Inmate tends to one of nine boats used by Falmouth Harbor Sailing School, a non-profit endeavor that introduces the joy of sailing to area youngsters. Having inmates render their summer-school “fleet” seaworthy will free up eight paid and 12 junior-volunteer instructors for what they do best – instructing and working with kids.
Two other inmates are at it here, same job different boats. Joe Voci, the sailing school’s volunteer president, estimates the program reaches about 200 young sailors each year – ranging from about grade three to seniors in high school. Sheriff Jim Cummings, who dispatches all manner of inmate work crews from the jail in Barnstable County, calls sailing “a combination of hard work, teamwork, and the thrills kids can experience in a competitive environment.”
Same photo in close up. The school’s head instructor, incidentally, is Michael O’Connor, and his dozen or so years at Falmouth remain very much a summer-time gig. O’Connor’s full-time job is at Harvard University, where he coaches the Crimson’s sailing team. “Veritas and bear up.”
Media release furnished by Barnstable Sheriff’s Office
