I spent a day teaching sailing at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, CT in August, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. To see the smiles on the campers’ faces, sense their excitement to be on the water, and hear their squeals when the boat tipped was amazing. For me, it was interesting to see these first-time reactions because I grew up on the water and sailing. Yes, we see similar reactions from the young kids we teach at sailing camps, but for some reason, in this setting, it was different. For the campers, it was something new entirely, something that they never thought they would get the chance to do. No one was forced to be on the boat – it was all optional – but it was an opportunity that they all jumped at.
Bill Crane (Darien, CT) invited me, my US Sailing Team Alphagraphics teammate Zach Railey (Clearwater, FL) and our US Sailing Team Alphagraphics coach Dave Perry (Southport, CT) to come up to the camp. But the true credit goes to a young girl way beyond her years named Sanam Rastegar, a 10th grader at the Hopkins School in New Haven. Sanam is a true hero in my eyes. She started her involvement in the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp through a school fundraiser, and she has raised an amazing amount of money for the camp. But it was also her idea to introduce the campers to sailing, as a camp activity.
Paul Newman founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988. The camp, for “children diagnosed with cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia and other serious and life-threatening conditions,” gives them the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities that they would not otherwise experience. It’s a chance for them to get away from the hospitals, forget about their medical conditions and just enjoy themselves.
The plan was to sail in the morning with the campers and then spend the afternoon touring the camp and meeting some of the other campers. We arrived around 10 am and went down to the waterfront. LaserPerformance brought up two V-15s and a Bahia for the session, and donated both V-15s to the camp for their use in the future. None of the campers in our group, most whom are from New York and New Jersey, had ever sailed before, and only a handful had been on a boat.
Although we only had about an hour to go sailing, we had just enough breeze to move around the little lake. At first, all the campers were a little timid to be on the boats, but once we got them rocking the boats to prove they were quite steady, they were much more comfortable and relaxed. Each of them had a chance to steer the boats and trim the sails, and all came off the water with big smiles on their faces. They also had many questions about who we had met at the Olympics. Many of them were quite impressed that Zach had a conversation with and had his photo taken with Kobe Bryant. They were saying, “I want to go with the Kobe guy!”
After the sailing was over, the campers went back to their cabins and watched a parade for Mary Harper, the camp archivist. Next was lunchtime, for which everyone was very excited. The energy at the camp was just amazing. When we walked into the lunch hall, the campers were banging on their tables and yelling chants, and the great part was that they were told they were not loud enough. After lunch, we walked around the camp and checked out all the activities the campers get to do. The coolest part for me was the tree house. It’s a massive structure built in the trees by the lake, and it has a long, wheelchair accessible ramp. There’s a musical instrument at each level on the ramp up for the kids to play. The camp has everything: a gymnasium, a heated pool, an arts & crafts area, a shop area, and a theater where the campers can perform. The camp counselors and staff are also heroes. They’re so positive and full of energy – I got tired just watching them! They interact well with the kids and the kids respect them.
It was an amazing experience, and I hope to go back again to take campers sailing and get them excited about the sport. I would really like to thank Sanam for inviting us to experience the camp. She is an amazing young lady. Her kind heart and selflessness has left a big impression on all of us. Thanks, Sanam. For more information about the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, visit holeinthewallgang.org. ✦
