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The Junior Sailing Camp, ages 8 to 15.

Six week-long summer sessions, on the same dock that has taught children to sail since 1974. Optimist for the youngest sailors, club 420 for the oldest. Captain Mateo Reyes, who learned to sail here as an eight-year-old, runs the program.

6 wk
Summer sessions
8–15
Age range
1 : 5
Instructor ratio
52 yr
Junior alumni
A program with a long memory

Children sailing the way they have always sailed here.

Six weeks. Six themes. The Optimist for the eight-to-eleven sailors, the club 420 for the eleven-to-fifteen, and a Wednesday-afternoon junior race series the older campers can opt into for free.

The program is small on purpose. Each session caps at sixteen sailors, two instructors, two coach boats. The waitlist runs deep — early enrollment is the only enrollment.

"My father came to this camp in 1976. I came in 2002. My daughter came in 2024. I do not know another sailing program that has been the same place, with the same dock, for that long."
Six weekly themes

Six summer sessions, each its own week.

Sessions run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a packed lunch. The first three weeks are friendlier-water; the last three step up to wind and the junior race format.
i.
Jun 15 – 19

Knots & Knees Up.

Ages 8 – 11 · Optis only

Week one is the foundation week. Knots, vocabulary, capsize-and-recover drills, the points of sail walked out on the dock with chalk. Most sailors leave the week sailing the boat upwind on their own.

$595per camper · 5 days
ii.
Jun 22 – 26

Reach & Run.

Ages 8 – 11 · Optis only

Tactics off the wind. Long downwind reaches with the harbor wind on the beam, capsize race on Friday, and a parent-vs.-camper relay race we have been running for forty-eight summers.

$595per camper · 5 days
iii.
Jun 29 – Jul 3

The Big Boat Week.

Ages 11 – 15 · 420 graduation

The week sailors graduate from the Opti to the club 420. Two-handed sailing, hiking out on the rail, the small adjustments to a more powerful boat. End-of-week sail-and-swim picnic.

$695per camper · 5 days
iv.
Jul 13 – 17

Trim, Tack, Telltales.

Ages 11 – 15 · 420s

The week we get serious about telltales. Mainsheet trim, jib lead position, mast bend, weight placement — the things that make a boat go faster than the boat next to it. Friday afternoon time-trial.

$695per camper · 5 days
v.
Jul 27 – 31

Race Week.

Ages 11 – 15 · 420s, racing focus

Five days, twelve practice races, real start lines, real protests, real handicap finishes. The Wednesday-afternoon junior race series joins this week's campers, and there is a real awards ceremony Friday.

$745per camper · 5 days
vi.
Aug 10 – 14

Open Water Week.

Ages 13 – 15 · advanced 420 only

The advanced week. Sailing past the harbor, around the windward island, navigating with a hand compass, returning to the dock at 3 p.m. on time without an instructor on the rail. The week the program is built around.

$845per camper · 5 days
A day at junior camp

Nine a.m. to three p.m., five days a row.

Drop-off and pick-up happen at the boatyard gate. The camp day breaks evenly across rigging, time on the water, lunch, and time on shore.
Junior sailors
9:00
Drop-off & chalk talkGather on the dock, the day's plan, the day's wind, the day's safety reminder.
9:30
Rigging the boatsEach sailor rigs and launches their own boat. Younger sailors with a partner; older sailors solo.
10:00
On the water — first setDrills, points of sail, capsize-recovery on Mondays. Coach boat in the middle of the fleet.
12:00
Lunch on the porchPacked lunches at the boathouse picnic tables. Hats off, sunscreen on.
12:45
Knot lesson & rulesQuick deck-side classroom: the day's knot, the day's rule of the road, the day's discussion.
1:15
On the water — second setApplication of the morning. Mid-week, this becomes practice racing; Race Week, it becomes regatta.
2:30
Derig, hose, logBoats up, sails folded, hulls hosed, the day's logbook entry.
3:00
Pick-upBoatyard gate, three p.m. sharp. Late-stay until 5 p.m. is $20 a day.
Swim test & safety

Five things every parent should know.

The school has run a junior program for fifty-two consecutive summers. The five points below are the spine of why the program runs safely, week after week.

  • i.
    Required swim test50 yards continuous, plus two minutes of treading water, in a USCG-approved life jacket. Tested on Monday morning, week one of the camper's first session.
  • ii.
    Coast-Guard-approved life jackets, every minuteWorn on the dock, in the boat, on the coach boat. Provided by the school, sized to each camper Monday morning.
  • iii.
    1 instructor : 5 sailors, on the waterOne coach boat per ten sailors, with VHF, throw line, and a USCG-licensed driver. No exceptions.
  • iv.
    Wind ceiling at 18 knotsAbove 18 knots sustained, the fleet stays on the dock. Above 12 knots for Optis. Decision is the head instructor's, made by 8:30 a.m.
  • v.
    Lightning & thunder, off the waterThe 30-30 rule. First thunder, fleet returns immediately. No exceptions.
Parents' frequent questions

Most of the answers, without scrolling.

What if my child has never sailed before?
The Knots & Knees Up week is built for first-timers. It runs both the first and second weeks of the summer to give first-time sailors a choice. By Wednesday, almost every camper is sailing their boat upwind without a coach on board.
Are sailing camps weather-cancelled?
Camp runs every weekday rain or shine, except in lightning. If the wind is over the ceiling, we use the day for chalk talks, rigging drills, knot challenges, and capsize-recovery in the school's protected basin. We do not cancel and we do not refund for weather days.
Can my child be in the same week as a friend?
Yes — note your friend pairing in the enrollment form and we'll keep the campers on the same boat for two-handed sessions wherever possible. We do try to mix the fleet a bit so campers also meet new sailors.
Do you offer aftercare or lunch?
Aftercare runs to 5 p.m. daily for $20 a day. Lunch is brought from home — we'll provide a fridge but not a microwave. Friday lunches across all weeks are a school-provided sail-and-swim picnic.
What does my child need to bring?
Swimsuit (worn under camp clothes), sunscreen, hat, water bottle, sneakers that can get wet, a long-sleeve UV shirt, and a packed lunch. The school provides life jackets, sailing gloves on request, and a logbook.
Is there financial aid?
Yes. Three full and four half-scholarships per summer, supported by the alumni fund. Note your interest in the enrollment form; we'll follow up confidentially. Past sailors of any age welcome to apply.
Sessions fill by April

Enroll a sailor — spring deposit holds the seat.

$200 deposit reserves a single week. Balance is due May 1. Refunds available to May 15; after that, full credit toward the following summer.

Reserve a weekEmail Captain Mateo