ELEUTHERA SAILING ACADEMY: Building Sailors. Building Futures
By Ty Olsen
Dreams Come True
The Eleuthera Sailing Academy began as a vision, but like many meaningful things, its roots reach much farther back than the day it officially opened.
For founder Martin Manrique, sailing has never been just a sport. He began sailing as a child and quickly found himself drawn not only to the competition, but to the discipline, and confidence sailing could offer. Over the years, sailing became a passion that led to multiple championship titles, more than 20 years of elite coaching experience, and eventually years spent traveling the world by sailboat with his wife, Carlien Pels.
At first, their journey was about exploration, seeing the world, and living within different cultures. Somewhere along the way, his thoughts began to shift. Sailing, they realized, was something they could share and for many young people in the places they visited, it could become more than recreation, it could become opportunity that they may never be able to experience.
That realization came into focus through an 11-year-old boy named Juan Pablo.
Martin and Carlien were anchored outside Cartagena, Colombia, when Juan Pablo approached their sailboat one afternoon. He knocked on the boat and asked, could they teach him how to sail?
The answer, of course, was an enthusiastic, yes!
There was only one problem, they did not have a proper small boat for teaching him to sail. At the time, they were using an old Opti as a dinghy. So, Martin did what sailors do well, he improvised. He found branches and sticks to use for rigging, while Carlien came across an old Hobie Cat sail on the beach and put her sewing machine to work. In a short time, they had an Opti sail.
Once the boat was rigged, Juan Pablo climbed into the boat and something happened that Martin did not expect, Juan Pablo was sailing almost immediately.
What began as a single lesson turned into something much larger! Juan Pablo fell in love with the sport, began traveling to regattas, performed well, and eventually started helping other kids learn to sail. These were kids, who under ordinary circumstances, may never have had the chance to be on a sailboat.
From that experience, Martin began to imagine something bigger.
After many conversations with sailors, coaches, and supporters in his sailing world, he founded Make Them Sailors, an organization focused on bringing sailing to young people in remote and underserved communities. Today, Make Them Sailors supports 15 sailing centers in nine countries, reaching well over 500 young sailors. These programs are made possible by volunteers and by the generosity of sailors, yacht clubs, sailing clubs, and individuals who donate equipment, time, and financial support.
Then Came Eleuthera
While Martin was in Europe coaching Argentinian Nacra 15 sailors and 2024 Silver medalists at the Paris Olympics, Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco, he was contacted by Craig Symonette, an accomplished Bahamian businessman who represented The Bahamas in sailing at the 1972 Olympic Games. Craig had a vision about opening a sailing school on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas. The idea sounded promising to Martin, but uncertain. Still, he agreed to visit.
When Martin arrived, he was shown Savannah Sound, which is a protected bay with amazing clear blue water, an ideal depth, consistent breezes, and quiet beaches. For a sailor, it was nearly perfect. Then reality hit, there was no sailing center, no equipment, no established program and no home for his family. Starting the school would mean building nearly everything from scratch. But after spending time on the island and meeting the people who believed in the idea, Martin made the decision to move his family to Eleuthera and begin the work.
Soon, the pieces started to come together. A facility was built and shortly a home was created for his family. Martin reached out to his network of sailors and sailing clubs, and donated equipment began to arrive. Boats, boards, sails, and gear, all items that might have sat unused elsewhere, were being repurposed in Eleuthera. The equipment was only one part of the challenge. The bigger task was inspiring local children to step into a sport many had never imagined was meant for them or believed they would have the opportunity to experience.
For many kids on the island, sailing was unfamiliar. Even though they were surrounded by water, it was not something that they had grown up seeing as an accessible activity. Martin spent countless hours meeting with school administrators, teachers, local and national government officials, families, and the students themselves. Slowly, curiosity started to grow, and he started to see the enthusiasm.
The Eleuthera Sailing Academy (ESA) began building strong relationships with local schools, including Deep Creek Middle School, Spanish Wells School, and The Island School, just to name a few. Through tailored sailing programs, students were introduced to the basics of sailing, water safety, teamwork, responsibility, and eventually racing.
The results were impressive. Young sailors early in the program attended national regattas and performed remarkably well. The momentum around youth sailing became part of a larger national conversation. In April 2023, the Bahamian House of Assembly, with unanimous support from both political parties, officially recognized sailing as the national sport of The Bahamas. For ESA, it was a such an unexpected move forward and a sign of what can happen when young people are given access to something new.
Then Came Eleuthera
Early success can make a program look effortless from the outside, but anyone who has worked with a nonprofit program knows that progress typically comes in waves.
Some of the original students moved on to continue their education. Others began working to help support themselves and their families. Attendance shifted, interest fluctuated, transportation became a challenge. Island life, with all its beauty, also brings real logistical obstacles.
The program needed to shift focuses to overcome these growing challenges. At first, Martin’s instinct as a lifelong competitor and elite coach was to develop strong racing sailors. Over time, he realized that ESA’s greatest purpose was not simply to produce champions. It was to give kids a chance to experience the water in a new way – to try something different and discover confidence through a skill they never expected to learn. Martin’s leadership shift may have started to change everything.
For many of the kids, sailing is not about trophies, it is about access, about stepping into a boat for the first time and realizing they can control it. So much of it is about learning patience, independence, courage, and respect for the sea. Some of them were seeing their home island from a perspective they had never seen.
Thanks to years of persistence, ESA has once again started moving forward. The academy has welcomed guest instructors from around the world, including world champions, junior national champions, and Olympic sailors. Some discovered the program while vacationing on the island and offered to help. Others came because they had heard about ESA through Martin’s sailing network and wanted to contribute. However they arrived, the result was the same, there was an unforgettable exchange between experienced sailors and local kids eager to learn and try something new.
ESA has also begun welcoming visiting sailing groups from the United States and beyond. These groups come for weeklong programs custom tailored to their experience level and goals. Some are sailing clubs; others are families looking for something more meaningful than a typical vacation activity.
To help sustain the program, Martin has developed relationships with resorts and residential communities around the island. ESA is now offering equipment rentals, individual lessons, summer camps, and school programs. The donated equipment like the boats, windsurf boards, kiteboards, and foiling gear all serves both visitors and students, helping create a model that supports the academy’s mission.
The Work Behind the Dream
It is easy to be distracted by Eleuthera’s beauty, the clear water, open sky and the steady breeze, but the couple of weeks that I had the opportunity to see the operations at the academy revealed just how much effort it takes to keep a program like this alive.
Martin and Carlien have fully dedicated themselves to ESA for years. They are instructors, organizers, fundraisers, maintenance crew, mentors, and problem solvers. They are also parents to twin daughters and a newborn. Carlien helps with the daily needs of the school while caring for their young family full time.
To put it simply, they cannot do it alone. This summer, Martin made the difficult but necessary decision to take time away from the program and take his family to visit relatives and friends back home in The Netherlands. Before leaving, he worked hard to train a local sailor, Dion Archer, not only in sailing, but also as an instructor and leader who could carry the program forward in his absence. Dion also completed the online portion of the US Sailing Level 1 course.
Though Dion has only been sailing for a short time, his dedication has been extraordinary. Alongside him, two other local team members are helping manage the day-to-day operations of summer camp, with additional volunteer instructors from Europe joining for several weeks. This is what a program like the Eleuthera Sailing Academy needs, not one person carrying the entire weight, but local leadership growing from within the community and sustaining those people in their positions.
The Eleuthera Sailing Academy is not just teaching young adults how to sail. It is opening opportunities for careers as well as experiences. It is building confidence and connecting local youth to the water that surrounds them. Most importantly, it is offering mentorship, structure, adventure, and the kind of hands-on learning that can stay with a young person for life.
For some students, sailing may become a lifelong sport, for others, it may lead to travel, competition, employment, coaching, or new educational opportunities. For many, it may simply become a lasting memory of the moment they discovered they were capable of more than they thought.
The Future of Eleuthera Sailing
Although Martin and his crew have done a fantastic job of making sure that everything that they have accomplished over the years continues to grow and be successful, there are a handful of people with a personal interest in seeing the program succeed. Board members include: Selima Hauber, Chavette Strachtan, and Craig Symonette. Most recently William “Dougie” Douglass has become an advocate for the program. Dougie, a sailing world and national champion, has lifelong ties to the island of Eleuthera and a history of supporting island activities.
Through their involvement, these individuals provide leadership to helping the Academy navigate political challenges, build lasting partnerships, and develop strategic initiatives that strengthen and expand the program. Their continued commitment has positioned the Eleuthera Sailing Academy for sustainable growth while making the sport of sailing increasingly accessible to children and families throughout Eleuthera.
The vision for the future of ESA includes opening a sailing school in each of the main settlements on the island. Securing permanent facilities presents challenges, particularly with property availability and ownership. So, the Academy is exploring innovative solutions, including the concept of a “mobile school.” This approach would allow the program to travel to different settlements as needed, bringing the necessary boats, equipment, and instruction.
One of the greatest challenges the program currently faces—and one that has existed since its inception—is transportation. Many of the children come from families who are unable to drive them to ESA due to work schedules or because they do not own a vehicle. As a result, reliable transportation is often unavailable, preventing many children from participating in the program. To help address this barrier, the organization is actively exploring options to acquire a passenger van that would provide transportation to and from the program, making it accessible to more students.
Another idea to bring growth to the program is to build a new “camp like” facility. This would be an area near the sailing academy that would include “glamping type” sleeping facilities, cooking facilities, restrooms, etc. ESA would be able to offer programs for high schools, colleges and individual groups from the United States. These custom-tailored programs would introduce foreigners to a unique sailing venue unlike any they have ever experiences before, while combining world-class sailing with a chance to explore the Bahamian culture and interact with locals. With the available boats and foiling equipment that the school currently has, there is so much to offer to any level of sailor.
In one of my discussions with Martin, I asked what is it that they need most to continue to grow and be successful. With a smile on his face, he said that unbelievably, the last thing that they need is more equipment! The outpouring of equipment from boats, sails, lifejackets, wetsuits, etc., they have enough of everything for now. But, as with every non-profit, they are lacking the funds to grow the program as it should. These funds would go towards transportation needs (purchasing a van), salaries for year-round staff, insurance and the potential growth of the facilities to other settlements.
If you are interested in learning more about the Eleuthera Sailing Academy or Make Them Sailors, please visit the links below. Donations help keep boats repaired, sails usable, safety equipment current, and programs accessible to local children. Financial support can help cover transportation, instructor training, scholarships, maintenance, and the everyday operating costs that are easy to overlook but essential to keeping kids on the water.
What began years ago as one boy knocking on a sailboat’s hull has blossomed into something far bigger than anyone could have imagined. That single moment has since reached across countries, communities, and schools, touching the lives of hundreds of young sailors. In just the past five years, local Bahamian sailors in Eleuthera have made remarkable strides in the sailing world. In a short span of time, ESA has produced sailors who have achieved Gold Fleet status at the Optimist World Championships, claimed victories at the North American Championships for female sailors, and are now setting their sights on an extraordinary opportunity of possibly being involved in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA.
“ESA is such a special place to sail. Visitors and visiting programs can train with world-class coaches in a remote, natural setting, surrounded by incredible wildlife. Savannah Sound offers steady wind, flat water, different conditions across the bay, and quick access to the ocean. It is a very unique place to train and experience sailing.” – Martin Manrique, ESA Sailing Director
“ESA is not only about teaching children to sail. It is a place where local youth, visiting sailors, and world-class coaches come together in one of the most beautiful sailing environments in the world. People can train in complete nature, enjoy incredible wind and water conditions, and at the same time support a community program that creates opportunities for Bahamian youth. We are very grateful to the local and international sailing community that has believed in us and supported ESA from the beginning” – Martin Manrique, ESA Sailing Director
“ESA is also more than a sailing school. We combine youth development, competitive sailing, kite, windsurfing, and wingfoiling, while creating a model where visiting sailors can be part of a meaningful community program.” – Carlien Pels, ESA Instructor
Links to Give Support
