Support Gloucester City Sail
Support the North Wind
Every sail depends on community support. Your time, donation, sponsorship, or planned gift helps Gloucester City Sail keep the Schooner North Wind sailing and makes hands-on youth programs possible for local students.
WAYS TO SUPPORT
Help Keep the North Wind Sailing
Whether you give, volunteer, sponsor, or help share the mission, your support keeps the North Wind active in the community and accessible to local youth.
Donate
Support youth programs and help more students experience science, history, teamwork, and sailing.
Volunteer
Join the volunteer community that keeps Gloucester City Sail and the North Wind moving.
Sponsor / Partner
Help make youth programming, community outreach, and maritime education possible.
Planned Giving
Create a lasting legacy through wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, or gift intent forms.
Join the Newsletter
Stay connected with sailing updates, youth program news, volunteer opportunities, and events.
Gift Certificates
Give the gift of sailing while helping support the nonprofit mission behind the North Wind.
VOLUNTEER
Join the Volunteer Community
Volunteers help run nearly every part of Gloucester City Sail and the Schooner North Wind. Some roles are on the water, while others support guests, events, communications, maintenance, and planning. Scheduled volunteer training is typically held at the beginning of each season over five weekends starting in February or March. For most tasks, no prior specific experience is required.
Complete the volunteer application, and a member of the Gloucester City Sail team will reach out to you with next steps.
ANNUAL APPEAL
One Sail Can Change How a Child Sees the World
Every donation helps make youth sails more accessible, giving students the chance to step aboard the North Wind, explore the river, build confidence, and experience a new way of learning.
Help Send More Students Sailing
These legacy gifts are arranged today and directed in the future, helping ensure that generations of young people can continue discovering science, history, and teamwork aboard the North Wind.
North Wind 2026 Annual Appeal
One sail can change how a child sees the world.
On our Youth Sails aboard the North Wind, a program of Gloucester City Sail Non-profit, many children arrive nervous and unsure. But when the sails rise, fear turns into excitement and wonder. That moment is the reason we sail. Every trip reminds us how powerful this river can be—especially for children.
Anisha first sailed aboard the North Wind as an eighth grader. “It was really amazing,” she told us. “The water was so pretty, and it was a new experience for me—something I never thought I’d be able to do.” She returned in twelfth grade. This time, Anisha learned how clouds form, how the moon affects the tides, and how the crew works together to sail the ship. "I got to see the crew in action and be part of it,” she said. “I just really loved it.”
Carla has sailed three times on the North Wind. Growing up in Camden, she explained, many children rarely experience outdoor recreation. "Because of our city’s reputation, parents were fearful,” Carla said. “We didn’t get to go fishing, kayaking, or even to the park.” Sailing on the North Wind changed that.
“It was wonderful,” Carla told us. “We hauled the sails. The North Wind is part of helping our community heal.”
Sailing opens the river to young people in the Greater Delaware Valley who might otherwise never experience it. Our Youth Sails build confidence, teamwork, and a sense of possibility—often just miles from students’ homes. Over the past four years, 1,672 young people have sailed with us.
Will you help send the next group aboard? Your gift of $35 will make sure that more children like Anisha and Carla can enjoy sailing, giving them a life-changing experience on the North Wind. If you can give more, it will be put to good use. Every size gift is needed, wanted and greatly appreciated.
Every sail begins with you.
With gratitude,
Karen Lawrence, BA, MA (Oxon)
Chair, Annual Appeal
Gloucester City Sail
P.S. Most of the children we serve live near the river—but have never been on it. Your gift today helps them discover a wider world. Please scan and give now.
SPONSORS
Community Support Makes This Possible
Special thanks to the generous friends of the North Wind. Your support helps make our youth programming, community outreach, and preservation of maritime education possible on the Delaware River.
Give the Gift of Sailing
Gift certificates and North Wind merchandise help support Gloucester City Sail and the programs that keep the North Wind active in the community.