Sailing on Lake Michigan is a wonderful opportunity for Northwest Indiana residents. However, with this experience comes responsibility, and sailing on the water can be dangerous if you’re not knowledgeable on proper boating technique.
For many, the necessary education isn’t available or accessible. Thanks to a grant from the Foundations of East Chicago (FEC), East Chicago residents were able to attend a summer program through the Indiana Sailing Association Inc. (ISA) and East Chicago Parks and Recreation department.
The ISA was established in 1989 as a collaborative community partnership to advance watersports and youth sail training based at the East Chicago Marina. With its location on the coast of Lake Michigan, the city of East Chicago has a unique position to enjoy a pastime most don’t have access to. Summer recreation apart, the program provided training on vessel maintenance, boat trailering and launching, drills on departure and arrival, steering and coastal navigation, and many other nautical procedures and requirements.
Expanding the horizons of East Chicago youth and adults to the maritime world supports a strong correlation between academic learning and real-life experience. In addition, it presents avenues to marine trades and career opportunities. It’s a chance to leap off the dock into a wet world unchartered.
[link to YouTube video found on website] https://youtu.be/GZpOEQF1Bwo
The Indiana Sailing Association Inc is a grantee of the Foundations of East Chicago. Visit http://www.indianasailing.org/ to learn more about their programs.
