The Edgewood Sailing School is ramping up its preparations for another summer on the water and will be hosting some of its annual events along with some new additions as well.

Taking the reins as the school’s sailing director is Skylar Batz. Batz, a Providence native, has been sailing since she was 8 years old and has been an instructor since she was 16. Her sailing career began at Community Boating Center in Providence and then she moved to Herreshoff in Bristol as a teenager before taking the job at Edgewood.

Sailing has become Batz’ passion over the years and she is excited to bring her perspective to students at Edgewood this summer.

“I’ve always loved the water and I’ve loved being on boats, I’ve loved that freedom. I love bringing it to kids’ attention and my mom was a single mom, so that was something I really looked forward to doing over the summer,” said Batz. “I want to share my experiences and love for sailing with other kids.”

Batz also appreciates the location of Edgewood, which is accessible for kids throughout Rhode Island, including her hometown of Providence. 

“It’s a very centralized location, it’s so close to so many people that otherwise may not have the opportunity to do these things, to be near the ocean and get on a boat. We’re pretty close by, we’re 10 minutes from Providence and down the street from Johnson and Wales Harborside,” said Batz. 

The Edgewood Sailing School will be hosting its Starter Sailor program, which will now offer a full day course which will include sailing in the morning session and STEM sessions in the afternoon.

“It’s not just learning sailing, but now they’ll be able to learn the physics of sailing, the engineering, the science behind it as well,” said Batz.

Along with the Starter Sailor program, it will be hosting its Opti program as well as its 420 program as well.

On top of its standard programs, the school will also be offering private lessons and charters. The school has already been holding its volunteer days on Saturdays as its gears up for the season.

The kids sessions will begin on June 16 and the adult sessions begin on June 1. For more information, check out the website at edgewoodsailing.org.