A former Brendan Sailing Instructor, Nan has been part of the Brendan family for over 30 years. She was a lead instructor when the program was running out  of Shearwater Marina, Sandy State Park, and its eventual home at Annapolis Sailing School. After Brendan, she founded the Kid Ship Sailing School in Annapolis, that is also operated out of Annapolis Sailing School.

 Her favorite part from working with Brendan was getting to know the wonderful children and seeing the program enrich their lives and learning. She was also fortunate to have worked with some other great instructors who became lifelong friends (Todd Lochner, Dirk Schwenk, Pat Ewing, Bert Collins to name just a few).

As a new sailor to the Brendan Program, Thomas Callahan showed great energy and passion for the sport. He is very active in Boy Scouts of America and has a strong passion for fishing, camping, hiking, and now sailing! He learned of the Brendan program from one of his Boy Scout leaders, and current Brendan Sailing instructor Evan McCarthy.

His favorite part of camp was the solo sailing and then sailing to an island for the lunch picnic. He also enjoyed the free time at lunch to swim at the beach and hang out with other campers! 

​To see more content from the Brendan Winter 2018 Newsletter, click here.

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​The Off Season is ON.
You may be wondering what we do here at Brendan HQ when not operating programs. Well, the answer is we are hard at work exploring new ways to improve our current programs and curriculum. We have been meeting with a professional strategic planner to outline our 2019 goals which include: organizing and researching grant opportunities, identifying future partnerships, and identifying fundraising opportunities. Our board of directors and staff have been brainstorming, planning, and updating all facets of our organization to continue to build partnerships and grow Brendan’s reach to as many children as possible. Recently, I was in the US Virgin Islands, where I had visited for a regatta and family vacation. Amid the relaxation and enjoyment, I was able to meet with individuals on St. Thomas who had previously expressed an interest in Brendan’s mission in hopes for a partnership program. We share a passion for sailing and a commitment to increasing opportunities for children with learning differences.

Happy Holidays from everyone here at Brendan. We had another successful year, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of everyone involved with the program. We look forward to what is ahead and cannot wait to get back on the water in 2019.​

Get the latest scoop from Brendan Sailing with our new Winter 2018 Newsletter. This new issue features details on our upcoming Awards Brunch in January 2019, our new partnership with Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating (CRAB), this year's Giving Tuesday recap, and more! Furthermore, we've put together a Brendan Spotlight section with features on campers, instructor alumni, and board members which are exclusive to our quarterly newsletters. We hope you enjoy and are encouraged to stay connected to our organization!