Clearwater High Student Builds Boat Racks for Youth Sailing Program

The Dunedin Youth Sailing Association was looking to buy Laser sail boats so its progam could include more competitive racing options for older teens.

The boat purchases would expand the Dunedin Youth Sailing program to include teens 16 to 18. 

The only problem? There was no place to store the boats.

That's when Alex Gawel, a 15-year-old member of Boy Scout Troop 10, decided to take it on as his Eagle Scout project.

Gawel, a sophomore at Clearwater High School, learned to sail and race through the Dunedin Youth Sailing Assocation program, which caters to children ages 8 to 16.

His father Jeffery Gawel still has ties to the program.

"When the need came up, it fit perfectly with Alex's need for a project that he could feel passionate about," his mother Porcia Gawel wrote to Patch in an email. 

Gawel raised more than $1,000, rallied 43 volunteers, and logged 257 hours to construct boat racks at Dunedin Municipal Marina. The racks were built on Saturday, Dec. 15. He used $900, and the remaining money will be donated to the Dunedin Youth Sailing Association scholarship program, Porcia Gawel said.

Dunedin Youth Sailing Association, members of Boy Scout Troop 10, the City of Dunedin, friends and family volunteered in some way.

The new boat racks are located near the Dunedin Boat Club.

Gawel intends to study in the international business field after he graduates high school in 2015.