CLEVELAND — Saturday, sixteen high school sailing teams from all across Ohio and Michigan got out on the water for the Foundry's high school sailing regatta.
The Foundry is teaming up with the Cleveland Tall Ships Festival and since both of these events happen on the lake, the regatta serves as a preview for the festival before it kicks off this summer.
People will get the chance to go aboard a fleet of tall ships and experience the maritime history of Cleveland and the entire country.
The festival is presented by Tall Ships America, which, like the Foundry, aims to educate kids and teens about rowing and sailing.
The teams at Saturday’s regatta came from as far as Toledo to Columbus and many have practiced several days a week and most weekends to compete.
Both organizations also partner with Project YESS, an intensive summer program that takes kids through a sailing boot camp and lets them take a voyage on one of those tall ships.
“I decided to do it and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. We got to sail all the Great Lakes except Lake Superior from Milwaukee back to Cleveland and it really just invigorated my passion for sailing, like after that I was hooked,” student sailer Crown Steiner said.
The fourth and final spring regatta is next weekend and the tall ships sail in July 11.
