By Jocelyn Bertovich, Onboard Educator
Photos by Bard Prochaska

Twenty-five young women came together in Hudson, NY this August to kick-off the 11th year of Clearwater’s Young Women at the Helm Program.  The selected bunch mostly hailed from the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Albany, but a few came from farther away, from Pennsylvania and Florida.  The young ladies underwent the rigorous interview process and the group for this year’s program were chosen out of over seventy applicants.  Although they came from a variety of backgrounds, each demonstrated the leadership qualities and enthusiasm that we look for in our participants.  What does this say about these women?  They are a strong, committed, determined group of individuals who are ideal candidates to become the leaders of the future.

Upon arrival in Hudson, the energetic participants boarded the vessel and spent the first day learning the lines, or “ropes”, if you are a land-lubber. Assembled in four groups, called “Watches”, they all set out to master a different set of skills and study a specific subject.

Getting off the dock the first day, the Yellow Watch observed the crew’s line-handling abilities in anticipation of when they would have to throw that important line that allows the boat to reach the dock safely as a demonstration of their successful training.

Meanwhile, the Red Watch learned how to get the mainsail ready to set.  There are many steps in this process, and they would have to remember them all.

The Blue Watch stretched their muscles and got ready to haul on the 3,000-pound sail while keeping an eye on how the sail goes up, as it was their responsibility to strike the sail.

The Green Watch was hanging out with Captain Beth on the tiller; after all, it is “Young Women at the Helm”.

The first day was packed full of education and skill-building, and we visited with Jennifer Lee in her wigwam and learned about the history of Native peoples of the Hudson River. The girls practiced native dance, drumming, and talked about their own cultural backgrounds. We all had a fascinating evening of sharing at the riverfront.

After a night of camping in Catskill – a first for many of the girls – we all set out for day two of adventure.  And what an adventure it was!  We had to transit twenty nautical miles and the radar indicated a nasty storm was on the way.  Neither the long trip nor the race against the approaching weather discouraged these ladies.  They refused to let a bit of rain get in the way of the Blue Watch learning how to catch plankton with their home-made plankton tows, and the Green Watch throwing out a chip log to determine velocity.

We made it to Rhinecliff, where the Yellow Watch threw all the dock lines!  Then the young women were off to Norrie Point for an afternoon of seining with Sarah Mount and an evening of campfire, s’mores, and Power of Song with Clearwater’s own Linda Richards.

The third and final day of this year’s Young Women at the Helm was a complete success.  Once again, they really weathered the storms.  Refusing to stay down below, the Watches, clad in their yellow rain gear, prepared their final presentations.  When we reached Poughkeepsie, all the girls met under the pavilion to demonstrate what they learned to their fellow watches.

The Red Watch had become experts in energy and put together a Public Service Announcement to educate the public on energy usage in the Hudson Valley.  The Yellow Watch demonstrated how sails work, explaining the how the differential of high and low pressure propel the boat forward.  The importance of plankton as the base of the food web was clearly illustrated by the Blue Watch.  And the Green Watch showed us all how much money we saved by using the renewable resource of wind, compared with the non-renewable resource of diesel fuel.  I was astonished at how much they learned!

These young women, the leaders of the future, were proudly glowing as a result of their achievements and the bonds of friendship they made over the three days.  After the presentations, we shared cupcakes and tears, and then good-byes.

I believe the Young Women at the Helm 2012 graduates slept well that evening, dreaming of ways they could make a difference in the world and cherishing their new experiences.