Summer Camps
Our five day Summer Camps for kids from 10 to 17 teach kids the basics of sailing a small boat. We use our Pico fleet of small sailboats primarily for this training.
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By the end of this training most children will be able to sail, with some confidence, their own boat.

During this process, kids build the confidence that comes from mastering some new life skills. Many of them will learn a level of resilience that will serve them for many years to come.

They will also share this experience with other kids and gain some new friends.

Some kids may want to register for more than one Summer Camp to gain more experience.

Beginner
​After completing a Summer Camp, children are invited to meet 8 Saturdays during the Fall Program and 8 Saturdays in the Spring Program to gain more skill as a beginning sailor.
 
If at the end of the Fall program a student believes they have the skills to move to Intermediate Sailing we'll be happy to test them.

Summer Camp Coaching
After completing the Fall and Spring Programs as a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced student, they are given the opportunity to teach kids during our Summer Camps.

Coaching is a great character builder, as it teaches responsibility and interpersonal skills.

Also, there is no better way to learn a skill than to teach others that skill. In the process, our students get the confidence that comes from coaching others.

Intermediate
The next step in the process is to move up as an Intermediate sailor (Yellow Shirt). The Yellow Shirt shows that the student has mastered the basic skills of sailing a small boat and spent some time teaching other kids how to sail.
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During the Intermediate Program, they will learn to rig and sail other boats in our fleet including Sunfish, Holders and Quests.

At any time during this program if a child believes that they have the skills to move to the next level, they can ask to be reviewed to qualify for the Advanced Program.

Advanced
After another year of Summer, Fall and Spring Programs, the student moves to the final step in our program as an Advanced student (Orange Shirt). The student now masters additional skills and is able to confidently sail any boat in our fleet.

Advanced kids learn additional fundamentals such as navigation, anchoring, and other more advanced sailing techniques. They will also have more opportunity to sail on their own without coaching or instruction.

Racing
For those kids who want to move into competitive racing, there will be instruction during the Fall and Spring Programs.
We often enter those kids who desire to compete in area regattas.
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In December, 2021, ESA is hosting a regatta for local sailing schools.