April 23, 2024 • 29 mins
Jibe Talking sits down with Robin Cutcher who is the President and Co-Founder of Serenity Sailing. Serenity Sailing is a non-profit 501(c)3 Organization newly formed in collaboration with the western Lake Erie sailing community, The Victory Center of Toledo, and regional cancer treatment centers.
You can learn more about this amazing organization at https://serenity-sailing.org/
Email: info@serenity-sailing.org
Phone: (567) 318-2380
Mail: PO Box 417 Luna Pier, Michigan 48157
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Well, good afternoon, I guess it is now, coming to you from Jolly Roger Sailing Club on the banks of the beautiful Ottawa River.
(00:08):
Although this time of year, like I said before, it is not beautiful. It is January. It is overcast and it is cold.
And we're all thinking about our boats and like somebody said, do you think your boat also thinks about you? I don't know, but I would hope so.
But today we have, what are you giving me a dirty look for? We're going to have everybody introduce themselves. So we'll start with you since you're already opening up your mouth over there.
(00:33):
All right. I am Christina Columbus. I am going to be the co-host.
Trying out for co-host. Sorry, we have to see. You can write in and say, ditch Christina Columbus if you want. And then, but our real guest today is...
Robin Kucher from Serenity Sailing.
All right. Well, we're going to start right now with like, what is Serenity Sailing and how did you come up with this idea?
(01:04):
I came up with the idea largely because my husband experienced cancer. And while he was in treatment, you just start Googling, sailing, cancer, things come up.
And there are nonprofits out there that are intended to serve people with cancer through sailing. And to me, it seemed like just such a natural fit, partly because Greg and I were sailors.
(01:27):
So we know the benefit of going on a sailing excursion, even just for the evening, when you're going through something so rigorous as cancer and cancer treatment.
I think over time, as we went through this journey together, my husband and I also realized just how many people with cancer there are.
It's one of those things kind of like if you're diagnosed with diabetes, you realize how many people have diabetes.
(01:53):
If you're diagnosed with cancer, you realize how prevalent cancer truly is. Cancer treatment is rigorous. It is difficult. It is scary.
And anything we can do to take a sport like sailing and provide some respite to me has enormous value.
So I saw it, I latched onto it, and now we're trying to recreate it here in our western Lake Erie basin.
(02:16):
What a great idea.
I agree with you. It is a great idea. By the way, that wasn't a canned comment, but you know.
It is a great idea.
Before we got started, Christina was instructed to say that's a great idea every time.
I mean, but it really is a great idea and it's a really great thing for people.
So I said it, but I truly meant it. It really is a great idea.
(02:41):
Do you know somebody that just went through a cancer experience?
Yes.
I mean, we all know someone right now. It's not like there isn't a huge prevalence.
And what kind of reaction did these people that you know have to their diagnosis?
Devastated, depressed.
It is a hard thing.
And I think back to when we did diabetes camp, for those of you who don't know, which nobody would know because yeah.
(03:08):
I'm a type 1 diabetic and I used to go to diabetes camp.
I've known her since she was a pup.
Yes. So she actually was somebody who was a counselor at a diabetes camp that I went to.
And, you know, being able to experience and do different things and just being with people who can relate and being normal and not having somebody look at you like, oh, you can't do it.
(03:41):
And, you know, the opportunities are there and everything is set up for what you need.
And I think there's some of that background that's carrying over into what I'm trying to do here with Serenity Sailing.
I do feel like I have it in my heart, having lost my husband to cancer, but also many of us have it in our own hearts to help these people that are really going through a tough time.
(04:08):
And the outcomes vary.
But as they're on the journey, if we can provide a little comfort, some serenity, a peaceful moment, and also just acute understanding, kind of like what you're talking about at camp, we understand what this is like.
This is not a walk in the park and we are here for you.
So the sailing community has an opportunity to support those with cancer.
(04:32):
Now, those of you may not know, maybe she alluded to it, but Robin is also a nurse, right?
You're also a nurse.
Yep, I'm a certified diabetes educator and I've done that for many, many years.
And what my co-host here was referring to is the diabetes camps.
And I did that. It was my first love.
(04:54):
I worked with diabetes use services for 28 years, I think it was, and then went into industry, done a few other things, still a diabetes educator, but on a very part-time basis.
And now I feel like there is a great need that we can serve or fill with those that are struggling with cancer in the summertime with sailing.
(05:17):
Now, where are you at with the development?
I mean, I know you first had the genesis of an idea and now, like, where do you think you're at?
I mean, how long until you're going to be able to, I guess, put people on boats, do you think?
My intent is to get people on boats this spring, truly.
So the calendar starts June 1st, and our intent is to have enough boats and volunteers, funding, all of the things, to be able to have three excursions in a week.
(05:47):
And one would be on a weekend and two would be on weeknights, perhaps an afternoon.
It depends on how many of my volunteers are actually retired and would be able to sail in an afternoon.
So a lot depends on what we're going to end up with.
But right now, I think it's very doable.
We are in the building stages.
This brainchild came to me last spring.
(06:10):
It was just a couple of months after my own husband had passed.
And I immediately called Jolly Roger Sailing Club, talked to Phil Fry, and Phil was all over it.
He thought it was a fantastic idea.
So many iterations as we go along, a lot of decisions had to be made.
And at this point, we now have a strong commitment from Jolly Roger Sailing Club from about eight people that are helped putting together the protocols and making it so now I can submit the articles of incorporation.
(06:39):
And once those are in, they're already written.
I've had them prepared for months.
But once those are submitted and it is confirmed they've been received, we can start accepting funding.
So tax exempt status 501C3 and once we can solicit funding, we can do a lot more promotion.
We're building the website and it's kind of neat to do something from the ground up.
(07:03):
When I worked with Diabetes Use Services, it was already there.
I just stepped in and started doing it.
But now we're building it from scratch and it's exciting.
So now have you thought about like what size boats are you looking to get?
Well, first of all, start with that.
What size boats are you targeting would you like to have for your people?
(07:24):
I had originally thought I could just donate our own boat.
I'm not going to be able to sail it by myself.
I will need to have people and that's a 30 foot Tycon 30.
The only thing with the Tycon 30 is the cockpit really isn't as large as I would like.
It has a nice beam.
It's a comfortable ride.
(07:45):
For those that don't know, tell what a beam is.
That's how wide the boat is.
That's how wide the boat is and it adds a lot to the comfort of the sail.
So you can surf over the waves as opposed to rocking and rolling over the waves.
So at any rate, the larger the boat, the more comfortable the ride.
And I feel like our participants, someone who is nominated to go sailing with their family,
(08:09):
could be in somewhat of a fragile condition.
So I think a comfortable ride is important.
And I would like to focus on either a large cockpit or larger boats.
So 30 feet or more.
And at this point, we're going to start with our own boat, New Horizons,
but I would like that to grow to where a captain who has his own boat
(08:33):
would be able to provide one or two excursions in a week.
This is our first summer.
So I really have no idea how much this is going to take off.
From working with other organizations on the East Coast, it really took off.
And I also, at this point, I've interacted a lot with the Victory Center,
some other cancer centers at University of Michigan,
(08:55):
Memro Regional, Flower Hospital, Toledo Clinic.
These are all big cancer treatment centers.
And everyone is completely on board and will allow me to display materials,
make referrals, and nominate people for the sailing excursion.
So it could take off.
That is my hope.
But for now, we're starting with New Horizons, one boat.
(09:17):
We will need to captain that boat.
We will need to have probably two mates that go on every excursion.
One will help with handling the sails and that sort of thing.
The other will help more with making sure the participants are comfortable
and they have everything they need.
So that summarizes it.
The excursions will largely be in the Toledo Harbor.
(09:39):
And there are times when the weather maybe isn't necessarily amenable
to going on a sailing excursion.
And if that's the case, we're planning for that.
We will just roll them over into a new slot when the weather is better.
I feel like July usually is kind of quiet.
There aren't a lot of good sailing days.
June, August, September, even May are better months.
(10:03):
But this year, in order for us to get our protocols together
and to know what we're doing, we're setting June 1st as our start date.
And June is a good month for sailing.
By good month, you're meaning good wind.
Yes. Good wind, not a lot of waves.
And not real hot yet.
Correct.
Okay. Now, are you anticipating, are you going to need a medical person on board each boat?
(10:28):
Or are these people going to be in a situation where at this point
they could go with a family member and crew and they don't need a medical person?
Or don't you even know that yet?
I don't see the need for a medical person.
I do think our first and second mates will have to be trained to be watching our participants
and make sure they're tolerating the excursion well.
A lot of the medical background will come from the screening when people are nominated to participate.
(10:54):
So they'll have to be scheduled and slotted in.
Someone will call them and say, you know, are you going to be able to step into the boat?
Are you prone to car sickness?
You know, a lot of the medical screening will come ahead of time
as people are slotted in for the excursion.
Once you bring up car sickness or motion sickness,
then there is also a conversation around medications that will help with that.
(11:17):
And people can pre-medicate.
So I feel like it's not as big of a concern as it is to people that are on the outside looking in.
My husband had no problem with motion sickness whatsoever,
and he endured some very rigorous cancer therapy and sailed.
So I feel like it's not a huge obstacle.
(11:38):
Some people may struggle with it, and that's the case.
This probably isn't for that person, I would say.
So one of the criteria is going to be you can enter and exit the boat on your own power right now?
Yep, and you can tolerate the motion. Those are the two things.
You never know about that. I have to pre-medicate. I'm one of those people that...
Do you?
Yeah, I go out all the time and anyways.
(12:01):
But you find a way to overcome.
Well, I was good, you know, not as an aside, I was good all summer.
I had medicated. Somebody said you're probably used to it.
And then we had a race where we went out around West Sister and let's just say I was feeding the fish for part of that race.
So I got sick, but that's all right. We got second place.
There's Z-bands, a lot of people that are familiar with cancer treatment.
(12:25):
Zofran is like an ongoing prescription.
There are ways around it, and I think if it really becomes an issue,
we're going to know pretty quickly and can turn around and come back.
We're not going to West Sister. We're just going into Toledo Harbor.
True. Now, have you thought about like how long a trip will be or is that going to be just pretty much determined by the person or...
(12:50):
I think in order to get the full benefit and really relax and kind of lead into it, it should probably be two to three hours.
I would agree with you. By the time you get your sales up and you got to take the sales down and that's, you know, that you got an hour burned right there.
Well, I'm a little slower, but most people...
It takes a minute to get out there and get going and get right on the wind.
(13:11):
I feel like to really relax and feel comfortable with it, it would be at least two hours, perhaps three.
So you're not going to require that anybody has any pre-sailing experience to go because they'll just be pretty much riding unless they want to get on the tiller, I'm sure.
True. They would not have to have any experience with sailing. We will have that taken care of.
So the captain who is familiar with the boat, our first and second mates, they will do the sailing and the person that is nominated or has cancer or has been through cancer treatment and his family members are really just intended to be there and enjoy the moment.
(13:48):
We want them to be in the moment and benefit from the experience of feeling the wind and the water.
What is your goal? I know you kind of alluded to it, but how many people would you like to service realistically your first summer?
Well, the first summer, if we go at three a week, we're talking about a hundred participants.
And then if you add to that their family members or support system, then you're probably getting up more to like 250, 300 in the first summer.
(14:16):
But the actual person who has experienced cancer, we're shooting for a hundred.
I do believe after this first year, when we have a lot of the...
Oh, you're going to have to edit this out. After the first year, when we have a lot of the bugs worked out and we're more efficient with scheduling volunteers and having more time slots, more boats.
(14:41):
Because you could set up a website where they could sign up and you could have your captain sign up to offer their boat, I suppose.
And have it all be one master calendar. All these things are being built. So we're not there yet.
But I imagine we will have the capacity by the end of the summer to know exactly what we need to really grow.
OK. Now, I guess one of the things, if someone would be listening and say, you know, I wouldn't mind helping out. How would they reach out to you?
(15:10):
Since we don't have the website live yet, I think the best thing to do would be to contact me. And I don't mind giving out my contact info.
My email is rrcucher, C-U-T-C-H-E-R at Gmail dot com.
I imagine you could also contact Jolly Roger Sailing Club through their website and they would refer you to me.
(15:33):
Yeah, we'll obviously pass that along.
So basically your big needs right now are boats, would you say?
I mean, you have a boat, you know, 30 foot boat, and you would like to be 30 or big or larger and with a large cockpit.
Because you say you're going to have a person and a family member. Normally, is a family member going to be going with them? Is it going to be required, I guess?
(15:56):
I think it would be best that way. If things do go south, you've got your family members right there.
But I think you have to understand too, when there's someone with cancer, their support system is also equally burdened and needs the experience just as much as the person with cancer.
So I would like to say at least four people could attend along with the person who has cancer.
(16:20):
So you're talking four persons plus two mates and a captain. So you're talking seven on a boat?
Right. And that's why you need a larger cockpit.
Okay. Okay. Okay. I just was kind of getting an idea. So are you set up right now that you can take donations or are you still kind of in...
We are just to the point where I am now submitting the articles of incorporation.
(16:45):
And I estimate it'll take about a month to get confirmation that's been received and in process.
And once your articles of incorporation are officially pending, then you can accept donations.
And we're in the midst of creating a marketing plan and a fundraising plan. And honestly, I'm just going to go for low-hanging fruit to start.
(17:06):
I would like everyone to consider if they know someone who could provide a corporate sponsorship.
So usually a corporate sponsorship is $250, $500. I think ten corporate sponsors, we have enough to get started.
So that's probably how that'll go. But I'm not going to pursue that in earnest until February.
(17:28):
Also having a conversation with Healthy Living News, Toledo City Paper, and try to get some promotionals in there.
And ultimately, I would like the website to provide capacity for a volunteer to sign up and also for donations.
And then also for the person who wants to participate to be nominated to have that be a function of the website. But we're not there today.
(17:50):
So what do you think then initially the majority of the money you raise, what will it go towards? Promotion, I would imagine.
Yes, it would go through promotion. It does cost money to have and build and maintain a website.
Everything costs money.
It probably, there'll be some expense in creating banners that'll be on the sailboats all summer that are providing these excursions.
(18:12):
That's probably the best way to promote the service.
If you have a boat that is providing service for Serenity Sailing and it's got the banner right on it and you can nominate from that banner on the boat, that's huge promotion right there.
You've got a sailing community. We all know someone with cancer and I feel like that alone would be huge.
So my first step would probably be getting banners for the sailboats that are participating and providing the service.
(18:39):
Now do you ever see yourself down the road that, I mean this is a big, big picture question, but the organization owning their own boats?
Absolutely. That I think would be ideal if you have three or four different boats that you basically are just staffing and slotting people into.
Then your logistics are really calmed down, they're solidified and it's much easier to make it happen.
(19:06):
So let's say our friend over here decided he wanted to have his boat be participating in the program.
He could just put his availability up on the calendar for his boat and his captaining and then we could just slot in who's going to volunteer.
We get a phone call from someone who's being nominated for the excursion and we can put them right in.
(19:27):
Owning your own boat is, shall we say, priceless I think. Starting with my boat gives us a launching pad, but it's not the ideal boat.
I wish the cockpit was bigger. So I would like that to be a goal down the road.
Some organizations that provide, there's other organizations that provide sailing for people with Parkinson's or with cancer on the East Coast.
(19:53):
These organizations have settled on a 40 foot or larger boat, again with a very wide beam.
So being able to have that, own it, have sails that have all the information right on it and are promoting it as you're sailing it, I think that would be invaluable.
We also would like to have a dock donated. And right now New Horizons, the boat we're starting with, is at Toledo Beach Marina.
(20:20):
So there'll probably be some conversation there around trying to get a dock donated and some sort of facility support for that.
But again, this is all, it hasn't happened yet. It's about to happen.
It all starts this way. You start with an idea, you start with some passion, you get some other people on board with your passion and pretty soon it's happening.
(20:41):
I have to say as far as the passion part goes, I pick up on a lot of passion when I interact with say the Victory Center or DeVries over at the Flower Hospital.
These are the people that are most excited. And then right after that come our sailors.
Jolly Roger Sailing Club has some priceless volunteers and interests. Phil Fry, John Myga, yourself.
(21:05):
Dr. John Myga. That's it.
Oh, Dr. John Myga.
I gotta say, if you've earned a PhD, I did not know that until he put out some information. Now I always call him Dr. John.
Honestly, I didn't know it either until we were putting together the PowerPoint presentation for Jolly Roger and he went in and corrected it.
And I was like, oh.
(21:27):
Now I gotta stop giving him grief because I didn't know he was important.
Oh, he is important. And honestly, he's such a good partner for me because I have the enthusiasm and the passion, but he's like the sense to it all.
He's common sense, slow down, we gotta figure this out, figure that out. So it's a really good partnership and I appreciate his time.
(21:48):
No one knows how many hours he's put into this in the end of summer and into the fall.
Now I notice he does have quite a bit of passion. Has this touched him in some way? Does he have somebody very close to him that got cancer?
Yes. His very, very good friend experienced cancer and also passed away. So he does have a passion for it. And then he also has had family members.
(22:10):
And you know, that's often the case when you speak to someone. It's not just their one friend or me, my one spouse. We know multiple people that are experiencing cancer.
Now, are you set up for, let's say somebody we're listening to or we knew somebody they want to donate their boat for some usages? Can you accommodate that now?
(22:31):
It wouldn't be tax exempt until the articles are submitted.
But it just does say they're not worried about that. They're just willing to take people.
If you just want to talk and we want to look at the boat, we could certainly do that now. And honestly, winter, we're not sailing, so it's my intent to make...
To make Ohio anyways.
Yep. To make the most of the time that we have to do a lot of this background work. So I would love to look at your boat if you have an interest in doing that.
(22:57):
So if they were interested and they said, hey, Robin, I'm willing to take somebody four times this summer, you could keep a list of those people now.
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, some people aren't going to be worried about the tax exempt and all that stuff. They're just like, you know what?
Because let's face it, if you've got somebody who can go during the day, a lot of times they're looking for people to go out with them anyway.
(23:20):
Yes. Yes. This is true.
I know. I know. I never can find enough people to go out during the day. My wife has to work and this and that.
But anyways, but of course, the thing is you're going to need some experienced people because it would not be good to take a brand new person to take out someone.
Oh, absolutely.
I think any of us that are sailors know what's involved in taking people onto the boat.
(23:44):
And a lot of times Greg and I, too, would kind of do a little spiel and say this is where the life jackets are.
This is what it's going to look like. If you start feeling uncomfortable, let us know.
Exits are over the side.
Yeah. Here, here, here, here.
But I do think there's a little preamble and people that are unfamiliar with sailing, they need to understand they can't be like jumping up on the rail.
(24:06):
They can't, you know, there has to be a fair amount of safety.
That's wrong. Jumping up on the rail.
Well, if you're inexperienced and you don't want to slip.
So right at this moment, John, Dr. John Myga and his cohorts at Jolly Jolly Roger Sailing Club are putting together a lot of these specifics where how experienced, how many years have you been sailing?
(24:29):
Have you been out on the Toledo Harbor? What size boat do you have?
And then also how many things have you run into? There's that.
Well, because if if that's a premise, Phil hits something about every two months.
He's put his boat. He's put his boat on the ground last year, I think three times and grounded it.
So we started calling him run aground Phil. Oh, I had no idea.
(24:53):
Yeah. And then and then Greg and I ran aground just once.
It's all you need. First time I raced with them, we hit the mark.
So you might want to ask in your questionnaire, how many things have you hit in the last season?
Sounds like a good viable screening tool.
I mean, then there's my sister who's who's hit so much stuff that Phil at the change of watch that he wrote a book called Crash Go Boom and then Crash Go Boom 2 because she's hit so much stuff out here at the dock.
(25:23):
But anyways, she'll never listen to this. So I can say that.
So basically the first summer that Greg and I hit our boat, we made just about every mistake you we all do.
Yeah, it was it was pretty amazing.
And the thing about Toledo Beach Marina is there's a bar restaurant and they're all watching you make the mistake.
Oh, yeah, that's that's the best.
(25:45):
It's like when I used to ride bike in a bike club and and you clipped your feet in, you'd always would fall down in front of the club.
You know, they're all everybody be watching you. It's the same thing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, that's a nice set up up there.
So experienced sailors only and someone who's really intimately familiar with their boat.
That is one thing about having an organization owned boat.
(26:07):
The people who are sailing it will have to take it out a few times and become familiar.
And I'm sure Dr. John Myga is putting a lot into that, making sure that is a consideration and we've got enough time for people to be comfortable.
He's a very safety conscious guy, you know, a safety conscious sailor.
I mean, we all know guys that are fly by the seat of your pants and then we know the guys that are safety and he's very safety conscious.
(26:30):
So he's a great one to head that up.
He wouldn't have anybody up on the rail and he wouldn't have walking around and unless he wanted to push you in.
But that's a whole other discussion.
But as far as is there anything else regarding this that you'd want to share with anybody?
I mean, I have my questions done.
But what would you like people to know about your organization?
(26:53):
I think the most important thing right now is we build this organization is if anyone wants to volunteer, really just to contact me.
OK, because we're building from scratch and there are many roles.
Some of them are more admin. Some of our more boat related.
Some are graphic design, designing brochures and banners.
(27:15):
And so so the possibilities really, really are great.
And I would like to have someone working on all of the things throughout the winter.
So we're talking about participant and excursion guidelines, website development and functionality.
I know what I want. I just don't know how to do it.
(27:36):
So anyone that can assist with that, I have been able to provide a lot of pictures.
And honestly, I could even ask for that if you have good photos of sailing on Lake Erie.
I think that'll help with the website.
And also we need to be able to identify these people who may participate and really get that ball rolling.
So this would be at places like the Victory Center.
(28:00):
But also, I think it would be at the cancer treatment centers themselves.
I have a fair amount of contact through my own cancer experience with my husband.
So that's where I'm starting.
And this would include University of Michigan, Monroe Regional, Tudor Hospital and Flower Hospital.
So if anyone has good contacts there that can help as a making referrals or internal promotion,
(28:25):
all of these facilities have magazines. We could do a story.
I mean, the possibility for promotion and just getting the idea out there that the service will be available this summer,
I think is probably very important right now.
After our first summer, I'm thinking it's going to roll on its own.
There will be a word of mouth situation and it'll become very well known.
(28:49):
But this year, again, we're building from the ground up.
The other thing would also be fundraising.
Definitely seeking corporate sponsors, even though I can't accept the check today,
we can start the conversation and I am more than willing to do that.
And then I also will need some manpower to participate in manning a table at different sailing events.
(29:12):
You know, we have our mills race. There's a huge gathering of people.
We should have a table there. We should be promoting Serenity Sailing.
So those are the ideas I have today for what we might need.
You out there may have other ideas of things that will be a really good fit or a store that may be willing to step up and promote or what have you.
So I welcome your contact. And again, it's RRKucher, C-U-T-C-H-E-R, at gmail.com.
(29:40):
Well, thanks for coming by and talking to us.
Thank you for having me. This is a wonderful opportunity.
Do you even talk this time?
I did talk this time.
Well, good afternoon, I guess it is now, coming to you from Jolly Roger Sailing Club on the banks of the beautiful Ottawa River.
(00:08):
Although this time of year, like I said before, it is not beautiful. It is January. It is overcast and it is cold.
And we're all thinking about our boats and like somebody said, do you think your boat also thinks about you? I don't know, but I would hope so.
But today we have, what are you giving me a dirty look for? We're going to have everybody introduce themselves. So we'll start with you since you're already opening up your mouth over there.
(00:33):
All right. I am Christina Columbus. I am going to be the co-host.
Trying out for co-host. Sorry, we have to see. You can write in and say, ditch Christina Columbus if you want. And then, but our real guest today is...
Robin Kucher from Serenity Sailing.
All right. Well, we're going to start right now with like, what is Serenity Sailing and how did you come up with this idea?
(01:04):
I came up with the idea largely because my husband experienced cancer. And while he was in treatment, you just start Googling, sailing, cancer, things come up.
And there are nonprofits out there that are intended to serve people with cancer through sailing. And to me, it seemed like just such a natural fit, partly because Greg and I were sailors.
(01:27):
So we know the benefit of going on a sailing excursion, even just for the evening, when you're going through something so rigorous as cancer and cancer treatment.
I think over time, as we went through this journey together, my husband and I also realized just how many people with cancer there are.
It's one of those things kind of like if you're diagnosed with diabetes, you realize how many people have diabetes.
(01:53):
If you're diagnosed with cancer, you realize how prevalent cancer truly is. Cancer treatment is rigorous. It is difficult. It is scary.
And anything we can do to take a sport like sailing and provide some respite to me has enormous value.
So I saw it, I latched onto it, and now we're trying to recreate it here in our western Lake Erie basin.
(02:16):
What a great idea.
I agree with you. It is a great idea. By the way, that wasn't a canned comment, but you know.
It is a great idea.
Before we got started, Christina was instructed to say that's a great idea every time.
I mean, but it really is a great idea and it's a really great thing for people.
So I said it, but I truly meant it. It really is a great idea.
(02:41):
Do you know somebody that just went through a cancer experience?
Yes.
I mean, we all know someone right now. It's not like there isn't a huge prevalence.
And what kind of reaction did these people that you know have to their diagnosis?
Devastated, depressed.
It is a hard thing.
And I think back to when we did diabetes camp, for those of you who don't know, which nobody would know because yeah.
(03:08):
I'm a type 1 diabetic and I used to go to diabetes camp.
I've known her since she was a pup.
Yes. So she actually was somebody who was a counselor at a diabetes camp that I went to.
And, you know, being able to experience and do different things and just being with people who can relate and being normal and not having somebody look at you like, oh, you can't do it.
(03:41):
And, you know, the opportunities are there and everything is set up for what you need.
And I think there's some of that background that's carrying over into what I'm trying to do here with Serenity Sailing.
I do feel like I have it in my heart, having lost my husband to cancer, but also many of us have it in our own hearts to help these people that are really going through a tough time.
(04:08):
And the outcomes vary.
But as they're on the journey, if we can provide a little comfort, some serenity, a peaceful moment, and also just acute understanding, kind of like what you're talking about at camp, we understand what this is like.
This is not a walk in the park and we are here for you.
So the sailing community has an opportunity to support those with cancer.
(04:32):
Now, those of you may not know, maybe she alluded to it, but Robin is also a nurse, right?
You're also a nurse.
Yep, I'm a certified diabetes educator and I've done that for many, many years.
And what my co-host here was referring to is the diabetes camps.
And I did that. It was my first love.
(04:54):
I worked with diabetes use services for 28 years, I think it was, and then went into industry, done a few other things, still a diabetes educator, but on a very part-time basis.
And now I feel like there is a great need that we can serve or fill with those that are struggling with cancer in the summertime with sailing.
(05:17):
Now, where are you at with the development?
I mean, I know you first had the genesis of an idea and now, like, where do you think you're at?
I mean, how long until you're going to be able to, I guess, put people on boats, do you think?
My intent is to get people on boats this spring, truly.
So the calendar starts June 1st, and our intent is to have enough boats and volunteers, funding, all of the things, to be able to have three excursions in a week.
(05:47):
And one would be on a weekend and two would be on weeknights, perhaps an afternoon.
It depends on how many of my volunteers are actually retired and would be able to sail in an afternoon.
So a lot depends on what we're going to end up with.
But right now, I think it's very doable.
We are in the building stages.
This brainchild came to me last spring.
(06:10):
It was just a couple of months after my own husband had passed.
And I immediately called Jolly Roger Sailing Club, talked to Phil Fry, and Phil was all over it.
He thought it was a fantastic idea.
So many iterations as we go along, a lot of decisions had to be made.
And at this point, we now have a strong commitment from Jolly Roger Sailing Club from about eight people that are helped putting together the protocols and making it so now I can submit the articles of incorporation.
(06:39):
And once those are in, they're already written.
I've had them prepared for months.
But once those are submitted and it is confirmed they've been received, we can start accepting funding.
So tax exempt status 501C3 and once we can solicit funding, we can do a lot more promotion.
We're building the website and it's kind of neat to do something from the ground up.
(07:03):
When I worked with Diabetes Use Services, it was already there.
I just stepped in and started doing it.
But now we're building it from scratch and it's exciting.
So now have you thought about like what size boats are you looking to get?
Well, first of all, start with that.
What size boats are you targeting would you like to have for your people?
(07:24):
I had originally thought I could just donate our own boat.
I'm not going to be able to sail it by myself.
I will need to have people and that's a 30 foot Tycon 30.
The only thing with the Tycon 30 is the cockpit really isn't as large as I would like.
It has a nice beam.
It's a comfortable ride.
(07:45):
For those that don't know, tell what a beam is.
That's how wide the boat is.
That's how wide the boat is and it adds a lot to the comfort of the sail.
So you can surf over the waves as opposed to rocking and rolling over the waves.
So at any rate, the larger the boat, the more comfortable the ride.
And I feel like our participants, someone who is nominated to go sailing with their family,
(08:09):
could be in somewhat of a fragile condition.
So I think a comfortable ride is important.
And I would like to focus on either a large cockpit or larger boats.
So 30 feet or more.
And at this point, we're going to start with our own boat, New Horizons,
but I would like that to grow to where a captain who has his own boat
(08:33):
would be able to provide one or two excursions in a week.
This is our first summer.
So I really have no idea how much this is going to take off.
From working with other organizations on the East Coast, it really took off.
And I also, at this point, I've interacted a lot with the Victory Center,
some other cancer centers at University of Michigan,
(08:55):
Memro Regional, Flower Hospital, Toledo Clinic.
These are all big cancer treatment centers.
And everyone is completely on board and will allow me to display materials,
make referrals, and nominate people for the sailing excursion.
So it could take off.
That is my hope.
But for now, we're starting with New Horizons, one boat.
(09:17):
We will need to captain that boat.
We will need to have probably two mates that go on every excursion.
One will help with handling the sails and that sort of thing.
The other will help more with making sure the participants are comfortable
and they have everything they need.
So that summarizes it.
The excursions will largely be in the Toledo Harbor.
(09:39):
And there are times when the weather maybe isn't necessarily amenable
to going on a sailing excursion.
And if that's the case, we're planning for that.
We will just roll them over into a new slot when the weather is better.
I feel like July usually is kind of quiet.
There aren't a lot of good sailing days.
June, August, September, even May are better months.
(10:03):
But this year, in order for us to get our protocols together
and to know what we're doing, we're setting June 1st as our start date.
And June is a good month for sailing.
By good month, you're meaning good wind.
Yes. Good wind, not a lot of waves.
And not real hot yet.
Correct.
Okay. Now, are you anticipating, are you going to need a medical person on board each boat?
(10:28):
Or are these people going to be in a situation where at this point
they could go with a family member and crew and they don't need a medical person?
Or don't you even know that yet?
I don't see the need for a medical person.
I do think our first and second mates will have to be trained to be watching our participants
and make sure they're tolerating the excursion well.
A lot of the medical background will come from the screening when people are nominated to participate.
(10:54):
So they'll have to be scheduled and slotted in.
Someone will call them and say, you know, are you going to be able to step into the boat?
Are you prone to car sickness?
You know, a lot of the medical screening will come ahead of time
as people are slotted in for the excursion.
Once you bring up car sickness or motion sickness,
then there is also a conversation around medications that will help with that.
(11:17):
And people can pre-medicate.
So I feel like it's not as big of a concern as it is to people that are on the outside looking in.
My husband had no problem with motion sickness whatsoever,
and he endured some very rigorous cancer therapy and sailed.
So I feel like it's not a huge obstacle.
(11:38):
Some people may struggle with it, and that's the case.
This probably isn't for that person, I would say.
So one of the criteria is going to be you can enter and exit the boat on your own power right now?
Yep, and you can tolerate the motion. Those are the two things.
You never know about that. I have to pre-medicate. I'm one of those people that...
Do you?
Yeah, I go out all the time and anyways.
(12:01):
But you find a way to overcome.
Well, I was good, you know, not as an aside, I was good all summer.
I had medicated. Somebody said you're probably used to it.
And then we had a race where we went out around West Sister and let's just say I was feeding the fish for part of that race.
So I got sick, but that's all right. We got second place.
There's Z-bands, a lot of people that are familiar with cancer treatment.
(12:25):
Zofran is like an ongoing prescription.
There are ways around it, and I think if it really becomes an issue,
we're going to know pretty quickly and can turn around and come back.
We're not going to West Sister. We're just going into Toledo Harbor.
True. Now, have you thought about like how long a trip will be or is that going to be just pretty much determined by the person or...
(12:50):
I think in order to get the full benefit and really relax and kind of lead into it, it should probably be two to three hours.
I would agree with you. By the time you get your sales up and you got to take the sales down and that's, you know, that you got an hour burned right there.
Well, I'm a little slower, but most people...
It takes a minute to get out there and get going and get right on the wind.
(13:11):
I feel like to really relax and feel comfortable with it, it would be at least two hours, perhaps three.
So you're not going to require that anybody has any pre-sailing experience to go because they'll just be pretty much riding unless they want to get on the tiller, I'm sure.
True. They would not have to have any experience with sailing. We will have that taken care of.
So the captain who is familiar with the boat, our first and second mates, they will do the sailing and the person that is nominated or has cancer or has been through cancer treatment and his family members are really just intended to be there and enjoy the moment.
(13:48):
We want them to be in the moment and benefit from the experience of feeling the wind and the water.
What is your goal? I know you kind of alluded to it, but how many people would you like to service realistically your first summer?
Well, the first summer, if we go at three a week, we're talking about a hundred participants.
And then if you add to that their family members or support system, then you're probably getting up more to like 250, 300 in the first summer.
(14:16):
But the actual person who has experienced cancer, we're shooting for a hundred.
I do believe after this first year, when we have a lot of the...
Oh, you're going to have to edit this out. After the first year, when we have a lot of the bugs worked out and we're more efficient with scheduling volunteers and having more time slots, more boats.
(14:41):
Because you could set up a website where they could sign up and you could have your captain sign up to offer their boat, I suppose.
And have it all be one master calendar. All these things are being built. So we're not there yet.
But I imagine we will have the capacity by the end of the summer to know exactly what we need to really grow.
OK. Now, I guess one of the things, if someone would be listening and say, you know, I wouldn't mind helping out. How would they reach out to you?
(15:10):
Since we don't have the website live yet, I think the best thing to do would be to contact me. And I don't mind giving out my contact info.
My email is rrcucher, C-U-T-C-H-E-R at Gmail dot com.
I imagine you could also contact Jolly Roger Sailing Club through their website and they would refer you to me.
(15:33):
Yeah, we'll obviously pass that along.
So basically your big needs right now are boats, would you say?
I mean, you have a boat, you know, 30 foot boat, and you would like to be 30 or big or larger and with a large cockpit.
Because you say you're going to have a person and a family member. Normally, is a family member going to be going with them? Is it going to be required, I guess?
(15:56):
I think it would be best that way. If things do go south, you've got your family members right there.
But I think you have to understand too, when there's someone with cancer, their support system is also equally burdened and needs the experience just as much as the person with cancer.
So I would like to say at least four people could attend along with the person who has cancer.
(16:20):
So you're talking four persons plus two mates and a captain. So you're talking seven on a boat?
Right. And that's why you need a larger cockpit.
Okay. Okay. Okay. I just was kind of getting an idea. So are you set up right now that you can take donations or are you still kind of in...
We are just to the point where I am now submitting the articles of incorporation.
(16:45):
And I estimate it'll take about a month to get confirmation that's been received and in process.
And once your articles of incorporation are officially pending, then you can accept donations.
And we're in the midst of creating a marketing plan and a fundraising plan. And honestly, I'm just going to go for low-hanging fruit to start.
(17:06):
I would like everyone to consider if they know someone who could provide a corporate sponsorship.
So usually a corporate sponsorship is $250, $500. I think ten corporate sponsors, we have enough to get started.
So that's probably how that'll go. But I'm not going to pursue that in earnest until February.
(17:28):
Also having a conversation with Healthy Living News, Toledo City Paper, and try to get some promotionals in there.
And ultimately, I would like the website to provide capacity for a volunteer to sign up and also for donations.
And then also for the person who wants to participate to be nominated to have that be a function of the website. But we're not there today.
(17:50):
So what do you think then initially the majority of the money you raise, what will it go towards? Promotion, I would imagine.
Yes, it would go through promotion. It does cost money to have and build and maintain a website.
Everything costs money.
It probably, there'll be some expense in creating banners that'll be on the sailboats all summer that are providing these excursions.
(18:12):
That's probably the best way to promote the service.
If you have a boat that is providing service for Serenity Sailing and it's got the banner right on it and you can nominate from that banner on the boat, that's huge promotion right there.
You've got a sailing community. We all know someone with cancer and I feel like that alone would be huge.
So my first step would probably be getting banners for the sailboats that are participating and providing the service.
(18:39):
Now do you ever see yourself down the road that, I mean this is a big, big picture question, but the organization owning their own boats?
Absolutely. That I think would be ideal if you have three or four different boats that you basically are just staffing and slotting people into.
Then your logistics are really calmed down, they're solidified and it's much easier to make it happen.
(19:06):
So let's say our friend over here decided he wanted to have his boat be participating in the program.
He could just put his availability up on the calendar for his boat and his captaining and then we could just slot in who's going to volunteer.
We get a phone call from someone who's being nominated for the excursion and we can put them right in.
(19:27):
Owning your own boat is, shall we say, priceless I think. Starting with my boat gives us a launching pad, but it's not the ideal boat.
I wish the cockpit was bigger. So I would like that to be a goal down the road.
Some organizations that provide, there's other organizations that provide sailing for people with Parkinson's or with cancer on the East Coast.
(19:53):
These organizations have settled on a 40 foot or larger boat, again with a very wide beam.
So being able to have that, own it, have sails that have all the information right on it and are promoting it as you're sailing it, I think that would be invaluable.
We also would like to have a dock donated. And right now New Horizons, the boat we're starting with, is at Toledo Beach Marina.
(20:20):
So there'll probably be some conversation there around trying to get a dock donated and some sort of facility support for that.
But again, this is all, it hasn't happened yet. It's about to happen.
It all starts this way. You start with an idea, you start with some passion, you get some other people on board with your passion and pretty soon it's happening.
(20:41):
I have to say as far as the passion part goes, I pick up on a lot of passion when I interact with say the Victory Center or DeVries over at the Flower Hospital.
These are the people that are most excited. And then right after that come our sailors.
Jolly Roger Sailing Club has some priceless volunteers and interests. Phil Fry, John Myga, yourself.
(21:05):
Dr. John Myga. That's it.
Oh, Dr. John Myga.
I gotta say, if you've earned a PhD, I did not know that until he put out some information. Now I always call him Dr. John.
Honestly, I didn't know it either until we were putting together the PowerPoint presentation for Jolly Roger and he went in and corrected it.
And I was like, oh.
(21:27):
Now I gotta stop giving him grief because I didn't know he was important.
Oh, he is important. And honestly, he's such a good partner for me because I have the enthusiasm and the passion, but he's like the sense to it all.
He's common sense, slow down, we gotta figure this out, figure that out. So it's a really good partnership and I appreciate his time.
(21:48):
No one knows how many hours he's put into this in the end of summer and into the fall.
Now I notice he does have quite a bit of passion. Has this touched him in some way? Does he have somebody very close to him that got cancer?
Yes. His very, very good friend experienced cancer and also passed away. So he does have a passion for it. And then he also has had family members.
(22:10):
And you know, that's often the case when you speak to someone. It's not just their one friend or me, my one spouse. We know multiple people that are experiencing cancer.
Now, are you set up for, let's say somebody we're listening to or we knew somebody they want to donate their boat for some usages? Can you accommodate that now?
(22:31):
It wouldn't be tax exempt until the articles are submitted.
But it just does say they're not worried about that. They're just willing to take people.
If you just want to talk and we want to look at the boat, we could certainly do that now. And honestly, winter, we're not sailing, so it's my intent to make...
To make Ohio anyways.
Yep. To make the most of the time that we have to do a lot of this background work. So I would love to look at your boat if you have an interest in doing that.
(22:57):
So if they were interested and they said, hey, Robin, I'm willing to take somebody four times this summer, you could keep a list of those people now.
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, some people aren't going to be worried about the tax exempt and all that stuff. They're just like, you know what?
Because let's face it, if you've got somebody who can go during the day, a lot of times they're looking for people to go out with them anyway.
(23:20):
Yes. Yes. This is true.
I know. I know. I never can find enough people to go out during the day. My wife has to work and this and that.
But anyways, but of course, the thing is you're going to need some experienced people because it would not be good to take a brand new person to take out someone.
Oh, absolutely.
I think any of us that are sailors know what's involved in taking people onto the boat.
(23:44):
And a lot of times Greg and I, too, would kind of do a little spiel and say this is where the life jackets are.
This is what it's going to look like. If you start feeling uncomfortable, let us know.
Exits are over the side.
Yeah. Here, here, here, here.
But I do think there's a little preamble and people that are unfamiliar with sailing, they need to understand they can't be like jumping up on the rail.
(24:06):
They can't, you know, there has to be a fair amount of safety.
That's wrong. Jumping up on the rail.
Well, if you're inexperienced and you don't want to slip.
So right at this moment, John, Dr. John Myga and his cohorts at Jolly Jolly Roger Sailing Club are putting together a lot of these specifics where how experienced, how many years have you been sailing?
(24:29):
Have you been out on the Toledo Harbor? What size boat do you have?
And then also how many things have you run into? There's that.
Well, because if if that's a premise, Phil hits something about every two months.
He's put his boat. He's put his boat on the ground last year, I think three times and grounded it.
So we started calling him run aground Phil. Oh, I had no idea.
(24:53):
Yeah. And then and then Greg and I ran aground just once.
It's all you need. First time I raced with them, we hit the mark.
So you might want to ask in your questionnaire, how many things have you hit in the last season?
Sounds like a good viable screening tool.
I mean, then there's my sister who's who's hit so much stuff that Phil at the change of watch that he wrote a book called Crash Go Boom and then Crash Go Boom 2 because she's hit so much stuff out here at the dock.
(25:23):
But anyways, she'll never listen to this. So I can say that.
So basically the first summer that Greg and I hit our boat, we made just about every mistake you we all do.
Yeah, it was it was pretty amazing.
And the thing about Toledo Beach Marina is there's a bar restaurant and they're all watching you make the mistake.
Oh, yeah, that's that's the best.
(25:45):
It's like when I used to ride bike in a bike club and and you clipped your feet in, you'd always would fall down in front of the club.
You know, they're all everybody be watching you. It's the same thing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, that's a nice set up up there.
So experienced sailors only and someone who's really intimately familiar with their boat.
That is one thing about having an organization owned boat.
(26:07):
The people who are sailing it will have to take it out a few times and become familiar.
And I'm sure Dr. John Myga is putting a lot into that, making sure that is a consideration and we've got enough time for people to be comfortable.
He's a very safety conscious guy, you know, a safety conscious sailor.
I mean, we all know guys that are fly by the seat of your pants and then we know the guys that are safety and he's very safety conscious.
(26:30):
So he's a great one to head that up.
He wouldn't have anybody up on the rail and he wouldn't have walking around and unless he wanted to push you in.
But that's a whole other discussion.
But as far as is there anything else regarding this that you'd want to share with anybody?
I mean, I have my questions done.
But what would you like people to know about your organization?
(26:53):
I think the most important thing right now is we build this organization is if anyone wants to volunteer, really just to contact me.
OK, because we're building from scratch and there are many roles.
Some of them are more admin. Some of our more boat related.
Some are graphic design, designing brochures and banners.
(27:15):
And so so the possibilities really, really are great.
And I would like to have someone working on all of the things throughout the winter.
So we're talking about participant and excursion guidelines, website development and functionality.
I know what I want. I just don't know how to do it.
(27:36):
So anyone that can assist with that, I have been able to provide a lot of pictures.
And honestly, I could even ask for that if you have good photos of sailing on Lake Erie.
I think that'll help with the website.
And also we need to be able to identify these people who may participate and really get that ball rolling.
So this would be at places like the Victory Center.
(28:00):
But also, I think it would be at the cancer treatment centers themselves.
I have a fair amount of contact through my own cancer experience with my husband.
So that's where I'm starting.
And this would include University of Michigan, Monroe Regional, Tudor Hospital and Flower Hospital.
So if anyone has good contacts there that can help as a making referrals or internal promotion,
(28:25):
all of these facilities have magazines. We could do a story.
I mean, the possibility for promotion and just getting the idea out there that the service will be available this summer,
I think is probably very important right now.
After our first summer, I'm thinking it's going to roll on its own.
There will be a word of mouth situation and it'll become very well known.
(28:49):
But this year, again, we're building from the ground up.
The other thing would also be fundraising.
Definitely seeking corporate sponsors, even though I can't accept the check today,
we can start the conversation and I am more than willing to do that.
And then I also will need some manpower to participate in manning a table at different sailing events.
(29:12):
You know, we have our mills race. There's a huge gathering of people.
We should have a table there. We should be promoting Serenity Sailing.
So those are the ideas I have today for what we might need.
You out there may have other ideas of things that will be a really good fit or a store that may be willing to step up and promote or what have you.
So I welcome your contact. And again, it's RRKucher, C-U-T-C-H-E-R, at gmail.com.
(29:40):
Well, thanks for coming by and talking to us.
Thank you for having me. This is a wonderful opportunity.
Do you even talk this time?
I did talk this time.
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