Tucked away on the island of Nantucket, south of Cape Cod, lies Nantucket Community Sailing. Started in 1994, the NCS’s goal is to increase water and sailing access for local residents. With their fleet of Prams, Optis, RS Quests, 420s, Rhodes 19s, and Marshall Cat 15s, they offer seasonal programming to islanders and vacationers alike.
Although Nantucket has a well-earned reputation as an affluent community, (in 2021, the median value of homes in Nantucket County was $1,370,522, marking it as the highest median home value in the US) there are gaps in access to activities like sailing for those who are not part of the island’s wealthy population. To combat this, Nantucket Community Sailing (NCS) focuses on community outreach, adaptive, and youth programs (including running the local high school sailing team), as well as partnerships with other local nonprofits, just to name a few of their programs. Outside of offering inclusive programming, the center provides over $100,000 in free sailing programs yearly to Nantucket residents in need.
The list of outreach programs NCS has is long and diverse: they partner with the Nantucket Boys and Girls Club and with Nantucket S.T.A.R. for adaptive watersports twice a week; and they offer Adaptive Sailing Lessons and partner with Saltmarsh Senior Center to offer sailing to Seniors, all for free.
“I love hearing stories from parents about how we helped their kids,” said NCS President and CEO Diana Brown. “Whether they’re island kids or seasonal kids visiting, they’re all the same on the water – you’re captain and crew on a boat together.”
Outside of their outreach programs, the NCS offers private and group sailing programs and boat rentals for children and adults of all ages and ability levels. They offer beginner youth program all the way up through active junior racing programs to meet the needs of the many students they work with. Their youngest students – who being in a toddler program at age 2, are often sailing with NCS for well over a decade. NCS operates seasonally, with services offered from the end of June to the end of August.
“I would say sailing has shaped me as a person and I think NCS has been a big part of that because it’s taught me how to be independent on the water,” said Clementine Kelly, a Nantucket High School sailing team member. “Sailing is my happy place!”
NCS is also known for hosing Nantucket Race Week, a popular event on the east coast that brings together hundreds of the country’s top sailors. Race Week, which is a fundraiser for NCS, culminates in the Opera House Cup, a prestigious classic yacht race attracting the many beautiful wooden and classic sailboats.
To maintain the highest standards of instruction, Nantucket Community Sailing makes extensive use of US Sailing’s services. They are an Accredited Community Sailing Center, meaning they have been recognized for offering the highest level of boating education and public access. Accredited programs use US Sailing certified instructors, have detailed emergency and safety procedures, use curricula that meet US Sailing’s teaching standards, and are properly insured.
In line with their Accredited status, all instructors at NCS are required to be US Sailing Small Boat Instructor certified – or the international equivalent. US Sailing’s Small Boat Instructor programs are the national standard for sailing instructors and coaches at all levels of expertise. Courses cover topics ranging from teaching techniques, lesson planning, and sail theory to risk management, ethical concerns, and management skills.
For their efforts supporting community sailing, NCS was recognized by US Sailing with the award for Outstanding Seasonal Program in 2010 and again in 2014 with the Outstanding Outreach and Inclusion award. In 2023, their Program Director, Emily Taylor, was named the Outstanding Program Director of the year. Nantucket Community Sailing continues to go above and beyond in the space of inclusion and community.
Support Nantucket Community Sailing in their mission to bring sailing to all on Nantucket: https://www.nantucketcommunitysailing.org/page/support_ncs
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