A Lifelong Adventure

When it comes to sailing, Britain Hogan admits she put the proverbial cart before the horse. In her eagerness to ride the waves, she bought a small dinghy before she and her husband, Anthony Dzielski, knew the ins and outs of piloting a boat. Oops.

“Growing up, my family always sailed, and I enjoyed being on the boat, but I never really learned how to sail. It didn’t look all that hard, so I thought my husband and I could do it on our own. We started out but soon realized we really needed to take lessons,” says Hogan, who signed the two of them up for Youth Sailing Foundation’s beginner Adult Sailing Class last fall.

Eight three-hour sessions later, their confidence soaring, the couple set sail on their own, tacking and jibing like pros.

“We learned so much!” Hogan exclaims. “At the start of every session we would meet in the classroom for a short period of time while the instructor taught us things we needed to know; then we would go out on the water to apply what we learned. I’m so glad we took those lessons!”

Hundreds of Indian River County adults, ages 18 to 80, feel the same way. Not all are as bitten by the sailing bug as Hogan and Dzielski, who plan to purchase a bigger boat once their sons, ages 1 and 3, are a little older, so they, too, can experience the joy of skimming over the water.