CYC Foundation Maritime Academy Graduates On the Job at Belmont Station
October 25, 2022
Chicago teen Eric Zirkle didn’t know what to expect when he signed up for the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation’s new Maritime Academy this summer. A senior at Rickover Naval Academy in Chicago, Eric just hoped to learn some basic skills he could use to get a job on the water.
After 18 hours of training over the course of three days, Eric learned everything from line handling and boating terminology to CPR and first aid skills. Just a few weeks later, he got an opportunity to apply those newfound skills as a dock hand and tender driver at CYC’s Belmont Station.
“As soon as I came to Belmont and they explained the job and what I’d be doing – I thought it was the best job I could have as a 17-year-old,” Eric said.
Eric and his Rickover classmate, Mark Singer, who also was hired at Belmont, were among the nearly 30 Chicagoland teens who participated in the inaugural season of the Foundation’s Maritime Academy. While Eric and Mark put their Maritime Academy training to use at Belmont, other Academy graduates got jobs on commercial boats including City Experiences, Chicago Line Cruises and Wendella.
“I didn’t know how to tie a basic knot or even the difference between port and starboard before the Maritime Academy,” Eric said. “It was a great introduction to boating and really helped me get up to speed at Belmont,” he said.
Mark, who plans to join the U.S. Coast Guard after high school, said the skills he learned at both the Academy and Belmont are great preparation for his future. “All the things I learned -- knot tying, what to do in an emergency and how to drive a boat – will give me a better start in the Coast Guard,” he said.
Belmont Dockmaster Mike DiPlacido said both Eric and Mark were quick learners who came to the job with good basic skills and great attitudes. “I’ve been really pleased with how well they’ve done,” Mike said. “They’re willing to jump in and help with anything. They have confidence when they drive a boat and they carry themselves with a real level of professionalism. They’ve come to be two of my best dock hands,” he said.
Helping Chicago teens both secure and succeed in maritime jobs is the goal of the program, said Ann Rundle, chairperson of the CYC Foundation Maritime Academy Committee. “The CYC Maritime Academy was created not just to train kids for maritime-related jobs – but also to help them get those jobs. Training alone is just an empty promise,” she said. “We are particularly proud of the fact that graduates from our Academy are now working at Belmont.”
Based on the success of the Foundation’s Maritime Academy this year, the program will be expanded in 2023, Ann said. “We plan to start training sessions in the first quarter of 2023 and our curriculum will be updated to include an even greater focus on helping the kids find jobs. We’ll spend more time on resume-writing and interviewing skills and widen our circle of potential employers,” she said.
“We’re also in discussions with other groups including BUILD, Union League Boys and Girls Clubs and 'My Block, My Hood, My City' for their young men and women to participate in the Maritime Academy next year. This is only the beginning,” she said.
With this year’s boating season coming to an end, both Eric and Mark plan to be back at Belmont driving the tender next year. And while Mark already was interested in a career on the water, Eric’s experience at Belmont introduced him to a whole new world. “I got to learn something new that most kids my age don’t get to experience. Now I want to go beyond what I’ve done this summer and eventually get my Captain’s license,” Eric said. “And I want to learn to sail.”