Youngsters get lesson on the lake

Pupils from Cortez Elementary School get a
sailing lesson at Desert Shores.

By Damon Hodge
View staff writer

Quincy Hatcher worked the remote-controlled boat like a pro, whizzing it by onlooking ducks in Desert Shores' man-made Lake Jacquline.

"This is fun," chirped the 9-year-old Cortez Elementary pupil.

His fellow Cortez peers proved as adept with the battery-powered mini-sailboats.

Twenty-seven high-achieving pupils got their sea legs in a 90-minute lesson courtesy of the O'Aces Yacht Club. Members of the 3-year-old group traced the evolution of sailing, from sailing to survive to sailing for sport.

Gifted and Talented Education specialist Lucy Di Chiara organized the trip as a reward for third- through fifth-graders in the GATE program.

The instruction capitalized on a year-long study of navigation, one of the school's key words for this year. She'd heard about the club, visited them one weekend and asked if they were interested in teaching children.

"Field trips are a big thing for these kids," Di Chiara said. "Ninety-six percent of the kids at the school are on (the) free-lunch (program). We want them to see there are more things to do in life. We wanted to show them these adults were life-long learners. They have been out of school for a long time, but are still learning."

GATE pupils learned about navigation in class and on field trips to the planetarium at the Community College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne Campus and the Rio for the "Titanic" exhibit.

Hatcher's 11-year-old sister Latia Hatcher couldn't wait to hit the waters.

"I'd been on a boat before but I've never been sailing," the fifth-grader said. "We learned a lot about navigation ... about how sailors used the stars to guide their way and about the parts of ships."

The field trip started at Borders Bookstore in the Northwest where the children "navigated" the building and ate treats. Then it was off to Desert Shores, which pioneered locally the neighborhood lake concept.

George Emmert told the pupils about the history of sailing, the background of sailboat racing and yachting and the evolution of the model boat competition. The boats are miniature versions of vessels used in yachting contests.

The club's 34 members have 45 boats between them, most of the Victoria Regotta model, along with other styles of one-meter boats. The club is a member of the American Model Yachting Association.

Emmert said the yacht club was more than happy to help.

"We're primarily a racing club," he said, adding the club will host the national championships in one-design, one-meter boats.

Members compete in noontime Victoria Regatta races the first Sunday of each month and noontime one-meter Regatta races on the third Sunday of each month.

 Jesslyn Bley felt like she was maneuvering a big boat.

"I used my imagination," she said. The 9-year-old fourth grader barely missed clipping a duck. "It moved out of the way.

Bley's 9-year-old sister Katelyn Bley, was intrigued by how wind influences navigation and how sailors adjust.

"You have to open the sails to catch the wind so you can go faster," she said.

Each pupil received a certificate noting completion of special training in the Introduction to Sailing Model Yachts course.

Carlos Aguilera, a 9-year-old third-grader, put aside his dream-induced fear of water and enjoyed piloting the model ships.

"I want to do it again," he said.

Principal Betty Roqueni said it's a possibility.

"We wanted to show them the relationship from books to learning and show how what they learn applies to life," she said of the purpose of the field trips. "Any way we can enrich children's lives in any shape or form, I'll find the money to let them have that opportunity."