Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/5766/-1/140/
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Anguilla Sailing Association by Penny Legg
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Children mature at different rates and as a parent it is always interesting to see how your baby grows and what path he or she follows. No less with a new Association.
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The Anguilla Sailing Association office at Sandy Ground
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The Anguilla Sailing Association (ASA) was created in 2003 and so is now five years old; still in its infancy but growing up fast. It was created in response to the formation of an idea. This idea was to hold an International Yacht Regatta in Anguilla, a radical new concept at the time. A group of individual volunteers undertook all the planning and, in three short months, the Anguilla Regatta was created. The founders of the Anguilla Regatta wanted the event to grow each year and realised that to do this, it would need an organizational structure behind it. Thus, the Anguilla Sailing Association was born. Run by a committee of dedicated volunteers led by Peter Parles, the Association’s President, it tries to bring sailing to all.
The Anguilla Sailing Association has formed the Anguilla Youth Sailing Club (AYSC) to introduce sailing as well as seamanship, sportsmanship, boat safety, environmentalism, boat care, and the spirit of competition to the children of the island, as well as to visitors, who are interested. Children have the opportunity to take sailing lessons from a sailing professional and begin the adventure that will inspire them to be the next generation of boat racers and regatta participants. So far over 100 children have learnt to sail with the AYSC. New boats are expected to arrive in the near future to add to those which have recently arrived and scholarships are available to fund children who would otherwise not be able to take part. The next Sailing Camp, for children aged from 4 to 15 years, will be held at Sandy Ground from March 31 to April 4.
The Anguilla Sailing Association runs a fund for those interested in donating towards new boats and equipment or towards the Anguilla Regatta, which has become the primary source of revenue for the Anguilla Youth Sailing Association. The ASA has made arrangements with the Anguilla Community Foundation and the Anguilla Progressive Association of New York (APANY) to have tax deductible (501(c)(3))status for donations made to it from the USA.
The Anguilla Sailing Association is indeed growing up.
*The ASA can be contacted at www.sailanguilla.com.