ROCKLAND — Spring high school sailing at The Apprenticeshop is off to a great start. Three teams are sailing with the high school sailing club this season: Camden Hills Regional High School, Islesboro Central School's team and the conglomerate 'RCS' team which includes students from the Watershed School, Oceanside, and students in the home school network. On March 29, at the first practice of the season, water temps in Rockland Harbor were 30F degrees and winds were gusting out of the Northwest at 25 knots. Each sailing season begins with a review of cold-water safety, hypothermia awareness and prevention, and how these extreme elements relate to spring sailing in Maine. All early season sailors are required to wear dry suits and to have some sailing experience.

At the Apprenticeshop docks in late March, this group of high school sailors rigged and launched boats, practiced capsize recovery, and had swim checks. A highlight of sailing in the spring is seeing the boats, wind and water give sailors direct feedback. These experiences go well beyond sailing and racing tactics to tap into perseverance, responsibility and seamanship, all under the tutelage of experienced coaches and longtime sailors Patrick DiLalla, Deb Schreiber, and Mike Horn.

During the 2016 spring sailing season, Community Sailing at The Apprenticeshop will host two home regattas: the Breakwater Blast on May 1 and a Hospice of Maine fundraiser on May 7. The public is invited down to the 655 Main Street waterfront campus to watch the races.

The Apprenticeshop offers sailing from March through October for all area youth and adults. The Community Sailing scholarship program insures that students are never left on the dock because of cost.

Located at 655 Main Street in Rockland's North End, The Apprenticeshop is a school for boatbuilding, sailing, and seamanship a small boat livery, and various waterfront services. Community Sailing is now enrolling for spring after school sailing and the summer season. The 2016 youth and adult summer sailing season begins June 22.

For more information, visit apprenticeshop.org