August Community Expedition
Sunday August 17 – Sunday August 27, 2025
Leaders: Dylan Ladds, Olivia Keene, Tara Watkins, Miles Turner, Abby Colby
Cook: Coral Breuer
Explore the waters and islands around Vinalhaven by way of our Bantry Bay gigs! This is an all-ages island camping expedition designed for those who wish to be part of a community in learning, and honing rowing, sailing, and traditional seamanship skills in a fun, supportive atmosphere. We will learn and hone our island camping and boat handling, practicing our skills and building greater awareness of the weather, tides, navigation, anchoring, anchorage assessment, passage planning, and the local eco-system along the way.
The boats require careful orchestration, communication, leadership, and teamwork to maneuver well. Every crew member will have many opportunities to lead throughout the program. With guidance from AC USA instructors, participants will be invited to rotate through a range roles each day on and off the water to keep our crew healthy and our boats well tended. For example, you may refill the group's water jugs, stow the sails and oars at the end of the day, create the day's passage plan to our next anchorage, or assist our cook with preparing a group meal. Under sail, your leadership role may rotate from coxing, to being the mast captain, to doing a specific task such as raising and lowering the sail. While rowing, you may cox, navigate, lead the other rowers by keeping the stroke, actively follow the stroke oar, or perhaps be inspired to lead a call-and-response song to help keep the rowers in sync.
We will teach skills relevant to the weather and passages presented each day. Many of the skills likely to be covered, include:
Points of Sail
Sail Theory
Sail Trim
Tides
Navigation
Reefing/Heavy Weather sailing
Docking
Knots
Anchoring
Anchorage Assessment
Handling a dipping lug sail within a team
Steering Forces
Weather
Itinerary:
The first two days and last two days will be on Greens Island. As the weather allows, we will venture to other islands in the Vinalhaven/Isle Au Haut region before returning to Greens Island.
No prior experience necessary. All ages 15 years old and up. This program starts and ends in Rockland, Maine. We will take the ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven and a short power boat ride to Greens Island.
Detailed logistics to follow.
Have any questions? Please get in touch.
Two boats. Maximum group size: 24
Sunday August 17 – Sunday August 27, 2025
Leaders: Dylan Ladds, Olivia Keene, Tara Watkins, Miles Turner, Abby Colby
Cook: Coral Breuer
Explore the waters and islands around Vinalhaven by way of our Bantry Bay gigs! This is an all-ages island camping expedition designed for those who wish to be part of a community in learning, and honing rowing, sailing, and traditional seamanship skills in a fun, supportive atmosphere. We will learn and hone our island camping and boat handling, practicing our skills and building greater awareness of the weather, tides, navigation, anchoring, anchorage assessment, passage planning, and the local eco-system along the way.
The boats require careful orchestration, communication, leadership, and teamwork to maneuver well. Every crew member will have many opportunities to lead throughout the program. With guidance from AC USA instructors, participants will be invited to rotate through a range roles each day on and off the water to keep our crew healthy and our boats well tended. For example, you may refill the group's water jugs, stow the sails and oars at the end of the day, create the day's passage plan to our next anchorage, or assist our cook with preparing a group meal. Under sail, your leadership role may rotate from coxing, to being the mast captain, to doing a specific task such as raising and lowering the sail. While rowing, you may cox, navigate, lead the other rowers by keeping the stroke, actively follow the stroke oar, or perhaps be inspired to lead a call-and-response song to help keep the rowers in sync.
We will teach skills relevant to the weather and passages presented each day. Many of the skills likely to be covered, include:
Points of Sail
Sail Theory
Sail Trim
Tides
Navigation
Reefing/Heavy Weather sailing
Docking
Knots
Anchoring
Anchorage Assessment
Handling a dipping lug sail within a team
Steering Forces
Weather
Itinerary:
The first two days and last two days will be on Greens Island. As the weather allows, we will venture to other islands in the Vinalhaven/Isle Au Haut region before returning to Greens Island.
No prior experience necessary. All ages 15 years old and up. This program starts and ends in Rockland, Maine. We will take the ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven and a short power boat ride to Greens Island.
Detailed logistics to follow.
Have any questions? Please get in touch.
Two boats. Maximum group size: 24
Sign up and Payment Information
Atlantic Challenge USA Sliding Scale:
The sliding scale represents the idea that financial resources, including income, are not and should not be the only determining factor in whether or not someone can access our program. If you have greater financial means and are able to contribute more, you will be allowing greater accessibility to other participants to join our program.
If you need financial assistance beyond what is reflected in our sliding scale, please fill out the Financial Aid Form as part of your registration packet.
Atlantic Challenge USA Sliding Scale:
The sliding scale represents the idea that financial resources, including income, are not and should not be the only determining factor in whether or not someone can access our program. If you have greater financial means and are able to contribute more, you will be allowing greater accessibility to other participants to join our program.
If you need financial assistance beyond what is reflected in our sliding scale, please fill out the Financial Aid Form as part of your registration packet.
Total Annual Household Income(s) |
Program Cost |
Up to $49,000 |
$840 |
$50,000 - $69,000 |
$1050 |
$70,000 - $89,000 |
$1400 |
$90,000 - $119,000 |
$1610 |
$120,000 - $184,000 |
$1750 |
$185,000 or more |
$1960 |
To Sign Up:
Payment questions: Please email Erin Ferree to discuss payment plans or financial aid questions.
Cancellation:
In the event that you must cancel, please do so by sending an email no later than 1 month before your program starts. Cancellations received on or before 1 month prior to your start date will be refunded the cost of tuition minus the $100 deposit. Cancellations received within 1 month of the start date will be refunded 50% of tuition minus the $100 deposit.
Atlantic Challenge USA reserves the right to cancel programs in cases of emergency, insufficient number of registrations, or other situations. In the event of program cancellation, all tuition and deposits will be refunded.
All program participants are responsible for finding their way to the Rockland Ferry Terminal at noon of the program start date and home again from the Rockland Ferry Terminal at 2:15pm at the end of the program.
- Select the appropriate tuition on the Sliding Scale table above.
- Sign up here. Fill out the Registration Packet and make a $100 deposit (or complete the Financial Aid Form) to hold your place in the program.
- You will be notified by email once your application and deposit have been received and to confirm your place in the program. If a program is already full, you will be put on the waiting list and subsequently notified when there is an opening.
- Final payments must be received 1 month before your program start date, example: If your program starts on June 23rd, you need to have paid in full by May 23rd, 2025.
Payment questions: Please email Erin Ferree to discuss payment plans or financial aid questions.
Cancellation:
In the event that you must cancel, please do so by sending an email no later than 1 month before your program starts. Cancellations received on or before 1 month prior to your start date will be refunded the cost of tuition minus the $100 deposit. Cancellations received within 1 month of the start date will be refunded 50% of tuition minus the $100 deposit.
Atlantic Challenge USA reserves the right to cancel programs in cases of emergency, insufficient number of registrations, or other situations. In the event of program cancellation, all tuition and deposits will be refunded.
All program participants are responsible for finding their way to the Rockland Ferry Terminal at noon of the program start date and home again from the Rockland Ferry Terminal at 2:15pm at the end of the program.
