By Kathie Rowell

Retired Army Col. Patrick Powers’ passion for sailing was born at summer camp when he was a boy and grew when an uncle took him on a sailing weekend.

He said he had the good fortune of marrying into a sailing family, which allowed him to become such a proficient sailor that he’s been racing for 25 years.  

As retirement drew near, the former Green Beret who served more than 25 years, including tours in Korea, Bosnia, Germany, Iraq, and Afghanistan, sought a way he could help the children of fallen servicemembers. He decided to take advantage of his sailing skill set with the goal of offering young people an adventure designed to teach teamwork, problem solving, communication, and leadership.

“I thought, ‘I want to share that aha moment with these kids and get their minds thinking about college and challenging assumptions and being a critical thinker and being open to new experiences and new opportunities and new places and new things,” he said.  

In 2014, he founded the nonprofit Gold Star Sailing, which has taught more than 250 campers to sail. Two weeklong sailing camps are held annually — the original in Newport, R.I., and another in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., added in 2021. Each session includes about 20 campers who attend at no cost to their families. Partners include the Rhode Island National Guard, Coast Guard Station Castle Hill in Newport, Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale, Newport Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, and Rhode Island VFW.

Gold Star Sailing offers a no-cost weeklong sailing camp to children of fallen servicemembers. (Courtesy photo)

Cody Hause attended Gold Star Sailing four times as a camper and once as a counselor. It’s different from other camps for Gold Star kids, he said, because the focus isn’t heavily focused on remembering the fallen parent.

“We all have that in common at Gold Star Sailing, but we talk about it together in our own ways rather than sitting in a circle talking about our loss,” he said. “The camp is purposed for us to come together to sail, not to cry about our loved ones.”

That’s intentional, Powers said.

“My message to the kids is, ‘Life's hard, and bad things happen,’” he said. “The real question is, ‘Do you want to learn and grow, or do you want to be a victim? The real measure of somebody is what you do after you have some kind of adversity.’”

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Hause, a college sophomore double majoring in international business and business administration, said he learned crucial skills while sailing.

“In a sailboat, communication with your crew is vital for a successful race,” he said. “Throughout sailing, you learn to communicate with others to achieve a common goal. Because of sailing, I am comfortable in networking properly to further pursue my interests. I love this organization with all my heart.”

Kathie Rowell is a writer based in Louisiana.