Valhalla Sailing Project:
Veterans Finding Community on the Chesapeake Bay
mission to return to the dock safely. “On a boat, you are just a small postage stamp miles offshore,” Woods said. “You’re on your own but with a mission and objective: Do the specific task of sailing this boat well and bring everybody home. Everybody has a responsibility and a mission. Everybody knows enough to join together in an emergency. The traditional hierarchy of captain and crew and reliance on fellow sailors allows each individual to do their job competently and safely.” This setting is a familiar cocoon, a comfort zone for veterans. “Our sailing clinics and sailing experiences are great distractions and outlets for otherwise destructive thought,” he said. Valhalla Sailing Project offers two-day Learn to Sail clinics during the summer months, open to all veterans and free of charge. Post-clinic, Valhalla helps new sailors find their
By Diana Love
Mike Wood is a disabled Marine Corps veteran. While transitioning to civilian life, the loss of friendship and support from his Marine brothers deeply affected him. He began isolating from friends and family and experiencing severe thoughts of self-harm. At the worst of these moments, Wood
adventure. The organization partners with local marine industry companies and other veteran support groups to offer opportunities for day sailing, recreational racing, and even competitive weekend or offshore regattas. Since 2015, participants have joined the sailing community as racers, cruisers, or making deliveries on the East Coast and beyond. Land- based opportunities for fellowships abound as well. Valhalla Sailing Project is 100% privately funded, so Woods says the organization always seeks in-kind donations of time
responded to a call that changed his life. The captain of a local sailboat needed crew members for local and offshore races. Wood, a longtime competitive sailor, accepted a position on the boat’s team. As a crew member, Wood found a community he thought was lost when he left the Marines. Members of the Galesville-based crew were all Navy pilots. Woods served as a helicopter crew
Photo courtesy of Bethany Swain - Swain Domains
or treasure. They need volunteers to help with social media, marketing, website development, and servicing, maintaining, and equipping boats. They are also always looking for instructors, volunteers for committees, logistical expertise to organize clinics and outreach to community partners, grant writing, and business development. To learn more about the Valhalla Sailing Project or sign up for a session, visit their website, valhallasailing.org. If you are a veteran and you are interested in signing up for a Learn to Sail session, clinic dates for 2024 are as follows:
member during his career in the Marines, and the veterans spoke to each other in a familiar way - aviator to aviator. Wood’s new crewmates reassured him. “I realized that while I don’t have the Marines to the right and left of me anymore, I have a similar family in sailing. I knew that if this worked to help me, it would work for others,” Wood notes. Many transitioning veterans lose the deep camaraderie and sense of belonging they feel in service. The loss can be felt viscerally and sometimes dangerously. After his experience aboard the race boat, Wood founded Valhalla Sailing Project, a nonprofit organization with a simple mission: to prevent veteran suicides. Since its founding, Valhalla has helped more than 250 wounded, disabled, or transitioning veterans. As many Annapolitans know, sailing offers the peace of the outdoors and proximity to nature. Sailing also provides adrenaline-fueled speed, precise technique, and a shared
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SPRING 2024 | 31
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