Never Say Never Pirate Camp 2024
October 10-13, 2024
Hosted at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center in conjunction with Sailability Greater Tampa Bay.
What Is Pirate Camp & What Can You Expect?
The Never Say Never Pirate Camp was established in 2012 to teach amputees & challenged youth sailing skills, ocean appreciation and the importance of overcoming adversity & following your dreams.
Hosted by the Never Say Never Foundation and Sailability at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, the initial camp was a huge success. Not only did we study the concepts of sailing & learn to rig and sail the many kinds of boats; but we also held water battles, raced, kayaked, paddle boarded, dressed up as pirates, sailed an authentic pirate ship, and even partied like pirates. Five years later, it continues to be an epic adventure!
You can expect a fun-filled, action-packed, three-full-day weekend, where we’ll be sailing several different kinds of boats, paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, fishing, dancing & much more.
All camp activities will take place at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, located directly across the street from the host hotel, the Sheraton SandKey. All needed equipment will be on site and provided so all you’ll need to bring is a good attitude and a ready spirit. Keep in mind we will be on the water every day so be prepared to get wet. We recommend bringing your bathing suits or clothes that dry easily, also water shoes if you have them, as well as plenty of sunscreen to combat being in the sun all day. There will be ample opportunity all weekend to take needed breaks under shaded areas, where we’ll have plenty of ice-cold drinks and other activities, such as arts and crafts where the kids can make keep-sakes like shark tooth necklaces. In the years prior we’ve had coolers on site filled with only bottled drinks, but this year we’re asking that you bring reusable bottles to help us cut down on waste, so please bring sports bottles or anything equivalent that can be refilled with Gatorade and/or water to be used all weekend long.
A key ingredient to camp is celebrating life, so there will be plenty of music and dancing.
One of our favorite events is our annual Pirate Party, where it’s strongly recommended that everyone dress the part. Be sure to bring your best salty pirate costume, and just a fair warning, we tend to take the ‘Pirate’ in Pirate Camp very seriously so there are several VERY good costumes every year.
Please know that the weekend is only made possible through the efforts of all our many volunteers & families, as well as the support from such organizations as Sailability of Greater Tampa Bay & the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, Giving to Fly, the Pirates of the Care Free Being, all the contributions from our new & returning sponsors, the city of Clearwater and of course the Never Say Never Foundation working year-round to raise funds just for this event. We are looking forward to all the fun and excitement in celebrating life with you, and always remember, NEVER SAY NEVER!!