Anchors Away! Local 15-Year-Old Autistic Adventurer Dreams of Sailing in Croatia!

By Kami-Leigh Agard

With the wind in his sails, autistic 15-year-old sailor, Michael Wolf, and his dad, Matt Wolf, need all hands on deck to help make the teen’s dream come true—to charter a sailing adventure in Croatia. With Sail Rockaway, even chartering a boat in Rhode Island—traveling from Newport to Block Island—the skipper and first mate have weathered many adventures, including traversing the seas of autism. And now the junior Wolf, who’s learned how to tack, steer, tie knots and more—is primed for new waters, Croatia. Last Saturday, June 21, his dad launched a GoFundMe to help make his son’s dream come true and is casting a wide net for the community’s support to reach their goal of $2.2K.

Michael Wolf is a water baby all the way. Besides sailing, he’s learned how to swim, surf and paddle board. His dad shared, “Michael learned how to swim when he was about five years old. I started him early as learning to swim is super important because of water safety. I even enrolled him in swimming classes at the YMCA. If you’re near water or something happens, then you need to know how to float and protect yourself.”

He then developed his sea legs when he learned how to surf with his dad.

“I would push him on the board and get him to pop up. That’s when I got involved with AmpSurf because I saw how it could benefit him,” Matt Wolf said.

The skipper said the game changer was Self Direction (SD), a home and community-based waiver program from NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) that empowers individuals and families to manage their own budgets, hire direct support staff, and participate in activities that foster a sense of community living. Through SD, the family enrolled their son in private surfing with local instructor, Simon Chardiet, paddle boarding with Hank Lewis of Surf Skate Fitness, and sailing lessons with Sail Rockaway.

As for landlubbing activities, Michael attends Rockaway Special Olympics and is on their softball team, recently earned his purple belt from dojo, ZenTora (formerly World Champions Karate Center), takes dance classes from Rachel Sabey of Unite Through Dance, and music classes from NYU Steinhardt Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy.

However, the activity the father-son duo connects most with is sailing. Wolf shared that his personal interest in sailing began just before COVID, and after taking a few instructional lessons in Manhattan and then with Sail Rockaway, he started bringing Michael along.

“When we got approved for SD, Michael also started taking sailing lessons with Sam Jackson, one of the co-owners of Sail Rockaway.

“Sam was really good with him. He started teaching Michael about for example, luffing, which is when the sail is not catching the wind, so you have to turn or pull it a bit, so the wind hits it at the correct angle.

“Amazingly, he got the hang of it, even when he looks like he’s in his own world. It’s almost like he’s got a sixth sense,” Wolf said.

Michael also learned to tack (a maneuver used in sailing to change the direction of a sailboat when sailing upwind or at an angle to the wind).

Wolf said, “Initially, Sam had to adjust the sails for him. However, after a year or two, Michael became really good at it. Whether it’s surfing, when you know where you have to be to catch a wave, or sailing, when you need to naturally get a feel for the wind—Michael has proven he is seaworthy. And now Sam has him doing more technical things like starting the engine and raising the sails.”

In fact, Wolf shared that on one trip, when they were the only two on deck on a 17-foot boat sailing Norton Basin, a tributary of Jamaica Bay located on the eastern end of Rockaway, Michael steered the boat into the mooring.

“That boat does not have a motor, but he did it!” his proud dad said.

When asked what gave him the courage to introduce his autistic son with limited language capabilities to all these adventures, Matt Wolf said it’s how he too was raised.

“I guess it comes from my upbringing. I grew up on a farm in Kansas and my dad had me working by the time I was 12 years old. I was even driving a tractor at a very young age. We were a family-owned farm, so we all had to pitch in.

“I have to give Michael the space to learn in his own way and make his own mistakes. And then as he gets better, he’s going to have more confidence in himself.

“We all have problems and challenges. Part of life is learning how to overcome. And then once you feel confident in your ability to overcome, no matter how small or big, your confidence and determination grows. As a parent, I want to make sure that he can take care of himself when I’m gone. If he can’t, then I failed as a parent. He’s autistic and already accomplished quite a few things. If I don’t give him the opportunity to learn in his own way, he’s always going to think that he can’t do it. So, I have to be brave to allow him to be brave. Like the first time I sent him on his own to AHRC NYC’s sleep-away camp. The counselors said to me, ‘The parents are more nervous than the kids.’” Wolf shared.

The next sailing adventure for the skipper and first mate is Croatia. As of press time, the Wolf family has raised $165 toward their GoFundMe campaign goal of $2.2K. The campaign is ongoing until mid-September. To donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dream-sailing-trip-with-15-year-old-autistic-adventurer

“As my dad said, ‘You never get this time back, spending time with your kids.’ And I want Michael to remember all the adventurers we shared. And with support, Croatia will be our next sail,” Wolf said.