YOU HAVE TO GET THE BOAT BACK UP. Will there be a Wildcat Sailing Team?

Now, just a few days shy of his 16th birthday, [Brian] Guilbert has learned enough about the science of sailing to be entrusted with passing on his nautical knowledge to other youths who otherwise might never have the chance to literally set sail.

Satisfaction comes from seeing his students enjoy themselves and apply what they've learned.

"I like to see when kids smile when we're sailing," said Guilbert, who will be a junior in the fall at Hamilton High School. "I know that they're learning and having fun."

The other day, Guilbert led a crew of three youths who used words such as awesome and exciting to describe their experience while operating a light-blue and white Ensign sailboat called the Liberty.

He's doing his part to make the case that sailing isn't just about standing in a cold shower tearing up $100 bills, the perception many have about the sport.

Cliff Vogl, a Milwaukee teacher who also works as an instructor at the sailing center, says Guilbert's experience - and the experience of the kids he is teaching to sail - is about creating opportunities that will likely translate into other life successes.

"If they can master something like this, what's next?" Vogl asked. "They learn that they can do something outside of their realm."

Guilbert has learned that many lessons from sailing apply to other areas of life. There are lessons of overcoming fear, the importance of mastery and of staying or getting back on course. There are lessons to be learned even when a boat capsizes.

"It's just a part of sailing," Guilbert says. "You have to get the boat back up."

Or, at the highest level, unjam the spinnaker and sail the best race you can.