We’ve recently started working with a new client- Pleasant Bay Community Boating. They are a wonderful group of people who are all about providing access to sailing on the beautiful Pleasant Bay.
Ironically, many of the kids who have grown up on the Cape have never been out on the water or knew anything about sailing. This is completely different than the way it was just a few of generations ago when kids had small sailboats and used them to get around much like other kids would ride their bikes.
Over the years, Pleasant Bay has become the playground of the wealthy and privileged, summer camps have been replaced by waterfront estates. Sailing has become exclusive to those same people. At pleasant Bay Community Boating, they’ve been on a mission to provide access to the bay and to the pleasures of sailing.
It all started back in 2003 out of the back of a pickup truck. Kids and instructors would meet at Jackknife Beach and set sail. Eventually they added more donated sailboats, students and instructors.
Moving ahead to 2014, they were able to acquire the last remaining piece of waterfront property on the bay. It was known as the Edward McClennen estate and is actually a compound of 4 homes and a boathouse on 3.6 acres of prime real estate.
Having acquired this beautiful campus, they are expanding their mission beyond sailing lessons. Future plans include working with universities, like Umass and Northeastern, to promote marine education and environmental preservation.
They have developed a program called “First Sail” and, in conjunction with local schools, will be able to take every third grade student out for their first trip on Pleasant Bay in a sailboat.
The bottom line is to make Pleasant Bay sailing an “inclusive” experience rather than the “exclusive” experience it has evolved into.
Our role in all of this is to help them raise money. The plans they have for the campus are very ambitious and it’s going to take a lot of money to achieve their goals. Right now we are working on writing, designing and delivering their Case Statement book.
It’s a nice meaty project, working with some tremendous people.
I guess you could say we are helping them chart a course to inspiring future generations of sailors and oceanographers.
–Pierce-Coté
