Meet high performance youth sailing coach Caroline Atwood
Last year high performance sailor and coach Caroline Atwood moved to Annapolis and started Skiff+, a youth sailing program. Coach Caroline grew up in Maine, where she raced Optis, 29ers, and i420s. After sailing at the collegiate level for Tufts University, where she was captain of the sailing team, Atwood went on to compete as a member of the US Sailing Team, campaigning the 49erFX and Narca 17 at the international level over the course of two Olympic quadrennials.
What motivated you to start coaching youth sailing?
After campaigning for the Olympics, I knew that I wasn’t done learning about boats, so I transitioned into coaching. I’ve worked with multiple programs and organizations, including US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program, the US Opti National Team, LISOT, Skiff Squad and 2NINER. Most recently, I ran the Hong Kong 29er National Team for the Hong Kong Sports Institute. Upon returning to the States, I wanted to set up a program in the US that targeted high performance sailing, so I started Skiff+.
What is Skiff+ and what are your program goals?
Skiff+ is a comprehensive training program that produces high quality humans who are top notch sailors. We teach, we train, and we race, coaching sailors to maximize their potential. We focus on skills that lead to success over a lifetime, starting in the 29er. We tie all of our lessons back to the fundamentals, equipping athletes with not just 29er skills, but sailing and racing skills that can be applied to any boat and any team.
Three of my goals with Skiff+ are to demystify the 29er, lower the barrier of entry to performance sailing, and encourage girls to pursue high performance sailing.
Those who aren’t familiar with the 29er, even experienced sailors, sometimes think the 29er resembles a neon spaceship more than a sailboat. The bottom is not round. The sails are not white. But the same sailing principles apply.
To lower the barrier of entry, the Skiff+ program brought two 29ers to Severn Sailing Association (SSA) this spring for introductory clinics and open practices. The clinics are designed so that participation is as easy as possible. You don’t need a sailing partner or a boat. All you need is a good attitude. If you are age 12 years or older and weigh at least 100 pounds, we’ll teach you everything from rigging to un-capsizing and help you find a boat to use for the season.
The 29er is a mixed class, and right now in the US there is a good push to get more women in it. I would like to see more girls look at a race such as the Ida Lewis women’s youth doublehanded championship and say, ‘I can do that!’ To that end, I hope to provide more resources and facilitate competition for girls with events such as the girls skiff clinic that we held in May.
Gaining traction.
Annapolis has been an ideal location from which to launch the program. I already had contacts here and knew that there were lots of good local youth sailors. Another important consideration was the adult racing community. In Annapolis it is very strong, and that can be a huge driver of a successful youth program. Everyone in Annapolis has been very kind and welcoming.
This year we have seven local families that own and actively sail the 29er—up from three families in 2023. Anyone who has a young sailor that wants to try the boat should contact me. Annapolis has a wonderful culture of sharing boats as a resource for other families who want to try a new design. Our program will continue practicing out of SSA for our scheduled events, which include the US Sailing Youth Championships, 29er North Americans, Orange Bowl, and Mid-Winter Championships.
In addition to our many training sessions scheduled for Annapolis, Skiff+ will partner with US Sailing to bring the introductory clinics to the broader sailing community, including San Francsico, Maine, and Miami. Learn more about the program at skiffplus.com.
