This summer the Unicorn was a periodic visiting Tall Ship at the WaterFront Center as it picked up participants in its sailing program and returned them to shore. It was part of The WaterFront Center program. "The WaterFront Center has a Teen Tall Ship program listed in our program guide. Last year there were two sessions, one for boys and one for girls. This year we offered two sessions for girls and two sessions for boys," said Mindy Pariser, sailing school administrator.

"The Unicorn offers all its programs for girls and women. We have the only program they have that allows boys onto the ship. It's really not what they do for the most part," she said.

In August six young girls from the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, which subcontracted with the Unicorn for a week at sea for their tall ship sailing program, visited the Fritz Day celebration on Thursday, Aug. 14 at the home of Marge and Fritz Coudert along with 350 members of the club.

Jay and Dawn Santamaria of Hunterdon County, New Jersey operate the Unicorn. It is owned by Sisters In Sail, a not for profit group.

Sisters In Sail takes young girls, adolescents, and women on sailing trips that build confidence and teach them how to work as a team. Corporations send women for a week or a day - to work together as a team and sharpen their skills. The interior of the ship was designed by Dawn Santamaria, with women in mind.

Ms. Santamaria introduced her students to guests at the Coudert's home as part of the closing ceremony for the annual club outing. She presented certificates to the young ladies who took the sailing course.

Ms. Santamaria said, "They were concerned about the very real threat this season of jellyfish, and Briana was on jellyfish posting duty."

She said, "In the beginning, some of them thought it was a cruise, but they learned 'This ain't a cruise sister in point of fact.' They were there to work and they were sleep deprived. They were one with the crew and it is the only all-female crewed ship.

"Kudos to our crew, and kudos to Fritz and Marge who made it all possible," she said.

Ms. Santamaria introduced each girl as she presented her with a certificate. Her commentary gave a sense of what the cruise was all about.

She introduced Destiny, a student in eighth grade; Jillisa, a senior in high school who wants to go on and study culinary arts in college; Maya Hector a ninth-grader at Aquinas High School, an all girls school. She said there are a lot of opportunities there as well as after school activities.

"Hope is a senior in high school and wants to be a pediatrician. She is a strong student, is on the honor roll and takes AP classes," said Ms. Santamaria.

"Briana is in seventh grade," said Ms. Santamaria, and asked her, "What did you do today?" Briana said, "I was scared to go to the tippy-top of the mast, but I had the courage to go to the top today."

Katisa, an eighth-grader, said she learned, "I need to show more courage and be respectful to other people." Being on a tall ship was a great learning environment for the young women.

For more information on the Unicorn you can call 908-713-1808, or visit their website tallshipunicorn.com.