Camp lets even young kids go full-sail

The St. Pete Sailing Center Summer Camp instills a love of sailing in hundreds of kids every year. More than 350 young people will set sail this summer.

Kids learn how to sail here before they learn how to read. Coach Todd Fedyszyn says even the "Harbor Mice" will impress their parents -- that's the group of campers ages 5 to 7.

"Just the fact that you can put two 5-year-olds in a boat and they can sail on their own, you know in the harbor, and by the end of the session, maybe out to the end of the pier in the bay, is a pretty cool thing," said Fedyszyn.

All past campers can return to the Sailing Center on Wednesday evenings to sail with the "Green Fleet." These free sessions keep young sailors' skills fresh even after the summer program ends.

Ten-year-old Michael Noble attended sailing camp for a second straight year. Michael thinks sailing takes him back in time.

"Like, you get to sort of feel what the past was like because they had no motors and they had to use sails for power," he offered.

Michael has actually sailed with his dad to Mexico twice in the annual Isla Mujeres race.

He's on course, with hundreds of other campers, to enjoy sailing from a young age and for the rest of their lives.

For more information from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club: http://www.spyc.org/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=323231&ssid=216720&vnf=1