RISE Sailing by Rick Brauer

Fall is upon us and soon winters ill wind. Four more dates left for this year, if we can catch a break.

Last Sunday was a wash out but hey, we tried!   Hopefully we shall have a few good days, especially those days we want to go sailing.  An eye on weather conditions is something we always must have, so for those who would like to give it a shot, let me know!

Just imagine, a nice sunshiny day, the cool breeze fills the sails. That’s what I’m imagining.  It can happen. We can possibly schedule additional dates.

For more information or to reserve your spot contact Captain Rick Brauer at rbrauer@riseadventures.org.

RISE End of Summer Bash V Smashes Attendance Record!

This year’s attendance more than doubled last years with 918 total persons in attendance; Disabilities 237, Family Members 344, Volunteers  220, and Vendors/Sponsors 117.  Thanks to everyone that attended and supported this year’s event. We would like to ask everyone to send us your stories, pictures, and comments about the event. We are also open to any constructive criticism to make improvements. Send pictures to slarimore@riseadventures.org.  Comments can be made online click here. To view the pictures already posted click here.

Wanted.. to get out of the house!

Been having health issues for the past 3 months.  In and out of hospitals on a couple occasions.  It feels like I missed the summer.  For the first time I felt back to my usual self and went Sailing this past Sunday.   It was great!  The weather was great, the wind was fine, the day started out cool temperature wise.  The winds seemed
to stay between 8 and 10 mph which gets these J24 sailboats racing along.  What a great way to get back into the swing of things.

Oh.. no conflicts with pirates but did see a vessel with a couple skull
and crossbones proudly displayed.

Thanks!  Rick Brauer

Learning the Ropes

Put the main sail on the boom, put up the jib, go to the port, go to the starboard side, point towards the cut, put the rope in the cleat, and tie the halyard down! What on earth does all this mean? For an everyday person, the sailing terminology can seem somewhat confusing, but for Travis, Sunday was a perfect day to refresh his sailing skills. With little wind, it is obvious that sailing a boat will go nowhere and seem pointless, but Travis, a T-12 para has already completed his 4 hr classroom studies, passed the 100 question written test, and completed the 4-hr on water lesson. Since there was little to no wind on Sunday, RISE Sailing was spent not necessarily sailing on the boat, but a morning used for our participant to practice his sailing skills in something he wants to learn and enjoys doing. He worked on rigging the boat, his motor work, driving the boat in and out of the slip and acting as Captain, directing his first mate on what to do. Captain Don assisted Travis as he went through everything, just as he would do if he came out and sailed with a friend. He directed his first mate Andrew and RISE volunteer Jessica on how to help him. By the end of the morning, Travis had it down, and it was smooth sailing- HA! No pun intended!!! Now he just needs to go out and finish his practical work and he’ll be Keelboat certified! Way to go Travis… I mean Captain Travis!

CLICK HERE to see more photos.

Stephanie Bowerman, MS, ABD

Program Director RISE Adventures, Inc.

sbowerman@riseadventures.org

RISE Adventures Sailing on Lake Lewisville

What a great way to begin your Sunday morning, with RISE Sailing.  We all put our sunscreen on, got out the lifejackets, and set sail from Pier 121 at 8am! We were back by 10:30am, just in time before the heat kicked in!  Captain Don brought his son who helped with the sailing and a total of seven were on the boat having a great time! The wind was perfect going out, so we were moving pretty fast! At times it was absolutely peaceful, and relaxing while other times were filled with fun waves and splashing water. Captain Don taught everyone the basics of sailing and Caleb and Jacob were great helpers with pulling the ropes. Everyone moved around the boat sitting in different spots. The favorite spot was the front of the boat, where you could sit and hang your legs off the boat getting splashed from all the waves. Overall everyone had a great time on the boat and we can’t wait until the next time. Check out the pictures of our Sunday morning fun!

We still have many dates this summer for RISE Adventure sailing. Check out the calendar and if you are interested please contact the program director, Stephanie Bowerman, sbowerman@riseadventures.org

CLICK HERE to see more photos of this event.

RISE Sailing – Finally back on the Water!

The weather has been so, unforgettable. I have had to cancel so many sailing dates due to high winds, no winds, rain, sleet, snow, cows, but not for over active pirates! Perhaps I take it too personal, every time I’ve had to call to say we can’t go, it kills me. Finally we were able to go out this past weekend. The winds were fairly constant around 8 mph.

This weekend we spent with Dan Shuman and his wife. Dan hasn’t been on a sailboat for a few years but he picked it right back up. Apparently he has spent time on quite a few sail boats all over the place, defiantly knew what he was doing. The wind died down a bit after an hour. Looking for signs of wind, we watched as another boater was laying on the deck and paddling back towards the dock. Then the wind picked up as the sail filled.

Our thought was, well, when will it get here? We watched the ripples cross the water slowly as it finally reached us. With the sails in a close haul we took off again.

Oh, big thanks to Dan’s wife for bringing muffins!

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers! We need your support! Click here for details.

To become a TEAM RISE Volunteer, click here.

Thanks in advance for your support in helping us accomplish our mission!

Sailing with Travis Hoerth

Travis is in his early 20’s and is a paraplegic as of 3 years ago.    He enjoys doing many outdoor activates and had not been sailing.  So in a fit of rage he figured ‘What the heck’ and along came Travis!  On the boat we sailed away with a good wind and fair skies.  Captain Don worked with Travis closely to teach him the ropes of sailing.  Travis expressed a keen interest in learning with ‘Matts school’ to receive his ASA certification.

The winds shifted later that afternoon and that called an end to our outing.

Sorry.. no pirates this time.

Major Corporate Update

I founded RISE Adventures, Inc. on March 22, 2007 with the support of Steve Carlson. I am asked a lot of questions from our constituency about the overall status of RISE. As we approach our second birthday I felt it was important to provide a current corporate update. Transparency is important for all non-profit charitable organizations.

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