“It’s not the final step, it’s just the beginning.”
- Bryant, Program Assistant
It was the test they had long prepared for. Ten current and former members of Rocking the Boat’s Youth Development Program were slated to test for their US Sailing Level 1 Small Boat Instructor Certification. This is an internationally recognized standard certification to teach sailing, a key qualification for instructor jobs at sailing camps, yacht clubs, and a gateway to advanced credentials and careers in sailing. But to get it, an aspirant must undergo three demanding days of assessment, demonstrating mastery in every element of technical sailing skills as well as competency in sailing instruction. In the past, our sailors had to take the test offsite, in less familiar waters. This year, Rocking the Boat arranged with US Sailing for the course to be given at our facility—and they agreed to send one of their proctors from no less than the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, to administer it.
So they had to be ready. The Director of Sailing held extra weekend practices on the water and encouraged the cohort to take the written practice test, study their scores, and take it again. Getting certified would mean something different to each of them. Three apprentices in the Sailing Job Skills Program were attempting to become the first ever to get certified while still in the program. A number were Rocking the Boat Program Assistants, recent graduates of the program who help teach the Student Sailing Program and middle school sailing classes. Bryant is an alumnus who joined the second year the student sailing program was offered in 2016 and is now a Program Assistant. For him, it’s a rematch. He took the test once before and didn’t pass but for one section. It was a dispiriting blow to his confidence, but not his love for sailing. He has worked hard and was itching for his redo.
Another graduate, Derek, had never considered sailing before he joined Rocking the Boat’s Sailing Program in 2020, but quickly excelled, becoming an apprentice only a year later. He now attends SUNY Maritime College, pursuing a degree in Marine Transportation, and a career on the water. In his freshmen year, he learned that with a Level 1 Instructor Certification he was eligible to teach at the school’s prestigious summer sailing camp and could work alongside sailing instructors from other countries.
The course was given in May, some rain, some shine. Derek recalls, “I was doing the water drill, and the wind was shifting, it was confusing me. I had written down my lesson notes on a piece of paper, but it had gotten wet, ruined. I thought, ‘I’m about to fail this…’”
In fact, all 10 sailors passed!
“It was easy,” Bryant says, not boasting, but modestly proud of his win. “I know not many people get to do this, so I’ve got to make something of it.” With this certificate under his belt, now Bryant and some of his fellow sailors can see themselves going for Level 2 or 3, to train other instructors. “This isn’t the final step, it’s just the beginning.” Bryant is looking to gain more keelboat experience that could find him working on the crew of a big boat. For now, Bryant has continued as a Sailing Program Assistant this summer, enjoying the swell they all feel from having gotten certified together. And, says Bryant, “I have to stay until a few of my students graduate, that would make me happy.”
Certificate in hand, Derek was immediately hired as an Instructor at the SUNY Maritime summer sailing camp. “Rocking the Boat set me up for a great opportunity somewhere else.” Days and even evenings, he teaches 8- to 14-year-old kids to sail and revels in the responsibility. “My lesson notes, I always have that piece of paper with me in a dry place.”
