Born to Sail

The wind was a steady five knots Friday morning, July 24, as proud parents watched their children sail around buoy markers strategically placed in the cove nestled between the Marco River bridge and the Marco Island Yacht Club (MIYC). It’s hard to say who was most proud, the parents, the instructors, or the fledgling sailors.

“The kids have fun,” said Charlotte Hugo, director of Marco Island Youth Sailing, a 501(c)(3) charity operation. “They learn a lot in one week. You would be surprised. The kids are already rounding marks and they've only been here for four days.”

There’s no mistaking Hugo’s burning desire to share her love of sailing. And she wants to make sure everyone knows that the Marco Island Youth Sailing Club is available to all.

“We now sponsor kids,” she said. “So kids who can't afford the program and parents who really want their kids to have that special experience can be sponsored."

Hugo said that while Yacht Club members give generously to the program, the program’s not just for Yacht Club members.

“We like to say that this sailing club is the charitable wing of the Marco Island Yacht Club,” she said. “Our members give a lot of money and effort to the sailing club. We have a sponsorship program through our members where they can donate to our 501(c)(3) and we use that money to sponsor kids either for our high school program or for the summer program. We take donations from the public as well to sponsor kids or to sponsor the program. I love sailing so much that I want everybody to be able to experience it at least once.”

A love of sailing runs through Hugo’s instructional staff, too. That doesn’t happen by accident.

“I’m pretty fussy about who I hire,” Hugo said. "I think our instructors do a really good job of catering to each sailor's needs. Some kids, you show them once and they can do it a million times. Some kids need a little bit more guidance and need to be walked through it a few more times. Our instructors are great with that. They're very patient and understand that everybody learns differently.”

Hugo recently hired a lead instructor, Aine Porter, 25.

"That's my lead instructor,” Hugo, 24, said proudly. "We brought her down from Clearwater this year. She's helped me significantly with the program. Has great ideas, and I'm thankful to have her now.”

Hugo’s also thankful to have her younger sister, Charlotte, on staff. Both Caroline and Charlotte were Junior Olympic sailing champions.

"I brought my little sister down here to help me in the summers,” she said. “She's a fantastic racer. We've both been sailing since we were four years old. We're from Annapolis, which is arguably the sailing capital of the world. I brought her down here for the first time last summer to help me out. We’ve both been racing since we were eight years old. We started in Optimists at Annapolis Yacht Club, and then we moved into 420s. Both of us sailed for Helly Hansen (the global leader in technical sailing apparel), just not the same year.”

Optimist, or Opti sailing, is the most popular single-handed youth sailing dinghy class in the world. The Marco sailing club instructs on Optimist, Laser, and 420 sailboats.

"I'm thankful that Charlotte comes and helps me,” Hugo said, "and she's cheap. So that's awesome for me. She came down last year, fell in love with Florida. And my best friend, who sailed for Jacksonville University, talked to Charlotte about sailing for JU. Charlotte was like, ‘Well, I'll try it out.' She really has a passion for it.”

Charlotte will be sailing for JU’s nationally-ranked sailing team. JU finished first in the A-Division at the Fleet Race National Championships in 2021. The women won the 2019, 2021 and 2022 Women’s Fleet Race Conference Championships.

"Charlotte heard about that,” Hugo said, “and said ‘Well, I'm going to take them to the championship again.' She's very determined and is a very competitive sailor.”

Hugo has expanded the Marco Island Sailing Club’s offerings since taking over for Rocky Cale, who ran the program for 15 years. Her boss, Yacht Club general manager Missy Milanese Duffy, appreciates what Hugo brings to the table both as her sailing program director and her executive assistant.

“Caroline has been a wonderful addition to our team,” Milanese Duffy said, "she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to MIYC from her years of coaching sailing in Annapolis and Nantucket. The program is thriving under her leadership. We are planning to continue to grow the program over the next several years and continue to build upon the strong foundation that was established by many great people in our community. Caroline and her team are adding new programs and offering more scholarships in our local community, with hopes to reach more kids each season. We are very excited to see what the future brings.”

“Last year I added Sea Squirts, for four- to seven-year-olds,” Hugo said. “That is more about getting the kids comfortable in the boat. They're with the instructor the whole time and they’re kind of making friends. And then the beginner Opti is for eight- to 12-year-olds. The beginner group goes from 9:00 AM to noon. Afternoon classes are from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

"I added a new class this year, Ocean Explorers. They actually don't go sailing. It's more about marine life. Our instructor is a marine biologist. She teaches the kids about the marine life here in Marco Island. They go shelling at Tigertail. They go kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing. And they have a science day on Fridays.”

Hugo said there’s still one last chance to get involved this summer.

“The first week of August is the last week of sailing camp,” Hugo said. "I would love for the final week to sell out.”