This year’s Summer School adopted Courage as the theme. Gamania Courage sailboat was the first step: total of 10 teenagers learning to drive unpowered sailboat, Gamania Courage and embarked a voyage from Hong Kong to Taiwan. The members learned about professional nautical knowledge, but the most difficult part would be, to never give up and finding a solution in the face of adverse challenges.
Training and Itinerary for Gamania Courage
Members of Gamania Courage set to sail to Hong Kong.
| Pre-Sailing Training 6/7 June 7th, Hong Kong | 6/7 June 7th, Hong Kong |
| ● Ice breaking ● Getting to know each other ● Introduction to the structure of sailboat ● Common knowledge about sailing ● Safety and rescue ● Basic sailing exercise | ●Advanced sailing exercise ●Wind detection and sailboat jibing ●Offshore sailing(one day journey) |
| Burst Through the Black Ditch: Courage’s Test of Courage Name of the Ship: Spirit of Outward Bound Hong Kong Year of Birth: 1991 Age: 20 Accomplishment: Toured around the world between 1992 and 1993 and 1996 respectively Retirement Year: 1996 (since then the ship participated in training course, cruising around UK coastal area and sailing across Atlantic Ocean) Captain:Simon Jonathan Layton Departure time in Hong Kong:at noon, June 9th, 2011 Arrival time in Kaohsiung:in the evening, June 11th, 2011 Duration: 72 hours Distance: 966km ► 2.5 days of sea training+3 days of sailing battle ►Participants must overcome the fear for the immeasurable sea, have stamina to endure long hours of challenge, seasick and sudden nautical and weather trials. With Team Spirit, we could get through any challenges! Courage crew receiving trainings. Jonathan LaytonCaptain of Gamania Courage, Simon Jonathan Layton. Turn off the weather forecast on the radio, rise to the challenge of Typhoon! On shift crew members documenting their journey in the log. |
Unwelcomed Guest at Sea: Trial of Typhoon Sarika
| Sarika Profile |
| Formation time: 2am, June 10th, 2011 Formation location: Sea surface of Sisha islands (Latitude 16.9, longitude 117.9, north west 430km to Manila) Serial No.: 1103 International title: Sarika (Name after a kind of bird in Cambodia) Typhoon Sarika was formed at 2am, June 10th 2011. Although it didn’t directly affect Taiwan, it had caused great hurdle for this dozen of little sailors. In order not to be sucked into Black Ditch (yes, the notorious Black Ditch that engulfed many lives of Taiwanese ancestors when trying to cross the strait by boat to Taiwan) Seasoned captain from Hong Kong, Simon Jonathan Layton decided to sail towards the typhoon and made way through. This journey of batting with typhoon became one of the most memorable memories for these little sailors. |
▲Preparation and instruction all set, we’re ready to sail!
Courage Crew
Wen-Shen Zheng,
National Tam-Sui Vocational High School
Wen-Shen is 19 years old this year. A social worker told him about this plan and he got on the website to know about the details and register with the program. Although he’s older than most members of Summer School, he felt the deeply rooted bond that transcends beyond age gap.
Wen-Shen had dropped out of school three times due to melancholia. He said, “Melancholia had turned me into a person who gives up easily. For the past 3 years, whenever I feel stressful, I break down. In the end, I had no other way but to drop out of school.” During his last suspension, he knew about the Courage program and made up his mind to change himself for the better!
Maybe he didn’t contribute the most on that ship, but his partners always compliment on his attitude, “Although Wen-Shen suffered from severe sea-sick, whenever we need him or it’s his shift, we’d see him struggle to climb down the bed and walked to his position.” This very spirit let Wen-Shen realized that “When you insist in doing it, you could still do it!”
Tsan-Shuan Yeh,
Soochow University
Nicknamed “Big Tree”, Tsan-Shuan really is as reliable as a stern tree! When the Courage sailed towards the cyclone of Sarika, Tsan-Shuan was on duty with two other partners. Furious storm and rain hitting the deck hard, they could barely stand on their feet. The sail even got blown off by the wind. Tsan-Shuan could barely hold the helm but she had a thought inside her that kept her going, “For the partners under the deck, I must hang in there!”This journey that put Tsan-Shuan into great ordeal felt like a survival story that spurred her personal growth. She finally felt the persistence in the documentary film, Beyond the Arctic “when every inch of your body asks you to give up, but you must count on yourself to survive.”
After her return from the life-and-death Courage, she reviewed her past self: low self-esteem, give up things too easily. Now she’s learned to face herself in any difficult challenge.
Wei-Zhi Huang,
intern at Team Development International Ltd.
Nicknamed “Chubby”, Wei-Zhi has long desired to be an outdoor guide. He also participated the 3 day training held by Outward Bound Taiwan, which includes roping, river tracing, canoe etc.
During the program, we could see Wei-Zhi’s persistence, “I used to be a bum with no aim or goal and seek only fun and entertainment. This opportunity is very rare, I must treasure it. I want to make a living out of it, not just as some game.”
Pae-Ya Wang,
Hsian Hsan Senior High
Pae-Ya wishes to become a clothing designer. She dropped out of high school in search of a better channel for self-development and learning. For her, courage is a original force to “seek”, “I’ve been seeking and searching for what I lacked in the past and what I will need in the future. I look at the mountain top and wonder what would happen on my way there, how do I go up etc. Many things are unknown, but what I can see clearly, is the goal.”
Chen-Huan Miao,
Asia University
Chen-Huan and another member, Chen-Shin are twin sisters. This time she took part in the Courage sail alone. To her, courage is a way of live up to life. She not only works hard to gain scholarship and work part time to lessen the financial burden at her family but she tries to be in others’ shoes and helps many others who are in need. Since high school, she has set her goal to help others. She currently majors in social work and realizes her dream as she goes along.
Pei-Ru Wu,
Soochow University
Pei-Ru not only showed her courage on Courage, but she’s also a very courageous person in life. She often volunteers in indigenous tribes and hopes to share what she’s learned to the kids in the tribes!
Pei-Ying Yen,
National Chung Cheng University
Before Pei-Ying took part in the sailing trip of Courage from Hong Kong to Taiwan, she had finished her own courage task on land: she rode a motorcycle and circled around the whole island of Taiwan on her own. However, finishing a task with other partners requires even more courage. You need to understand and help each other. Pei-Ying’s biggest achievement was to learn how to communicate rationally.
Kuo-Shin Zhang,
National Taiwan Ocean University
Like Pei-Ying, Kuo-Shin also took on the challenge to circle around Taiwan but he did it when he was 18 and on his bicycle! During the course of 13 day of tour, he didn’t spend any money on accommodating. He slept on the streets, in the police station etc, he completed the journey with determination and learned to deal with difficulty. In addition, Kuo-Shin is also keeps a perfect attendance record in the Summer School. He’s been attending in the School for 3 years in the roll. During these 3 years, he had different experience in each year and his view of things also changed. Be it the adventurous voyage on the Courage or the team activities, Kuo-Shin realized something, “We’re not learning about how to avoid friction but how to resolve friction smoothly. ” Team gathering enables him to learn different things from different people and in the course of it, learn more about himself!
Chan-Ying Chen,
Tunghai University
Chang Ying once participated in the 1st annual Summer School, this year she returned for the challenge of Courage. When asked about her feedbacks on this adventure, she laughed and said, “How did I get so tanned?!” What Chan-Ying was left with is more than just a tan, but the seeds of “serve for the greater good” she sowed.
“Passing on the spirit” is very important for Chan-Ying. It is not only for herself, but for others. This is the precious experience she learned from the Courage project and one of the most important energy that she spread out!
Jian-Ning,
National Chengchi University
Jian-Ning majors in Mass Communication so she doesn’t have the social working background like most other members. However, Jian-Ning actively participates in public welfare service, academic as well as cultural activities and these experiences enable her to get closer to her dream—to become a professional journalist. Keep on going!