Pictured are the principal at St. Clare School, Denise Olsen, Commodore RCYC and scholarship donor Matt Malloy, Nathan Simpson, chairman of the Jr. Sailing Program, Carl Peters, James Burke, Scholarship donor, Heidi Owen, Michael Wilkens, and science teacher at St. Clare School and leader of the ELF team Billion Oyster Project, Mary Lee. Heidi Owen
STATEN ISLAND N.Y.– Richmond County Yacht Club has offered a summer youth sailing education class for decades.
Larry Owens, an avid member of the Yacht Club, loved teaching kids to sail and to cherish the water. His niece, Heidi Owen, wished to extend her uncle’s legacy by donating three scholarships for the sailing class, paying the tuition for three youngsters’ participation in a seven-week sailing camp.
Once the members gain basic boat skills, the sailors will be able to participate in a competition against other yacht clubs in Raritan Bay.
The scholarship winners were chosen based off of an essay describing what this opportunity would mean to them. The competition was open to students who participate in the Billion Oyster Project, a project that helped restore oyster reefs in the Great Kills Harbor.
The St. Clare School and Ms. Mary Lee have collaborated with the Billion Oyster Project to help students learn to care for their environment and study oyster development in Raritan Bay, a once known oyster fishery.
Three students were chosen from St. Clare School: rising 7th graders Nathan Simpson, Michael Wilkens, and rising 8th grader James Burke.
Scholarship winner Michael Wilkens stated, “I have spent time around the water and enjoy it, but never had the chance to sail. I love the opportunity to learn and be part of this experience.”
The Yacht Club said it would like to expand the scholarship form to a wider net and other schools and programs next year.
The Jr. Sailing School will run from June 30 – Aug 14, 2025. If you are interested in signing up, please visit the Richmond County Yacht Club website.
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