| Welcome to the Babylon Yacht Club’s 2012 Junior Sailing program. Our goal is to create a safe
and fun atmosphere so that sailing classes are as enjoyable as possible. |
| Sailing is a great activity. It encourages cooperation, teamwork, and collaboration. Day-sailing gives
sailors a chance to be outdoors enjoying our bay, and racing is one of the few sports where boys and girls
can compete against each other equally. |
| Requirements |
| Sailing lessons are offered to children who are 8 years old, or entering the 3rd grade, by December 31st. |
| A swim test is mandatory for all new sailors to participate. The swim test is scheduled for
Saturday, June 9th, from 10 - 11 at the Pool. This is a one-time test for new sailors only and it must be passed in order to sign up
for sailing classes. For the swim test, please dress your sailor in the clothes and shoes that he/she will be
wearing during sailing lessons and fit them with a good quality U.S. Coast Guard approved Personal Floatation
Device, (PFD). Students must bring their own PFD; the club will not provide PFDs. |
| To satisfy the requirements of the Swim Test sailors must: |
| 1. jump into the deep end of the pool |
| 2. swim across and back |
| 3. remove their PFD |
| 4. tread water for one minute |
| 5. put the PFD back on |
| Sailing Registration |
| Registration has been scheduled to make it easy for busy parents to enroll their sailor(s). We offer two
registration dates; |
| Wednesday, May 30: 7pm – 8pm |
| Saturday, June 2: 10am – Noon |
| Completed forms and course fees must be submitted at registration. |
| Course Fee: $250.00 per child. |
| Schedule |
| The daily schedule will be finalized after registration has been completed, but the younger sailors will have
class in the morning while the more experienced will meet in the afternoon. For example, the Beginner and Advanced
Beginner classes will start at 8am, the Intermediate classes at 10am, and the Racing class at 1pm. Until registration
is complete this is a tentative schedule! |
| Lessons begin Monday, June 25th. All of the courses are designed to teach basic sailing and boat handling skills
and students are grouped based on age, experience, and competence. Lessons are twice a week and the program runs
for seven weeks. The sailing program concludes with an Awards Dinner on Thursday August 12th (additional details
will be published in upcoming Babylon Yacht Club Newsletters). |
| Head Instructor, Tierney Driscoll will be overseeing the program for the 2012 season. |
| Lessons are either Monday & Wednesday or Tuesday & Thursday. Each class is approximately two hours long. |
| Fridays are set-aside for Junior Regattas that are scheduled at various clubs during the season. Babylon Yacht Club
has the privilege of hosting the first Junior Regatta on Friday, June 29th. Please speak with the instructors if your
child would like to participate in Junior Regattas. |
| Gear a Sailor should Bring |
| Lifejackets |
| Personal Floatation Devices (PFD) MUST be worn and zipped AT ALL TIMES when the student is on the dock, in a boat
or near the water. PFD’s must be U.S. Coat Guard approved and must be properly fitted to the child. Lifejackets
must be worn by students & staff when participating in any activity that takes a person into a boat, on a dock,
ramp and launch area. |
| Footwear |
| Shoes will be required at all times and it is highly recommended footwear cover the toes and encircle the feet.
Shoes must be able to get wet. Flip flops, sandals, etc are not acceptable. Boat shoes, sneakers, Tevas, Keens,
water shoes, etc are acceptable. |
| Eye and Skin Protection |
| Protection from the sun is important. Children should have sun block and a hat; a set of sunglasses with lanyard
should also be considered. |
| Clothing |
| Sailors should come prepared for the elements, just because it is raining does not mean they will be inside. |
| Conduct |
| Our instructors are given the task to teach children sailing over a seven week period – every day really does count.
Children must be on time and ready to learn, any type of disruption takes time away from this goal. For this reason
if a child is not following directions or is being disruptive, they will be escorted to the Manager who will then
call a parent to pick up the child. |
| Parental Involvement |
| We are always looking for parents to be involved! |
| New this year is a “Parent of the Day” (POD) program. The POD program will ask for volunteers to sign up for either
a day or half day. |
| How it works- |
| The POD will be shore side to assist the instructors as needed; this could be helping students gear up like putting
on life jackets, (especially the younger classes), catching boats departing and arriving at the dock, overseeing the
boatyard while instructors are helping students rig. Basically you are in the shadows until needed to jump in to
lend a hand. |
| Sometimes families work it out where one parent is onsite for their child’s lesson and another parent steps in while
their child is in lessons. While not mandatory it really does help the program and is a great way to see what your
sailor is doing! |
| Overview of Sailing Classes |
| Classes are conducted at different levels, starting with Beginner and continuing through Advanced Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced Racing. The following descriptions offer a general overview of each class. They are
listed as a general guide, and students will be placed in classes most suitable to their experience, skill level,
and age. |
| Beginner Class |
| This class level is designed as an introduction to sailing. Our goal is familiarize students with sailing and have
them feel safe, comfortable, and confident on the boats. Students will learn basic seamanship skills, such as the
parts of the boat, knot tying, wind direction, points of sail, boat care, and water safety. Classes are conducted
both on the water and in the classroom. On the water instruction is conducted in Blue Jays and Flying Scots, with
several students in a boat. There will be one instructor on each boat with students at all times. Students will
also be under the direct supervision of an instructor aboard a safety boat. |
| Classes are held in the early morning, when the wind is generally the lightest, and the bay is relatively calm. |
| After satisfying the requirements of the Beginner class, sailors are eligible to take the Advanced Beginner class. |
| Advanced Beginner |
| This class is designed for students who have some previous sailing experience or have completed the Beginner class.
Classes are held in Blue Jays and in the classroom. If it is appropriate, and time allows, students will be introduced
to Flying Juniors and 420s. |
| This class is designed to develop and refine all the basic sailing skills, while increasing the sailor’s confidence
on the water. Basic sailing concepts will be improved upon, including all points of sail, as well as simple
right-of-way rules, rigging and de-rigging the boats, as well as learning to skipper (steer) and crew (handle the sails). |
| Classes are held in the morning, and instructors are aboard with students at all times. Students will always be under
the direct supervision of an instructor aboard a safety boat. |
| Intermediate |
| Students in this class level are working toward perfecting their boat handling skills and seamanship. Since on-water
instruction is held in all of the various boats of the Babylon Yacht Club’s fleet, students in this class must have
attained the skills required to skipper a boat, and be prepared to sail any available boat. |
| Sailors will increase their sailing proficiency and expand their knowledge of seamanship. Sail trim, simple tuning,
heavy weather and light air sailing techniques, and boat maintenance will be covered in this class. Basic elements
of racing competition and Racing Rules of Sailing will be introduced. |
| Students will sail with and without instructors aboard, but students will always be under the direct supervision
of instructors aboard the safety boats. |
| Racing |
| Racing classes are designed for students with more advanced sailing skills, or who are interested in the racing
experience. Students must be capable of sailing alone. Classes will cover all aspects of racing, including more
complex Racing Rules of Sailing, racing tactics, go-fast rigging and tuning, etc. There will be a strong emphasis
on good sportsmanship. |
| Classes will include classroom instruction and on the water in a variety of formats, including skill-building drills,
tactical drills, and practice races. They will be held in the afternoons to take advantage of the more consistent
wind conditions. Students may use their own boats for lessons. The club fleet will also be available. Students will
always be under the direct supervision of instructors aboard the safety boats. |
| Boats We Use |
| Optimist |
| The Optimist is a small, single-handed dinghy raced by sailors under the age of 15. The Babylon Yacht Club has four
Optimists for use in the program |
| Blue Jay |
| This boat has been used to teach sailing for many years. The Blue Jay is a sloop-rigged boat that can board 4 students
and an instructor. These boats are used primarily in the Beginner, Advanced Beginner, and Intermediate classes. The
Babylon Yacht Club has five Blue Jays for use in the program. |
| Club 420 & Flying Juniors |
| These are double-handed, one-design boats that are used for teaching advanced students and those eager to move into
racing. The 420s can be rigged for spinnaker sailing; the FJ cannot. The FJ and a modified version of the 420 are
used extensively in collegiate racing programs. The Babylon Yacht Club has 6 FJs and 2 Club 420s for use in the
program. |
| Flying Scot |
| A 19-foot sloop rigged design that is very stable can accommodate many sailors. The Flying Scot may be used to
introduce young sailors to the water. This is also the boat used in the club’s Adult Sailing program. The Babylon
Yacht Club has 3 Flying Scots for use in the program. |
| The Board of Governors and Staff are committed to developing a top-notch program for our sailors, if at any time
you have a concern or comment about the program please speak with either the Manager or Sailing Chair. |
| if you have any questions about the Junior Sailing program email Joe Mullé at y781@optonline.net |
