The Community Boating Center (CBC) was recently featured on sailinganarchy.com

Community
Possibilities

We are so stoked to read about the various community sailing centers around the country. We’d also like to know what is going on in other parts of the world. So no matter where it is, please send in a little report about something good happening in your community.

I wanted to write in response to your “Giving Back” article to highlight an organization in Providence, RI, that’s doing a lot of good work to get kids and families on the water. It’s the Providence Community Boating Center, and it has a terrific facility right at the head of Narragansett Bay, minutes from downtown Providence, and located in a popular public park.

They have a fleet of Hunter 140s, Daysailers, Hunter 216s, and assorted Lasers, FJs, and even an Etchells. Ironically for the “Ocean State,” Providence can seem worlds away from the glamour of Newport, and CBC has done an enormous amount to reclaim Providence’s gritty harbor and get kids and families on the water.

Through generous community funding, they provide “sailorships” for kids who might not otherwise be able to participate, and a highlight of this summer was a field trip in which they packed the kids into powerboats and zipped the 20 miles down the bay to Newport, where they got to see the Cup and a presentation by BMW/Oracle. A really cool lesson in both the geography of their home state and the amazing things that are possible within sailing.

As a I-14 sailor and generally pretty fired-up racer who has taught some evening classes for CBC, it's been really gratifying for me to slow down and teach adults to sail in boats I’d otherwise never go near. Watching people marvel at the sunsets over the skyline, or see comprehension dawn as they learn how sail trim works, gets me back to basics and remember the joy of this sport.

Regards,
Jay Cox

Community Boating Center (CBC) is a non-profit, 501c3 recreational organization offering all members of the community an opportunity to sail. Located in India Point Park, CBC provides outreach, sailing lessons and affordable access to the Providence waterfront. Gifts of cash or property to CBC may be treated as charitable donations for Federal Tax purposes.