To our Courageous community:
I am writing to share good news about the temporary closure of Pier 4 – in a nutshell, by early May*, we’ll be up and running, not on Pier 4, but close! As we mentioned in our last email, Pier 4 will be undergoing emergency repairs throughout 2022 to address structural issues; you can read our original announcements here and here. To recap, while the repairs are underway, we will not be able to use Pier 4 for classes, events, or dock access; in fact our floating dock needs to be detached from the pier. While all of this will certainly make the season more complicated, it won’t keep us from getting our sailors out on the water!
The Details
We have received approval to base our operations off of neighboring Pier 3, just across the drydock, and to move half of our 600' of floating dock over to Pier 3. Most of our Rhodes 19s will be based there, and will be supported on land by all the tents and tables we need to run all our outdoor classes and programs for kids and adults. We will also have a trailer on site to serve as a satellite "Front Desk" for our staff keeping tabs on weather, radio and marine traffic, and checking folks in and out.
And what about the rest of our dock and other boats? Good question! It and they will remain in the Pier 4 watersheet, but will be shifted closer to Pier 5. This will bisect our usual watersheet into two parts: a wider east side – reserved for boats under sail (Rhodes, J80s, and dinghies) -- and a narrower west side – reserved for boats under power (cruisers and motorboats). The dock will be accessed via a gangway from the Harborwalk. We will also have a second satellite operations trailer positioned nearby to help support staff, students, and members using the Pier 4 dock.
The Challenge
Splitting our site and the fleet will bring a host of logistical challenges and more than a few extra steps…but nothing we can’t handle! As of yesterday, the Boston Latin School / Boston Public Schools high school sailing team started using Pier 3 as a base, and we're liking our new home. The bigger challenge will be financial. The loss of events on Pier 4, and costs associated with moving our operations offsite (maintenance, tents, etc.) will be substantial, well in excess of $100,000. Fortunately, the Courageous community is already rallying to support us in ways big and small – and together we will find a way to overcome the revenue loss.
How You Can Help
Already, the BPDA has been beyond supportive; they are covering the cost of the dock relocation and are in touch with us daily around logistics. DC Beane, the construction company on Pier 3, has welcomed us as a new neighbor and are lending us the office trailers and other critical supports. And so many of you – our incredible community of students, parents, members, donors, and partners – have offered to help out in any way you can.
How can you help? Stay tuned for more on that as the situation continues to develop, but all the usual ways still apply: volunteer, sail with us, attend our events, contribute to our fundraising appeals. More importantly, help us tell the Courageous story – make sure others in the community know what Courageous offers to kids and adults alike, and why it is so important that we stay strong in 2022 and continue doing all we do.
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What's at Stake: The Courageous Youth Program and Why It Matters |
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- 400 young people depend on Courageous for multi-week learning opportunities each summer.
- We’re here for kids year-round: our school-day STEM programs, high school sailing, adaptive sailing, and after school opportunities serve another 600+ youth.
- 40%+ of our summer sailors participate for free, based on family income; another 20% receive partial scholarships.
- Each summer, our Swim Sail Science program, offered in partnership with Boston Public Schools, engages 60 economically disadvantaged BPS students through a dynamic combination of sailing, swimming, and environmental science-based experiential learning – helping to mitigate summer learning loss and providing equitable access to the sport of sailing.
- Since 2012, Courageous has been supporting Swim Sail Science students, alumni, and other marginalized youth with meals, school bus transportation, ongoing swimming instruction, access to on-staff social workers, and tuition-free progression through all Courageous sailing courses.
- Over half of Courageous kids identify as youth of color.
- 3rd party evaluation confirms that Courageous provides an engaging, supportive environment in which young people develop critical life skills.
- Kids remain involved with Courageous for over a decade, starting at age 8 and becoming paid Instructors-in-Training and Instructors as teens. Many of the 80+ young people we employ each summer grew up sailing with Courageous.
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In short, the work of Courageous is indispensable to our kids and our community. Thank you so much for your interest and support – it is a crucial part of helping make sure we’re here to serve both in 2022 and beyond.
Sincerely,
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Dave DiLorenzo
Executive Director
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*We expect to be able to provide an additional update on April 21 or shortly thereafter, confirming the date of Opening Day for our members. At this time we don’t anticipate delays to any of our planned lessons and courses, which should begin on May 7 as scheduled. |
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A long-awaited rite of spring: Tuesday was the first day of high school sailing practice! |
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