Young 13 year old sailor enters first keelboat regatta on her own boat

by Katie Nicoll on 13 Aug 2010 Amy Minnikin, 13 years old, from RNSYS entered her first keelboat regatta with a boat that she fixed up with her mom. Her crew consists of her mom, and usually 2 other 14 year old girls, as well as her long-time friend Mic Ryan, who is 17 years old and the sole male on the boat.

Her boat is a Ranger 30, named Ryan's Song, which she has entered into the Cruising Class Division at Chester Race Week. This is the first time that Amy has ever helmed a regatta, as she usually sails as crew in a 420. Her 14 year old friends are also newbies to the keelboat division, as young people usually only sail dinghies growing up.

She and her mom came upon this boat when it was literally 'given' to them, having sat for 6 years, neglected, with the hatch open to the elements. It took 2 months of hard work, going every moment they could get from Halifax to the South Shore to fix her up. They only picked up the sails for her from the North loft the day before the regatta, as well as the engine, that had needed a tremendous amount of work. Amy and her mom sanded and re-laminated the teak, worked on seized winches, replaced parts, and used a tremendous amount of elbow grease to get Ryan's Song ready to race.

The big differences between sailing a centerboard boat and keeboat have been communication with the crew and having to co-ordinate all the people on the boat before doing anything. Amy's mom was her biggest inspiration, as she has done everything on her own. One thing is for sure, they still have a lot to fix up on the boat, but the other thing that is for sure is that Amy is hooked on her 'new boat'. We wish her luck!!