QUANTICO TEENS ROLLING ON THE RIVER.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department staff at Marine Corps Base Quantico has tailored a summer camp that is challenging and attractive to 12- to 15-year-old students. Steadily growing each year, the Teen Sailing Camp graduated 37 new sailors in 1998. Successful completion of the course includes passing a written and practical test. "These students have no fear and learn quickly how to maneuver the boat and react to differing conditions," said senior instructor Walt Brockman, who is also the Quantico Marina's assistant manager. "It is interesting to compare them to the adult students, who are initially much more cautious at the helm."

All of the program's sailing instructors, including Brockman, a retired Army master sergeant, are MWR employees at the marina. The holder of a U.S. Coast Guard 50-ton Ocean Master's license and a long-time boat owner, Brockman actually lives at the marina aboard his 43-foot Hunter sailboat. The assistant instructor, Lee Fraiser, is a young college student, a qualified rescue-boat operator, and an avid sailor in his own right.

In 1996, the program's inaugural season, only three or four youngsters registered for each session. However, MWR staff was confident that when the word got out, this program would be a winner. Plus, the feedback from the teens who had completed the camp and their parents was so positive that staff decided to continue the program. "This summer [1998]," said Brockman, "we had so much activity, we had to restrict participation to 10 campers per session."

Taught on the scenic Potomac River, each camp session is two weeks long, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Classroom instruction, practical application, marlin spike seamanship, and tots of time behind the tiller are used to teach these young people the basics. Students get a chance to train on three different classes of sailboats: a Cape Dory Typhoon, a Lightning, and a Capri. Learning knots, care of rigging and sails, and boat maintenance are all part of the learning process. The ultimate goal? A confident, safe, young sailor who enjoys this fantastic sport.

This year, the instructors added a bit of racing competition to the camp. "It is really quite interesting to see the difference in the teens from the beginning to the end," said Brockman. "Initially they eye each another and are hesitant to interact. By the close of the session, a team has evolved and must depend on each other to successfully sail the course."

For those windless days, the staff has designed a few fallback activities: tubing on the river behind the Boston Whaler; a trip to Wades Bay, hunting for ancient sharks' teeth; or a tour and history lesson of nearby sites. Rainy-day card games and planning pranks to drive the harbormaster crazy were also popular events.

Instructing these young people has proven to be a rewarding experience for the entire marina staff. Each session ends with a graduation ceremony, cake, photos, and the presentation of sailing certificates. And for the finale, graduates have the opportunity to treat their proud parents to a sail on the Potomac to show off their new skills.