A new sailboat, windsurfing classes and a slate of new programming are all in the works for the Onset Bay Center this year, led by the Buzzard Bay Coalition’s Stuart Downie in his new role as vice president of outdoor exploration. 

Downie said he and center staff are working to make the renovated bathhouse on Onset Beach a year-round destination. Community programs like yoga overlooking the bay and painting classes are being planned. 

On May 14, an Onset Bay Center Community Day is planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which will feature artwork hung in the McFadden Center, sailing excursions with staff, a self-guided story walk and art activities, among other festivities.

New programs, boat on the horizon

During the schools’ April Vacation, the center will run a week-long Bay Explorers program for 8- to 12-year-olds. Even though the weather will be chilly, Downie said the kids will be out on the water and exploring outdoors and likely kayaking. 

During the summer, the Bay Explorers programs will return, along with youth and teen sailing and plenty of classes for families and adults. Adult sailing and windsurfing classes are also planned.

Downie is expanding the center’s fleet, he said. A drascombe gig — a traditionally-rigged sailboat designed for training use in the Royal Navy — is currently being shipped from England. 

“It’s a really traditional-looking sailing boat, but what’s great about it is it can take 12 people sailing at a time in a boat that’s very stable and safe,” Downie said. 

He noted that in addition to its stability, the boat can be pulled onto the beach and has an outboard motor which can be used when needed — all qualities that make it a great introductory sailboat. The boat’s stability also makes it especially well-suited for use by children and people with varying needs.

In addition to the traditional drascombe gig, Downie will be bringing a newer watersport to the center: Windsurfing. Windsurfers are surfboards rigged with a sail for a sport that’s like a combination of skateboarding and sailing, Downie said. 

Also on the horizon are new and improved after-school programs for high school students. Boatbuilding will return with improved equipment purchased by the center, and this spring, students will be converting one of the skiffs built in the fall into a sailboat, he said. The course will also include more on-the-water training for the builders. 

Downie also plans to kickstart an after-school sailing class, with the goal of eventually building a competitive sailing team at the high school.

A background in outdoor programs

Downie, originally from the United Kingdom, has been working in outdoor education since he started teaching sailing at age 14. He worked at a variety of adventure centers in the UK, teaching kids outdoor skills and about the environment. 

When he was 24, he was recruited to run a student citizenship program in Dubai. There, he led a program that combined life skills with adventures like sailing and hiking — and met his future wife, a native of Fairhaven, MA.

The pair moved to the states about six years ago, and since then, Downie has worked as a consultant for summer camps, helped develop waterfront programming and worked with large corporations to create team-building, social responsibility and volunteer programs.

He got involved with the center as a volunteer and helped former director Kat Garofoli develop the center’s waterfront programming. 

While he oversees the center, Downie’s role as the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s vice president of outdoor exploration is wide-ranging. He is also responsible for Bay Adventure programs held at communities around Buzzards Bay, and the Experiential Learning division, which hopes to bring learning opportunities outside the classroom to students around the bay. 

All the coalition’s programs, Downie said, are in part meant to help people love the bay and become its stewards.

Downie said that he is happy to hear people’s ideas about what programs could be held at the center or elsewhere around the bay. 

“We’re really trying to be an integral part of the community,” Downie said. 

CYE, a youth empowerment and education program run by Jowaun Gamble, uses the space every other week for workshops. Gamble has also been given an office to use at the center, free of charge.

Downie also said he’s looking into renting out the center for occasional use a space for smaller events like baby showers, with any proceeds going to support scholarships and low-cost programming at the center.