Sailing Club Offers Free Lessons for Local Teens

The community sailing club will offer free summer lessons for 20 local teenagers, including life jackets and boat time. The program, announced this week, is aimed at young people who live within city limits and have never had the chance to learn to sail — whether because of cost, distance or simply because nobody in their family ever owned a boat. Lessons will run for six weeks next summer, four mornings a week, from the club’s small dock on the north end of the waterfront.

For a city that sits on the edge of one of the largest lakes in the country, organizers say, it is surprising how many local kids have never been out on the water in anything bigger than a ferry. The club hopes to change that, 20 teenagers at a time.

Why the club is doing this

The Harborline Community Sailing Club was founded in 1987 by a group of residents who wanted a more affordable alternative to private yacht clubs. It has about 300 members, a fleet of small sailboats and a reputation for being friendly to beginners. Adult memberships cost a few hundred dollars a season, and youth programs have long been offered at reduced rates.

Still, club leaders noticed that most young people taking lessons came from families who already had some connection to sailing. Last year, the board decided to create a fully free program for teens who might never otherwise set foot on a sailboat.

The lake belongs to everyone. Learning to sail shouldn’t depend on money.

Captain Ruth Abernathy, sailing club

Abernathy, 68, a retired ferry captain who has sailed on the lake for more than 50 years, chairs the club’s youth committee and will lead the program. She said she learned to sail at 14 on a borrowed boat, and that one summer shaped the rest of her life. “I want some kid who has never thought of themselves as a sailor to have that same summer,” she said.

What teens learn

Knots, rigging, safety and how to sail a small boat solo. The six-week program is designed to take teens from complete beginners to confident solo sailors in small boats by the end of the summer. Each morning session runs from 9 a.m. to noon and mixes time on the dock with time on the water.

Week by week

1. Week 1: Water safety, swimming check, life jackets, parts of a boat and basic knots.
2. Week 2: Rigging a boat, reading the wind and first sails with an instructor on board.
3. Week 3: Steering, tacking and jibing, and what to do if a boat tips over.
4. Week 4: Sailing in pairs with an instructor following in a safety boat.
5. Week 5: Short solo sails close to the dock, plus docking and launching practice.
6. Week 6: Longer solo sails, a fun race and a graduation picnic for families.

Instructors will also cover lake weather, how to spot changing wind and storms, basic first aid and how to care for equipment. Abernathy said the focus is on building confidence and good judgment, not on racing. “The most important skill a sailor has is knowing when not to go out,” she said.

Safety first

Every participant must wear a life jacket at all times on the dock and on the water. The club provides life jackets in all sizes, and teens may keep theirs at the end of the program. All instructors are certified through a national sailing education organization and trained in first aid and CPR. A motorized safety boat stays on the water whenever students are sailing, and lessons are canceled when wind or storms make conditions unsafe.

Teens must pass a basic swim test on the first day, which includes treading water for a few minutes and swimming a short distance while wearing a life jacket. Those who aren’t strong swimmers can join a free swim program at the city’s indoor pool in the spring to prepare.

What it costs, and who pays

The program is free for participants, including all equipment. The club estimates the full cost at about $1,400 per teen, which covers instructor time, boat maintenance, insurance, life jackets and snacks. The total, about $28,000 for the summer, is being paid through a combination of member donations, a grant from a local family foundation and proceeds from the club’s annual fall regatta.

Club members have also volunteered to help in other ways. Some will serve as assistant instructors. Others are donating rain jackets, sunscreen and water bottles. A local bakery has offered to provide muffins for the Friday sessions.

Transportation was one of the biggest concerns raised by families during planning, so the club has arranged with the city’s parks department to provide bus passes for any participant who needs one. The club’s dock is about a ten-minute walk from the nearest bus stop on the lake road.

How to apply

Applications open in April; no experience is needed. The program is open to residents of the city between the ages of 13 and 17. Teens can apply online or pick up a paper form at the main library, any of the city’s middle and high schools, or the parks and recreation office.

The application is short. It asks for basic contact information, a parent or guardian’s permission and a few sentences about why the teen wants to learn to sail. There is no essay requirement and no interview. If more than 20 teens apply, participants will be chosen by lottery, with some spots set aside for teens recommended by school counselors and youth programs.

Here’s what applicants should know:

• No sailing experience is required, and no equipment is needed.
• Participants must be able to attend most of the four weekly sessions.
• Families will be invited to an information night at the club in May.
• Teens who finish the program can join the club’s regular youth sailing team at no cost for the following season.

Club members say they hope families will see the program as a chance to try something new together. Parents and guardians are welcome to watch from the dock, and the final week’s race and picnic are open to everyone.

A first step toward something bigger

Abernathy said the club hopes to grow the program in future years, possibly to 40 teens and a second session in late summer. She also wants to train some graduates as junior instructors so they can teach younger kids.

Local parents have already started asking about it. Tasha Greene, whose 15-year-old son spends most summer days at the city beach, said she had always wanted him to try sailing but assumed it was out of reach. “We live ten minutes from the lake, and I’ve never been on a sailboat,” she said. “If he learns, maybe he can teach me.”

Several local schools have said they’ll share information about the program with students, and the club plans to visit middle school classrooms in March to talk about sailing and answer questions.

Key takeaway: Twenty city teens will get six weeks of free sailing lessons next summer — life jackets, boats and instruction included — with no experience needed.

For Abernathy, the goal is simple. “I want them to look out at the lake and think, ‘That’s mine too,'” she said. “Because it is.”