat to win the first ever rowing race in the United States in 1824. The Environmental Science Program teamed up with a corporate volunteer group to revive a neglected wetland along the Bronx River, a job too big to tackle alone. We even had extra celebrating to do when a group of students from AMS II Charter School, located just on the other side of Bruckner Boulevard, came to Rocking the Boat this spring for their 10th straight year of On-Water Classroom programming.
The group photo at the top of this page is one of many snapped this year—on college campus tours, at alumni reunion gatherings, and the annual Frost Valley expedition. But it captures its own standout moment. These participants are about to leave for a hike in the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, the last trip in a full calendar that took them sailing, hiking, swimming, and camping to Newport, Mystic, both north and south shores of the Long Island Sound, Barnegat Bay, Mianus River Gorge, Lake Waubeeka, and the Berkshires. And recently, the Rocking the Boat Rowing Team raced in the Icebreaker youth open-water championship in Hull, MA. What draws participants together for these special events is the same as what brings them here every day, year after year. Visibly, the pull is the sense of community, the friendships, and the power of discovering what can be accomplished together. From this foundation, Rocking the Boat’s magic moments and lasting achievements are built.
Generous supporters like you are keys to our community’s strength. Please consider a donation to Rocking the Boat this giving season and reaffirm your place in Rocking the Boat’s circle.
Thank you!
