Participants enter as freshmen and sophomores and choose from one of three programs: Boatbuilding, Environmental Science, or Sailing. They move from being students to paid apprentices to alumni once they graduate high school, at which point they are eligible to work part-time for Rocking the Boat as Program Assistants.

All participants receive wrap-around social services provided by three licensed social workers. Together they offer participants comprehensive social and emotional support and help them graduate from high school, apply to college or trade school, overcome obstacles to attaining a college degree or professional certification, and map out a path for reaching their long-term goals.

 

Participants may arrive at Rocking the Boat not knowing how to read a ruler and having never used tools, but they work together to build full size traditional wooden rowing and sailing boats from scratch. Boatbuilding students and apprentices study the plans and create and assemble all of the components from stem to stern, fasten the planks and frames, paint, and then launch their boat into the Bronx River.

 

Young people go from never having been on a boat before to sailing solo and becoming certified U.S. Sailing Level 1 small boat instructors. Novice sailors learn theory, practice navigation techniques, and gain experience on Rocking the Boat’s fleet of traditional wooden sailboats, modern fiberglass and plastic training dinghies.