Junior Sailing on Hempstead Bay
A summer of learning to handle a boat on their own — out on the same waters their parents and grandparents grew up sailing.
WHO IT'S FOR
A place to start
Our Junior Sailing program welcomes kids ages 6 to 16 — beginners and returning sailors alike. No experience needed.
What every sailor leaves with: confidence on the water, a real understanding of how a sailboat works, and a summer's worth of friendships made on the dock.
THE FLEET
Our Boats
Younger and newer sailors start in our fleet of six Optimists — the small, single-handed dinghy that nearly every junior sailor in the world learns on. The Opti is forgiving, easy to right after a capsize, and built for one kid to figure out on their own.
As skills build, sailors move up to one of three Club 420s — a faster two-person boat that introduces teamwork, trapezing, and the fundamentals of racing. The 420 is the same boat sailed at the high school and collegiate level, so the skills carry forward for years.
Learn Rigging
Here is a tutorial to learn how to rig a sail for a junior windsurfer.