Personal Narrative: The Daysail Program

It is easy to find yourself sitting at a cozy summer job, and not have to worry about doing anything too hard or responsible at all. However, when it came to my job at the Clearwater Sailing Center, I was immediately fascinated by the amazing opportunities that came my way. Nothing is more satisfying than helping someone overcome an obstacle that they have been longing to get past. It is a place to people come to, to overcome their adversity and learn something they will love. With the most important programs that we offer such as the Daysail, and rehabilitation program.
The Daysail program was created to reach out to the mentally-challenged public to come learn and be a part of the sailing community. As well as our rehabilitation program …show more content…
It was a week long and required more patience than I ever thought it would, but gave me the highest sense of pride I had ever seen in myself. One case that stuck out specifically to me, was a young man named Matt. Matt was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, and at times was quiet and often found not smiling. His parents convinced him to the program, hoping to allow him to open and find something to cling to. I worked with Matt longer than the rest, approximately two weeks. During this long period, I had gotten to learn about Matt well. So, once I figured out his strengths and weaknesses, both in the boat and in social settings, I was able to work on his capabilities. Even working with him through a bad storm when we capsized into the water. He was able to display a sense of responsibility and calmness that was unheard of by his parents. Consequently, I was finally confident in his abilities and progress, we invited his parents to join us on a Sunday afternoon for a boat ride across the intercoastal. I took them out on the water, and all was good. But Matt’s parents did not know that I was going to give Matt the skipper position, and he proceeded to control the boat all around the water. With the biggest smile on his