http://crystalsaidwhat.blogspot.com/2009/07/set-sail-heart-of-sailing.html

George,

Thank you so much for organizing this Daysail!  It was a wonderful experience for our whole family.  The children are still talking about it.  Sean says he wants to be a sailor now when he grows up and Caitlin has asked me if we are going sailing again tomorrow.

Attached are a few photos from Saturday's sail.

Thanks again!

Jennifer

Hi George-

Thank you and Chris and Lori so much for taking our family sailing today.  Dylan had a fantastic time and is still talking about it and looking at all the pictures!

Here are a couple of shots for you and please let me know when you are back in New Orleans and I'll be able to spread the word of this wonderful program even more for you.

Thanks again!

:)Sue Samuel

Even though Clint was a bit antsy in the boat, he really did Enjoy himself, and has been talking about the sailboat all weekend!!!

He's going to bring his "Certificate" to his school, to brag about him, "steering the boat"....

Once again, Thanks for all your Generoisty and taking the time to make Clint's day!!!

I wrote my mom about our trip and she even said "There should be more Georges' in the World"

Thanks, Blessings, Maggie

All my best,
Sherry

Thank you very much for a lovely sail this afternoon. Kevin had a great time and really enjoyed getting to have a turn at the helm. He also got a kick out of getting to instruct the other kids as well.
Thank you again for a fun afternoon.

Debi

Sincerely,

The Armstrong Family.

Dear Bernadette and Jack: thank you so much for the wonderful sail! Charlie has been beaming all day today; there is nothing like an outing in that beautiful harbor on a sailboat in such fine company: good-natured, patient, kind and understanding! Thanks too for the photos. Kristina has written a blog post on the day which she will send very soon.
I still feel like I'm on the water; if you ever need a crew member please consider me and Charlie too. We'll always remember yesterday; hope to see you both again: til then all the best from all of us

http://www.kristinachew.com/Site/vox/Entries/2009/8/15_Heart_of_Sailing.html

Megan, 6 years old with Autism, participated to a Daysail in Vancouver BC explored the cabin and typed the following note on my computer before she left:

Megan G... is happy because she went sailing.

She loved the waves.

She also loved going to the bow.

Hope the rest of your voyages are as wonderful!

Tanya, Sarah and Emma

Here is a partial note from a volunteer that helped in Portland:

Hi George,

It was my pleasure to help. I enjoyed myself last weekend even more than when I volunteered last year. I am impressed with the calm peacefulness you create which really sets the tone for every thing else. And, of course, having Alicia anywhere adds a dimension of fun and laughter for everyone.

Just wanted to thank you for a wonderful time my son Rusty had with you on Saturday.

Your gift of time and love meant a lot to us and we truly appreciate your devotion to the cause.

I hope we can repay your kindness someday.

Sincerely,
Tom, Stan and Rusty

Here is a note from a young captain that could not go straigh and that I called My best drunken captain:

Captain George,

It was very fun to go on the boat it was my first time there and it was fun.

The best drunk captain, Thurston

Captain George,

Than you for a most enjoyable afternoon yesterday, I am not sure who enjoyed the afternoon more – parents or kids. What you do is so special.

Thank you again,

Stacey, Mark, Sarah and Gabby

Thank you so much for the very positive experience for my family sailing with you yesterday. David was so proud to tell everyone that he captained the boat out of the marina and again to "park it". All of the
boys really enjoyed themselves. You are amazing with the kids....I
told Janine David has almost a 6th sense about who he will or won't warm up to and he definitely took to you. Really thank you again for the lovely day and the lovely family memory. If you are back next summer we'll love to do it again.

all the best,

Thea

Enjoy!

Heather.

Here is a response to an email I sent, asking about Jack that sailed with me in Olympia:

Still excited? Here's how he introduced himself to a new dentist yesterday:
"I'm eight-and-a-half years old and I can dock a thirty-foot boat!"
Experiences like this are so valuable to us, and we can draw out the memories when Jack has his feelings of inadequacy.

Jackie

Here is a partial note from our Chapter Director in San Francisco:

One mother was so happy because her son Palmer sat close to her and at home he rarely cuddles up to her.

Toril

We are truly grateful for a beautiful experience!

Dora

Here is a note from a mom that sailed in Alameda with Captain Bob:

George,

Thanks again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-84TtTsWB0

Nea and Palmer

Below is a note from a YMCA camp for children living with Autism in Bloomington, IN. It was an email setting up their second year of Daysails with us:

Amber

I appreciate all your help in getting this set up.  The campers have talked about this several times already.  We are really looking forward to it!
 
Just to share,  one parent told me that her son still has his certificate and medal on his wall at home from 2 years ago and he talks about it with great love.  This is a big deal since this child typically is not a verbal child.  YEAH!!! to you guys for touching his life!!
 
Please feel free to contact me via my cell phone if you have any questions
 
Thank you
Kraig

Thank you, thank you, thank you for a wonderful day Sunday at JLS!!! We had a wonderful time on the water. Please keep us posted about future events with your organization.

Again, thanks for taking the time for our kids!
Pamela and Garrett!

I put up a short video on google video  form the sailing trip with Sean on Mike and Carol Pick's sailboat
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6812540316615334986&hl=en
also put it on youtube - but google is easier for embedding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqMZ6ebULKM
Hope you like it

All of my best to all of you, You are a fantastic team.

“My favorite thing was driving the boat!”

Daniel

Landlubbers no more

We are so pleased that Irena contacted us about Heart of Sailing. Our excursion, on the morning of August 22 nd, 2007 was a blast. Zach, our 13-year old son, with high-functioning autism, was enthusiastic and happy to invite his friend Matthew along. Read more...

The captain was very generous, not only with his time and boat but he was amazing with Daniel. Captain Claude was able to gain Daniel’s trust and break though the Autism barrier. He got him to sit on his knee to steer and he was able to teach him some things. That’s quite a feat in itself. The captain treated Daniel like he was a normal kid!

It was a great experience and opportunity for all of us! A nice way to meet some really great people.

Justin has been asking for several years if he could ride on a real sailboat. He was certain once the Captain saw how helpful he was, that he would become second in command. The Heart of Sailing adventure was a pure delight for all of us, but especially for Justin. Thank you so much.

Dear Members of Heart of Sailing and PACE,

I would like to thank you for providing an opportunity for our family to have a sailing exprience.

We have two boys , Ryan and Mathew ages 11 and 6. Ryan had a wonderful time and came home totally thrilled with this outing.  My youngest son Mathew struggled. When we returned home we talked with both boys about how they felt.  Mathew was able to say that he had been on a sail boat, that he had sat in the wind and seen friends.  We also went on to talk about that even though it had been scary for him he was brave and did it anyway.  Thank you again for all of you effort .

With Much Appreciation,

Thank you so much for taking Gabe & me out this morning on your boat.  We had a great time and the weather was perfect for a morning sail.  Gabe doesn't show much emotion at times but I can tell you he really enjoyed the boat just by how calm and contented he was.  We spent a little time on the beach before returning home in the afternoon. 

Thanks again for a very special day.

Thank you so so much for our lovely time with Heart of Sailing. On the way home, Lorenzo was wearing his mettle he was so proud.

The Certificate you presented Lorenzo was in the front of the car. After Lorenzo put on his mettle, he said Paper Please, Lorenzo wants the paper please! Wow that is a lot of words for a young man who is challenged when using words. Then I said Oh you want your certificate, He said yes please, I passed it to him and for the rest of the 2 hour trip he seemed so proud with mettle on and certificate on his lap.

The moment we entered the house Lorenzo put both the boys certificates on the refridge and hung his mettle in the living room! Everyones amazing contribution today has brought so much joy to the hearts of my family.

Please send our greatest appreciation for everyone's time. patients and care.

Volunteer Gretchen wrote in the article she wrote after her experience:

Involvement with Heart of Sailing is easy – one only has to have a love of sailing and children. Having a boat and volunteer crew to offer for the experience is a major plus. At the end of the day it was debatable who had gotten more out of the Heart of Sailing Foundation experience: the children, the families, or the volunteers. “Sometimes we get more than we give,” a crew member was heard to say.

Always eloquent, volunteer Father Frank Crumbaugh of Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Beach Haven summed up his Heart of Sailing experience with three thoughts:

“The first is the gentle persistent devotion of George Saidah. His gentle unobtrusive thorough attention to detail is moving because this is what the guy does … he means it, he’s not kidding, and he’s very persuasive in the way he does it.

“The second is seeing faces that feel the life of the boat through the tiller, and look up to see the great sail drawing them forward.. There is a peacefulness and delight that comes through whatever obstacles these children may have in their lives.

“The third is the respite of an event that’s special for every member of the family. It is a good memory laid down in the midst of challenges and trials that are not always fun for the sufferer, parent or siblings – a win for everybody.”

Click here to read the complete article that was published in Nor'easter magazine.

I would like to say thank you very much again for your excellent program.  Koji and I had great and relax time on the sailing boat that we've never experienced.  We will join your sailing on next summer, too.

J’ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à faire de la voile.
Ils nous ont donné les règles à suivre avant le départ et sur le bateau.
J’ai pu conduire le bateau mais j’avais de la difficulté à le tenir en ligne droite.
Il y a eu le maniement des voiles (pour le vent).
A la fin nous avons eu un bon repas.
J’ai passé une agréable journée.

My 8 year old son and I went on the day sail this past Tuesday. It was a wonderful experience. Ricky (my son) was very interested in exploring the cabin at first, but he did help Russ and Dave with raising the sail and he did steer the boat. I want to thank you for a great experience. It was a terrfic introduction to sailing for him. Russ and Dave were just wonderful with the kids. I am hoping when Ricky is a little older he can take lessons. I think you have an excellent program, and sailing is a wonderful way to help children with disabilities connect with others, gain confidence and have fun.

I would like to say that the whole staff was amazing and you made our experience with my son Theodore a fantastic one.we liked it so much that we are planning to come back again.

i would just like to say thank you to everyone involved in heart of sailing.  my daughter jessica had a great time and is very proud of her medal and certificate!

Tony and I had a wonderful time sailing around San Diego Harbor/Bay.  You provide a great service to special needs families.

Just wanted to thank you for a truly enjoyable day. My family and I went sailing this summer. The crew and the staff were caring, accepting and professional. We would love to take a trip again next year. Thanks for making one day in the life of autism exceptional!

Just wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful sailing moments we had as a family. Thanks because i know this is a volunteer work for all of you guys and we really appreciate it much. We really had fun, Brandon maybe a bit scared because it is his first time but the place and the people are amazing. We will come again for sure next year. Thank you again for the e-mail and all. 

It was a very enjoyable experience for my handicapped daughter. She loved not only the ride but also she had the moment of great pleasure being the captain and steering the ship. The weather was very nice with a little breeze. It couldn't have been possible without the Captain who had as much fun as the rest of us.

I thank the Captain very much.

I just wanted to let you know what I wonderful time Alyssa, Jonathan, Kathleen and I had with Martin & Kathy.  We felt so comfortable and had lots of fun.  My kids truly enjoyed this experience and have not stopped talking about it.  Without the Heart of Sailing organization we would be unable to be part of such an extraordinary day.  Once again, thank you so much for your time and commitment to such a wonderful organization.  I have the cards and will pass the information along to other parents whose kids like mine are so special and yet have a hard time with the little things.  Alyssa was scared on the sailboat at first but by the time we got back to the dock, she was a pro.  She was all smiles and felt that she could do anything and not be scared.  My son whose self-esteem is so nonexistent at times, felt so sure of himself and so proud.  All four of us had a wonderful family outing with a lovely couple and we're very grateful.  There's always so much to do, with therapies and doctor appointments that we don't often get to just relax.  Well, we sure relaxed on Thursday.

I would like to say that the whole staff was amazing and you made our experience with my son Theodore a fantastic one. We liked it so much that we are planning to come back again.

I just wanted to thank you on behalf of our son, Stephen. We sailed with you and it was such a memorable day! Stephen has told so many people how he 'drove' the boat, and he had such a great time. So did my husband and I! Thank you for an amazing day and even more amazing memories. We hope to see you again and have told so many people about your generous and remarkable program. You at Heart of Sailing have hearts of gold!

Andrew remembers every child's name that he met that day. It was a great social event for him.

Since I was able to go along and learn about the sail boat as well, Andrew and I can talk about the different parts of the boat and so on.

I think that what you are doing is great, not only for the children, but also for their parents.  I know in Nick's case, giving him a sensory break like that makes him feel better, more relaxed.  Additionally, in my case, I was able to really relax and enjoy something I have never done, and honestly had never thought about doing.  It was a great experience, and I thank you again for helping families with special needs in our community.