Youth Sailing

Click here to register!

*No youth programs on July 4th…program prices will reflect the shortened week*

Youth sailing lessons are the heart of our program. We provide a fun environment in which to learn wind direction, maneuver a boat, take ownership over decisions, and become a leader on the water. Our sailing program is built on skills progression, so it is essential that you enroll your child in the appropriate level their current age and abilities.  Your child must have reached the minimum age for enrollment by start date of their program.  

All youth programs will involve a daily “chalk talk” followed by hands-on sailing experience, as weather permits. In the event of high winds or heavy fog, lessons will be held on shore or using boats tied to the dock. On these days, kids will learn skills that may include rigging, knot tying, sailing vocabulary, navigation, and rules of the road. We also play fun age-appropriate team building games on shore days. We do not give refunds or make ups for onshore lesson days, or days that your child is unable to attend. 

If the weather is too severe for kids to be on our property (such as thunder and lightning or extreme winds) classes may be cancelled all together. Please understand that while our property is an ideal waterfront space, we do not yet have the indoor space to keep all campers engaged with activities in a storm. We will do our best to make decisions that are safe and cause as little disruption as possible, but please be prepared for the fact that foul weather may cause us to cancel or modify class times. Please also keep your phone handy in case your camper isn’t feeling well. Our staff are trained to provide basic first aid care, but if your child is unlikely to rejoin their class due to illness or injury, they must be picked up. We will give each camper a reasonable push to try sailing/on-water activities, but if a child is truly too nervous and/or refuses to participate, we ask that you be prepared to pick them up. We want all of our campers to have a positive experience on and near the water, but some kids may not be quite ready yet. 

Questions about the best level for your sailor? We’re here to help! Email our Registrar Ellen!

 

Beginner

To ensure every child has the opportunity to try at least 1 week of our beginner programming, we must limit each participant to no more than 4 weeks of any one beginner level class (Beginner Youth Scots, Beginner Teen Scots, or Science & Sailing). Should your child like to spend more than 4 weeks with us, please sign them up for a different class for the remaining weeks. Unfortunately, our program is still small enough that it is not designed to be an all-summer program: there will be repeating lessons and themes throughout the summer in any one class. We appreciate your understanding as we aim to continue to be accessible to all and provide a high quality experience for program participants.

Youth Flying Scots

9:30 AM – noon, M-F

Weekly, June 24th – August 16th

Ages 6-11

$415/week

Beginners will learn basic skills in Flying Scots with a small group of students and an instructor in the boat. Topics covered will include safety on the water, reading wind, parts of the boat and sail, Flying Scot rigging, mooring procedures, steering and trimming, tacking, and jibing. Students will learn to control the boat as a team, at which point they may be ready for our Intermediate courses. This class will involve shore school on foul weather days (high winds, heavy fog, or thunderstorms).

Teen Flying Scots

1 – 3:30 PM, M-F

Weekly, June 24th – August 16th

Ages 12-17

$415/week

This course mirrors the youth Flying Scot course above but is designed for teens ages 12+. This is a wonderful opportunity for your teen or tween to sail with peers and progress at an age-appropriate speed. This class will involve shore school on foul weather days (high winds, heavy fog, or thunderstorms).

 

Intermediate

Sunfish

9:30 AM – noon, M-F

Weekly, June 24th – August 16th

Ages 9+

$415/week

Sailors will become more confident and independent through working in pairs to rig and control their Sunfish. This course covers sailing a course, capsize drills, getting out of irons, points of sail, and safety position. Sailors should already be comfortable with the skills covered in our Beginner course and should be able to tack, jibe, and sail upwind independently. Our instructors will supervise and teach from powerboats. These small dinghies are a substantial step up from sailing a Flying Scot with direct step-by-step instruction. Please reach out to us if you’re wondering whether your child may be ready for Sunfish…we want everybody to have a safe, comfortable, positive experience on the water! This class will involve shore school on foul weather days (high winds, heavy fog, or thunderstorms).

 

Beginner Opti Racing

8:30 – 11:30 AM, M-Th

This is an all-summer, 8-week program

June 24th – August 15th

$1600/8-week season

This course is an introduction to Opti sailing and racing, geared towards kids that have a strong sailing foundation, either in Optis or other dinghies. Sailors will learn to rig and derig independently, sail an Opti upwind and downwind, capsize and recover safely, and get out of irons. They will also be introduced to race starts and sailing around a race course. If you’re wondering whether this may be a good fit for your sailor, please reach out to our office to be connected with the coach.

 

Intermediate Opti Racing

12:30 – 3:30 PM, M-Th

This is an all-summer, 8-week program

June 24th – August 15th

$1600/8-week season

This course is an extension of the Beginner Opti/Intro to Racing course. We welcome past participants and sailors from other clubs with Opti racing experience. Sailors must be able to sail confidently upwind and downwind, and should be able to handle their boat properly. This course will involve sailing in heavy winds. Students will review rigging and derigging, travel and represent PBCB at Green and Championship fleet regattas, master the points of sail and parts of the boat/sail, and learn the basics of the US Sailing racing rules. Sailors will also improve their boat handling skills, practice roll tacking and jibing, and improve their racing techniques. The kids will have so much fun together, learning and racing as a team! If you’re wondering whether this may be a good fit for your sailor, please reach out to our office to be connected with the coach.

 

Advanced

Adventure Sailing

1 – 3:30 PM, MWF

Weekly, June 24th – August 16th

Ages 12+

$250/week

Independent skippers that are already confident rigging and skippering a Sunfish will enjoy this adventure sailing class. Students will have the opportunity to sail both solo and in pairs with guidance from our instructors in power boats. The fleet will play games, go on scavenger hunts, and race around courses. Students will fine tune their skills while completing tasks and adventures. To be successful in this class, sailors should be fully confident tacking, jibing, getting out of irons, and sailing the wind clock in a Sunfish without assistance. Sailors should be confident sailing on windy days.

420s

1 – 3:30 PM

July 1st & July 3rd

July 16th & July 18th

July 30th & August 1st

August 6th & August 8th

Ages 12+

$165/week

This course is for experienced and ambitious teen skippers who are already competent single-handing a Sunfish. Sailors should be able to control a boat confidently, capsize safely, and handle a breeze of 12 knots or more. Students in this course will practice racing techniques, learn to roll tack, and use their bodyweight and sail trim to steer.