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Sport for a Lifetime
Sailing is a sport where you can learn a lot in a day, but takes a lifetime to master. Summer Camps At our youth summer camps, students start in pairs with an instructor and generally end the week piloting their own small sailboat. Students who discover the fun of sailing after a week of camp sometimes come back for a second and even a third week. Camp "Graduates" who are interested will be considered for admission to the ESA Beginning Class. In order to fulfill our mission of building confidence, character and community, it is important that we provide a progression of learning where our youth continue to grow their sailing skills. That is the reason we offer our summer campers the possibility of advancing to Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Sailing. Beginning Sailing Beginning sailing builds upon the skills learned in the Summer Camp introductory program. The focus is on building the student's proficiency in solo sailing, including performance of basic maneuvers and demonstration of boat handling skills while sailing on all points of sail, particularly in sailing to windward. This program requires a commitment to attend all 7 Saturdays in the fall and 7 Saturdays in the spring when possible. On the last Saturday in the spring the beginning students go through a coaching clinic where they learn to teach the kids for the following summer camp. We have learned that often the best way to learn is to teach. This process qualifies our students to move up to Intermediate Sailing. |
Intermediate Sailing (yellow shirts) Intermediate sailors learn more skills including knot tying and team sailing, in larger sailboats further advancing their skills. They also continue to train new students at the next summer camp. These students must pass a detailed list of intermediate rubrics to demonstrate their ability to sail in challenging conditions. After their second summer camp coaching experience, they then move to Advanced Sailing. This program also requires a commitment to attend all 7 Saturdays in the fall and 7 Saturdays in the spring when possible. Advanced Sailing (orange shirts) Advanced sailors continue to build on their skills. Topics include handling 2-person boats with a main, jib and spinnaker; an introduction to racing; and rudderless sailing. Some Advanced students excel to the extent of teaching beginners and intermediates and even running a summer camp. Again, this program requires a commitment to attend all 7 Saturdays in the fall and 7 Saturdays in the spring when possible. Racing Advanced youth sailors learn to race Lasers, our fastest sailboats. Topics include: How to win the start, right of way rules, watching for shifts in the wind, adjusting sail trim, balancing the boat, how to turn at the mark, Our ESA racing team participates in Regattas up and down the Florida coast, sometimes involving overnight stays. Coastal Cruising Advanced youth sailors learn to sail our 27' Catalina in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Topics include: recognizing local weather conditions, boarding and rigging a boat, using halyards, sheets, blocks and winches, safety equipment, basic knots, docking and mooring, recognizing Aids to Navigation and learning to plot a course, the heave-to maneuver, reefing and depowering sails, overboard rescue methods, distress signals, use of the marine radio, GPS and chart reading. The graduation cruise is the culminating activity of the Coastal Cruising course, The students rent large sailboats, planning all aspects of a three day/two night trip, including provisioning. Instructors are on board, but students are the captains. |
