A cool benefit to Charleston Race Week's new location aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point is that the event now has plenty of space to expand its activities on board the ship including representation from community-based sailing organizations such as Charleston Community Sailing, Veterans on Deck, and the College of Charleston Sailing.
On the beautiful Charleston Harbor, community sailing is also having its day in the sun during Charleston Race Week. The organization Warrior Sailing has two boats competing in the Pursuit class fielding a team in Pursuit Non-Spinnaker racing on a Jeanneau 43, and in Pursuit Spinnaker B a second team competing on a J95, for a total of twelve veterans from around the country sailing on the two boats.
Warrior Sailing is a nationwide program that teaches wounded, ill, or injured veterans how to sail; people with any sort of disability from cancer survivors to spinal cord injuries who have served in the US military can attend.
Every Warrior starts with basic training camps held in three locations nationwide: San Diego, St Petersburg, and Annapolis, and each camp typically caters for 18-21 vets.
From basic training, progressive programming is offered where Warrior sailors can continue learning at many diverse levels; certification programs in coastal cruising for example or systems training, or "whatever direction the warrior veteran would like to take the program," Ben Poucher, National Director for Warrior Sailing, noted.
Poucher is a pro sailor who has raced Charleston Race Week for many years and is fortunate to be able to tap into his database of pro sailing coaches and friends to help with sailing instruction.
"All Warrior sailing events include instruction, boat logistics, coaching, land-based logistics and most meals at no expense to the veteran," Poucher said. "These events and camps are paid for by generous donations and support from the sailing community."
Warrior Sailing organizes special events throughout the year and Charleston Race Week is one of those.
"We bring graduates from our basic and certification courses and give them an opportunity to race as a group," Poucher said. "We have one boat that we operate within our boat donation program - a J95, which is 30' sport boat that we use for both cruising and racing. We lucked out for this event - we have a Jeanneau 43 that a local Charleston friend of the program is letting us use. We're always looking forward to Charleston Race Week!"
Poucher noted that in previous years the Warriors have had success in the Pursuit class with podium finishes but for the most part, the focus is on the veterans learning something new and meeting new people.
"If we called it group therapy no-one would show up," Poucher smiled, "So we downplay the competitive side of it and say, "Let's go sailing, lets introduce everybody to a new skill and a new community which is one of the things missing from the veterans' lives – the camaraderie that they have with other veterans."
All sailing opportunities for the veterans who sail with Warrior Sailing are covered by funding provided through donations. Donate today and support Warrior Sailing.
