How The WFC Offers Inclusive and Accessible Boat Pricing For Youth Sailing
As a community sailing center, The WaterFront Center strives to make sailing an experience that everyone can enjoy. No membership fee or sailboat is needed for your young sailor to join our Youth Sailing Program this summer!
One of the best qualities about The WaterFront Center is that anyone can get involved! Membership is not required to sign your child up for our sailing programs. At The WFC, anyone can join our sailing classes and learn how to sail! There are no initiation fees or monthly dues, or other membership fees you would have to pay. Just pay for the class you want to take, and your child is all set to show up once it starts!
One of the best benefits of sailing at The WaterFront Center is that we have all the boats your child would need! The kind of boat your child sails will depend on the age and size of your child. Younger sailors will start in the Opti and then change to c420 once they reach high school. We also have enough sailboats so that your child can be on two sailing teams at once. They could join our c420 and our Jr. Big Boat team, which requires two different types of boats! As your child becomes a better sailor, they can join our race team. We provide specific sailboats ready for racing at regattas instead of the practice boats they sail in during the week. At The WaterFront Center, we provide the vessel if you provide the child willing to sail! Because you don’t own the boat, you don’t need to pay extra boat maintenance fees or store the boat in the winter! We assume that risk, so you don’t have to focus on anything but getting your child in the car and ready for their sailing program!
Our community drives The WaterFront Center! You can count on us to offer youth sailing programming from the spring through to the fall! When your child develops a solid sailing foundation, they can then advance to our intermediate sailing programs, and hopefully, the following year, they can join our race team! This summer is just the start of your child’s youth sailing journey!
Sign Your Child Up For The Youth Summer Sailing Season!
A Lifetime Of Unique Experiences Starts Here!
A young sailor's journey starts with a passion for the water and a strong supportive foundation. Our Youth Sailors program is the ideal platform for your child to become comfortable and excited about the sport of sailing. Whether they are a novice sailor or entry-level racer, your child will take the helm and develop the skills needed for this life-long hobby.
Your child will learn and apply the basic foundations of sailing as they take the helm of their vessel with the guidance of our certified sailing instructors. Enrolling in multiple weeks allows your child to master their seamanship skills and progress into intermediate classes where they will learn racing tactics while utilizing advanced tacking and sail trim.
Opti Single Handed Sailing
Opti Beginner
Description:
This program is designed for children ages 8 to 15 who want to learn to sail and are ready to set the foundations of safety, seamanship, and sportsmanship. These sailors have little to no experience. Variety, fun, and skill-building are the core of the curriculum, as well as capsize recovery and prevention. Games, both on and off the water, and boating vocabulary are important parts of this class.
Grade Level:
Recommended for ages 8 – 15
Opti : Intro To Race
Description:
Opti Intro To Racing is for sailors who have successfully passed Opti Beginner and are ready to move to race. Opti Intermediate is an introductory race team program. Opti Intermediate sailors focus on increasing their skills in the boat, in order to prep themselves for future Green Fleet regattas or to keep their skills in check before summer starts. Must have successfully passed Opti Beginner AND get Sailing Director’s approval.
*In order to qualify for Opti Intermediate, Sailors must be able to sail alone, and sail upwind with little assistance, or have completed Opti Beginner with approval from their coach.
Grade Level:
Recommended for ages 8 – 15
c420 Double Handed Sailing
c420 Beginner
Description:
C420 Beginner is designed for young sailors with little to no sailing experience who have “sized out” of the Opti class or are just learning to sail. This class is taught in Club 420, a small dinghy designed for two sailors, in which novice sailors will rotate between the skipper and crew positions to learn and build confidence in all aspects of dinghy sailing. Sailors will learn basic rigging, seamanship, water safety, and confidence in sailing at all points of sail.
Grade Level:
Recommended for ages 13 – 18
Opti : Intro To Race
Description:
Opti Intro To Racing is for sailors who have successfully passed Opti Beginner and are ready to move to race. Opti Intermediate is an introductory race team program. Opti Intermediate sailors focus on increasing their skills in the boat, in order to prep themselves for future Green Fleet regattas or to keep their skills in check before summer starts. Must have successfully passed Opti Beginner AND get Sailing Director’s approval.
*In order to qualify for Opti Intermediate, Sailors must be able to sail alone, and sail upwind with little assistance, or have completed Opti Beginner with approval from their coach.
Grade Level:
Recommended for ages 8 – 15
Adventure Sailing
Adventure Sailing | AM (Ages 12 – 17) & PM (Ages 8 – 12)
Description:
Adventure Sailing teaches the fundamentals of sailing, safety on the water, and good seamanship in a casual, fun setting. This class taught on Hobie Getaways, is ideal for children who want time on the water exploring Oyster Bay Harbor while learning the fundamentals of sailing. Sailors will rotate between skippering and crewing to learn all aspects of seamanship. During morning classes, one instructor on a coach boat will teach sailors, while in the afternoon, instructors will be on the Hobie Getaways with sailors.
Age Groups & Schedule Options:
• AM Classes (Ages 12 – 17): 9:00am – 12:00pm
• PM Classes (Ages 8 – 12): 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Race Teams
Opti Race Team
Description:
Upon successful completion of Intro to Opti Race, and with the Sailing Director’s approval, sailors are ready to jump into our premier youth racing program. This program focuses on developing racing skills and techniques, which include race starts, strategy, tactics, advanced sail trim, and advanced boat handling. Sailors can advance onto our Opti Race Team and compete in the Green, White, Red, and Blue fleets
At age 15, over 120 lbs and/or over 5ft 5in, sailors should move into the Club 420. They can either take an Intro to c420 Race class or jump right into the c420 Race Team.
**Note:** We believe that in order to train successful sailors, junior sailors should train in an Opti as long as possible. Please help us with that goal by encouraging your child to sail an Opti. The Opti is not only the largest sailing class in the world; it is the most competitive class for age 15 and below.
Grade Level:
Recommended for Ages 8 – 15
c420 Race Team
Description:
Upon successful completion of the Intro to c420 Race, and the approval of the Sailing Director, sailors can join the c420 Race Team. This program focuses on developing racing skills and techniques, which include race starts, strategy, tactics, spinnaker trim, how to trapeze, and advanced boat handling.
You may sign up as a team (skipper and crew) or individually. If you sign up as an individual, we will pair you with someone that meets the competitive crew weight (260-270 pounds) and your skill set. Boat ownership is not required.
Grade Level:
Recommended for Ages 13 – 18
Jr. Big Boat Race Team
Description:
Learn to race on one of our J/105s, a proven blue-water racer, that is the most successful one-design keelboat class in the world. Our top coaches will take your child's competitive sailing to the next level. The J/105 is the most prolific one-design keelboat class over 30' in the USA, with over 680 boats sailing worldwide.
**Returning or Experienced Sailors Only** Enrolled sailors need to be reviewed based on their skill level and boating experience. Registrations will not be finalized until approved by the Sailing Director/Head Coach. Refunds will be issued if the sailor can not be reassigned to a proper skill level class.
Grade Level:
Recommended for Ages 12 – 18
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