For more than 35 years, the Orleans Yacht Club has worked to curb that perception by offering scholarships for its annual junior sailing program. The scholarships have been offered through the Robert Radtke Memorial Fund since 1989.
“Just speaking as a family member, it really is humbling how much the club has embraced it,” said Arthur Radtke, whose father is the fund’s namesake. “They are truly committed to helping every child on Cape Cod at least in reach of the club to have an experience that is somewhat integral to being part of Cape Cod.”
The junior sailing program started with the opening of the yacht club in 1947. It operates for eight weeks every summer, inviting children ages 8 to 18 from all over the country of all skill levels to take part in sailing in Town Cove.
“It’s classes are all the way from those people who don’t know one end of the boat from the other to those who race,” said John Wheeler, the yacht club’s vice commodore.
The club, which administers the scholarship program for the fund, is allowed to offer up to 72 weeks’ worth of scholarships each year. Last year, 61 weeks of scholarships were awarded across 12 families, Wheeler said.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 program, which kicks off June 23 and runs through mid-August. Applicants can apply for scholarships for as little as one week to the full eight weeks, and a four-person committee works to match scholarship demand with families’ specific requests.
As part of the application process, families must make their case for why they need the scholarship. Children are also asked to provide a statement explaining their interest in taking part in the program.
The Cape’s many waterways offer a unique opportunity for children to partake in sailing, especially those from areas where the natural environs don’t allow for it. But for some applicants, the program offers an important recreational option during times of hardship, Wheeler said.
“Some of the more recent applicants have absolutely nothing to do with the water,” he said. “They’re families that are in dire straits, and we provide an uplifting outlet.”
And as the cost of housing, food and other necessities continues to rise, the club is anticipating an increase in the number of applicants this season.
“That’s our expectation, and it’s a great problem to have,” Wheeler said. “Again, we want to allow as many kids that come from deserving families to participate in this sport.”
The club is boosting its outreach efforts to try and extend the opportunity to apply for scholarships to more families that might benefit from them. That includes partnering with local schools as well as organizations including the Lower Cape Outreach Council, the Family Pantry of Cape Cod and The Cape Cod Chronicle to help spread the word.
“Our biggest challenge is people don’t know about it,” Radtke said. “They hear yacht club, they assume they can’t afford it.”
But accessibility to the junior program remains a priority for the club and the fund. Wheeler said kids who take part in the program often return. Through it, they not only learn how to
sail, but develop life skills such as problem solving and teamwork. There’s also an important social component to the program, according to Wheeler.
“One of the reasons they come back is, ‘I want to see my buddies again,’” he said.
For Radtke, sailing has long been in the family bloodline. His late father was heavily involved with the yacht club, while he and his wife met while racing in the Chatham Regatta. That love of sailing has since been passed down to their son and daughter, the latter of whom is a sailing coach at Bowdoin College.
Through the scholarship, Radtke hopes that other kids can make the same lifelong connection to the sport.
“We want kids leaving with a joy of the water,” he said.
The deadline to apply for this year’s scholarship is 3 p.m. on April 25. Award notifications will be sent out to those receiving scholarships by May 9. For more information on how to apply, contact Denise Witherell at the Orleans Yacht Club at 508-255-9091 or office@orleansyachtclub.org.
Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com
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