New inclusive sailing program brings big smiles

Spectrum Sailing held its regatta race day March 21 with the Sarasota Youth Sailing, capping an eight-week program of youngsters teaching youngsters.

By Dana Kampa
| 6:30 a.m. March 25, 2026

Five youth sailing teams raced against one another in the first Next Tack regatta on March 21 at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron headquarters. The program is a more advanced offshoot of the partnership between Spectrum Sailing and the Sarasota Youth Sailing Squadron that fosters inclusive, peer-based sailing instruction.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

A light breeze across Sarasota Bay perfectly set the stage as a group of young sailing students headed out onto the water for their regatta race day.

Five teams of two members raised their sails and maneuvered to the buoys marking the course. Then, after a whistle countdown, participants in the first Next Tack Regatta were off to the races.

The March 21 race day at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron headquarters was the culmination of an eight-week youth program.

This pilot program paired youth sailors with participants from Spectrum Sailing, expanding from the original three-day camp.

As founder and Executive Director Scott Herman explained, the nonprofit has organized shorter summer camps with the goal of providing young people with autism an inclusive sailing experience. But this new, more in-depth course pairs the young sailors for a longer time, giving them more opportunities to make meaningful connections, all while learning technical boating terms and skills.

That goal appeared to come to fruition that Saturday morning on the water. Teams deftly maneuvered their vessels, simultaneously laughing over shared jokes on everything from music to computer games based on their experiences over the previous weeks.

"We've had a really strong partnership with Sarasota Youth Sailing since day one," he said. "This is one of our original posts, when we launched the program in Sarasota, Chicago and Charleston, and we've been here every year since. When we had the opportunity to start this more advanced program, it made sense to go back to one of our original partners."

Herman said the pilot program was made possible through a grant from Next for Autism, a national organization working to promote community connection. Both the original camp and this new program are offered to sailors free of charge.

The day on the water ended with an awards ceremony and a pizza party provided courtesy of La Mucca Ballerina.

Parent Kerrie Kuderko said she is immensely grateful to see how the program's approach to joy and inclusivity has helped her son Louden flourish. As he packed up his gear that day, he couldn't wait to tell her how well he sailed.

"For him to be this open, he has to feel really comfortable," she said. "He's a very happy kid, and when he's surrounded by positive people, he can show his positivity."

While the teams packed up for the day, Louden freely shared hugs and smiles with his peers and mentors and celebrated his win that day. Kerrie said that was enough to show her that this introductory Sarasota program accomplished exactly what it set out to do.

"Everything runs really smoothly," she said. "He just felt so welcome. He has trouble with communication, and this has given him so much to talk about. ... I can't say enough good things about it."

To learn more about what is next for the organization, what camps are available and volunteer opportunities, visit SpectrumSailing.com.

Participants in the first Next Tack youth sailing regatta with Spectrum Sailing and Sarasota Youth Sailing get ready to hit the waves on March 21 at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron headquarters.

Kate McCarthy, one of the youth mentors with the new Next Tack youth sailing program partnership between Spectrum Sailing and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, readies to set sail at the end-of-season regatta March 21 on Sarasota Bay.

Scott Herman, founder and executive director of Spectrum Sailing, gives a rundown of how the first Next Tack regatta would go. The race day wrapped up the 8-week youth peer training program with Sarasota Youth Sailing and Sarasota Sailing Squadron.

Youth mentor Rachel Ady and mentee Madison Kueter, both 17 years old, get ready to put the skills they built over the past eight weeks to the test at the first Next Tack regatta on March 21 on Sarasota Bay. They both said they appreciated getting to make new friends through the youth sailing program.

Youth sailors Madison Kueter and Rachel Ady work on reading the wind and waves to get ahead at the Next Tack regatta.

Conditions were perfect for the youth sailors participating in the inaugural Next Tack Regatta on March 21, with a light breeze and mild temperatures carrying the vessels forward into Sarasota Bay.

Kerrie Kuderko said her son, Louden, has thrived in the eight-week Next Tack peer-to-peer youth sailing program organized by Spectrum Sailing, Sarasota Youth Sailing and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Participants got on the water March 21 at Sarasota Bay for the finale of the pilot program.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.