Shay Maloney and Amanda Boulier weren't on the ice, but instead on the water in Boston Harbor this week setting sail with members of USA Sailing and Courageous Sailing.
Looking in the crowd at a Boston Fleet game, you'll see thousands of fans wearing captains hats. The team's nautical connection is undeniable. It's why it felt only natural this week to see Boston Fleet forward Shay Maloney and newly signed defender Amanda Boulier set sail themselves alongside members of US Sailing and Courageous Sailing.
The duo spent time learning to sail in the historic Boston Harbor.
“It was a ton of fun and such a big learning experience for us,” Boulier said. “Being out here learning how to sail was a cool thing to check off the bucket list, so we’re so thankful for the Courageous team and USA Sailing team for taking the time to teach us everything today.”
Courageous Sailing is an organization that aims to make sailing accessible and welcoming for individuals of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, while helping to build life skills and lifelong connections to sailing.
“Having Shay and Amanda here was the epitome of having the Boston Fleet out on the water,” Courageous Sailing Director of Adult Programs & Events Caitlyn Ridgely said.
“We had the perfect conditions and everyone driving the boats which was so cool. Our main mission with Courageous Sailing is to get kids in Boston out on the water. Many of them would otherwise not have the opportunity to do it, so our goal is to take down those barriers.”
Members of US Sailing, the United State's governing body for the sport, were also on hand. They spoke on the alignment of Courageous Sailing's mission to US Sailing's own mission of growing participation in sailing, and providing new opportunities.
Bringing two Boston Fleet members onto the water helped both organizations showcase the sport, and raise awareness of their offerings.
“It was incredible to be out here today,” USA Sailing Youth Programs Associate Whitney Kent said.
“Neither Fleet player had ever sailed before, so we got to run through the motions of teaching new people how to sail. It’s always fun to have competitive athletes out there because they were driving different boats and immediately Amanda asks, ‘are we going faster than them?’ Everyone learns differently but it seems Shay and Amanda both picked up the skills quickly by putting the heat on each other a little.”
