Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE 35 BY YM/GySGt Christian Segoviano Santa Clarita Valley (CA) The Young Marines SPACES program recently opened up a sailing academy headed by a group called The Sailing Acad- emy. The three captains from The Sailing Academy supervis- ing the Young Marines and the Young Marine Staff during this adventure were United States Coast Guard Certified Captain Jeff Bowen, USCG Certified Captain Phineas Bowen, and USCG Certified Captain and retired Colonel of US Army Special Forc- es, Ken Kessler. The attending Young Marine Staff were Mrs. Dina Dillon, Mr. Mike Tracy, and Mr. Chuck Jackson, Division 4 Command- er. There were three boats with which the Young Ma- rines, YM Staff, and Captains would embark on their jour- ney with named Karma, Bug Bear, and The Elusive Butterfly. I sailed aboard Karma with Mr. Jackson and Captain Phineas. My other crew mates were YM/ GySgt Sill, YM/MSgt Venezia, and YM/MSgt Gates. We were given assignments on the boat that would rotate as each day passed: Boatswain, Cook, Navigator, and Helmsman. Immediately, my crew and I developed a system in which the rotation of assignments would take as little time as possible and allowed each crew member to play each role at least once. My crew and I learned quickly, and under the guidance of Captain Phineas and Mr. Jackson (A retired Marines GySgt and Drill Instructor as well as an experienced sailor himself). We managed to work as a team like gears in a clock. Every man aboard Karma kept one another in check and helped one another. During the first night of sailing, Karma was hit by a squall. Crewmen jumped to action, but ultimately, Mr. Jackson and Captain Phineas instructed the Young Marines to stay be- low deck for our safety while they worked to keep Karma safe. Karma received minimal damage and losses after the squall. The situation was dire, yet the work of the two adults showed the Young Marines aboard Karma that they could rely on them with their lives. The Young Marines’ eagerness to rush to the upper deck and aid their adult leaders showed the adults that they could trust the Young Marines to take action at the first sign of trouble. Both groups’ assumptions were correct. There are countless moments I can remember where both Young Marines and adult staff went above and be- yond anything asked of them. During the sail home from Annapolis, the nau- tical chart aboard Karma could not predict a field of crab pots and buoys floating directly in the path of Karma. The Helms- man (GySgt. Sill) remained calm and disciplined while the Boatswain (myself), Cook (MSgt. Venezia), and Navigator (MSgt. Gates), rushed to the bow of Karma to give direction. I was tasked with being the eyes for the Helmsman until Kar- ma had cleared the obstacles. There were times when Young Marines dove to save a line, or an oar, or another Young Ma- rine from going overboard. The adult staff would see that we struggled, but did not interfere until we came to them for help; they knew that the Young Marines’ capabilities were far beyond what they themselves had thought. When we did ask the adult leaders or Captains for help, they did not interfere but allowed us to progress on our own. Eventually,the captains and adult leaders had so much trust in the Young Marines, that it came to a point where we were able to sail Karma with little to no outside input. SPACES Sailing Academy: A Leap Outside Our Comfort Zones Above: Young Marines joined skilled and experienced sailors and faced challenges at sea at The Sailing Academy. Because of this sailing adventure I’ve come to appreciate sailing, leadership, teamwork, discipline, the Chesapeake Bay, and most importantly, life and my country.