High winds and model sailboats bring boating basics to Bush Terminal

On a wind-chilled Saturday morning in early May, families gathered along the tidal lagoon at Bush Terminal Park to try sailing from shore.

Blue Horizon Sailing hosted a free model sailboat day on May 3 at the park, where visitors learned the basics of wind, steering and boat handling. The event drew about 20 families, with roughly 60 participants, according to Blue Horizon Sailing Secretary Nelson Garcez. For many, it was their first time trying any kind of sailing.

Participants guided radio-controlled sailboats from shore with two simple levers, one tightening or loosening the sail and the other turning the rudder left or right.

“Today we’re showing the community and the kids model boat sailing, where there is no motor,” said Dave Shin, Blue Horizon’s treasurer. “We have to propel the sailboat using the sail and the rudder to get the idea of how wind can propel a sailboat.”

The weather added to the lesson, with peak winds ranging from 30 to 40 mph. At the lagoon, the gusts were strong enough to push boats off course and knock the group’s tent down.

“It flew,” Shin said. “It was flying away.”

The wind made the boats harder to control, but it also gave beginners a direct lesson in how sailing works. Some boats moved steadily across the water. Others drifted into the shore or had to be retrieved by Blue Horizon volunteers.

“With the model boat sailing, it’s for the novice or very beginner,” Shin said. “You get the idea of how wind will create drag and lift on the sail with the keel to propel it forward.”

He said the model boats offer a safe first step for children and new sailors because no one has to be on the water while they are learning.

“This is safer for the beginner because you’re not on the boat,” Shin said. “You don’t have to get nervous. These boats are hardy, as you can see. Some of them crashed, so there’s no possibility of anybody getting hurt, especially for the young kids.”

Among the young sailors was fifth grader Nevoh, who described the day as “cold and gusty.”

“I was sailing it until it crashed into the shore,” he said.

Nevoh said he learned how to tack, using the rudder to turn the boat against the wind.

“It’s pretty fun,” he said.

Blue Horizon Sailing is working to build a longer-term presence on the Sunset Park waterfront. The nonprofit says its mission is to expand access to New York Harbor through community sailing, youth education and maritime workforce pathways. The group is developing the Sunset Park Community Boathouse at Pier 4 in Bush Terminal Piers Park, in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and local waterfront organizations.

Shin said progress has been slow, but the group is still moving toward its goal.

“We’re not politicians,” he said. “We just want to sail.”

He described Blue Horizon as a volunteer-driven group of people who love sailing and want to share it with Brooklyn families, especially children who might not otherwise have access to the water.

“Our dream is to share with every kid in Brooklyn,” Shin said. “Especially with the most underprivileged, because they have the least amount of opportunity to experience this.”

Because the Bush Terminal infrastructure is not ready yet, Shin said Blue Horizon does not expect to hold formal classes there this sailing season. Instead, the group will offer community sailing days once or twice a month, using the Gowanus Dredgers’ 19th Street dock. The group held its first sailing day at the dock last September.

Blue Horizon Sailing is also scheduled to appear on the agenda at Community Board 7’s May 20 board meeting, under a joint committee report from the Parks & Environment and Economic Development and Small Businesses committees.