LYNN — A youth sailing program in Lynn is making waves this summer.

Through his non-profit, North Shore Maritime Center, Will Goldenheim recently launched the City’s first sailing program for youngsters after years of offering other water-based activities.

“North Shore Maritime Center is a non-profit community boating program that I started officially at the very end of 2020,” said Goldenheim, also St. Mary’s founding crew coach. “We started offering water sports the following year in the summer of 2021. We began with rowing, then added kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.”

While those programs were successful, sailing was always part of the organization’s long-term vision.

“We brought a group of 12 teens from Lynn to go sailing on tall ships off the coast of Maine,” Goldenheim said. “You can bring kids from Lynn to sail, but what we wanted to do was bring sailing to the kids in Lynn.”

Interest in the program exceeded expectations almost immediately after registration opened. With help from the Lynn Parks and Recreation Department promoting the program, spots filled within days.

“My email exploded with interest,” Goldenheim said. “They advertised on a Thursday or Friday morning, and within about three days, our programs were full. We’re capping it at eight kids per week. Safety is the main thing we care about, and on top of that, we want them to have an amazing experience.”

The program launched June 22 and, despite rain and light winds during the first week, Goldenheim said participants had positive experiences.

“The first week was a huge success,” he said. “We are truly honored to bring the first sailing program to Lynn with such a skilled and safety-minded staff. We can’t wait to introduce more Lynn youth to sailing throughout the summer.”

A free “Learn to Sail” camp runs for six weeks and is open to Lynn residents ages 10-16. Goldenheim said the organization hopes to open additional spots later this summer, if possible.

Goldenheim, who said money will never be a reason that somebody can’t participate, said Lynn’s geography made the lack of a youth sailing program surprising.

“Lynn has ponds, rivers, lakes, oceanfront, and open ocean. I can’t believe this opportunity didn’t exist already,” he said. “Once I realized that these opportunities didn’t exist, it was just a no-brainer. When you’re surrounded by water, I think those individuals who are out on the water should be represented by the demographic of the residents. We’re trying to make sure that happens.”

Beyond learning how to sail, Goldenheim believes participants gain valuable life skills. 

Career opportunities, too.

“I’m not much of a sailor myself, but what I do know is that it opens you up to new environments,” he said. “Sailing is unique in that it really opens the door to an unbelievable amount of job opportunities where you can travel the world doing all sorts of different things . . . simply because you have comfort and experience on boats and on the water.”

The program was off this week and is scheduled to resume Monday.