Youth Classes for 2026

Starter Sailor is for children who have never sailed before. The morning will be spent learning first-hand the fun of sailing on our Rhodes 19 keelboats. Helping children develop skills about boats, being comfortable on boats while learning with an instructor. In the afternoons, children will have lunch (brought by the child) and then have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) lesson. Our STEM lessons will consist of learning about physics in sailing, ocean pollution and how to stop/help it, simple machines, and many other important concepts.

Opti Basic is an exciting, hands-on introduction to sailing held in moderate morning breezes. In this two-week course, young sailors will develop specific sailing skills that will ready them for stronger breezes and competitive sailing.

Ages 8 to 13.

Opti Intermediate builds on the basics, introduces more independent sailing at the intermediate level, including the fundamentals of better boat handling and racing. An additional fee (payable to NBYA) is required, if attending the NBYA Opti Regatta #3 on July 31.

In our 420 class (13 years and older), we will take the children who have graduated from Opti or are of appropriate age and introduce them to 420s. Our instructors will get a feel for your child's skill level and put them in the correct group depending on experience, skill, and ability. 

• In our beginner class, some skills introduced will include rigging and using sail controls, skipper and crew responsibilities, starting and stopping, docking, and capsize recovery.
• In our intermediate/advanced class, some skills introduced will be skipper and crew communication, roll tacking, starts, racing, trapeze, and spinnakers.

Passionate about sailing and eager to inspire the next generation? As a Junior Sailing Instructor, you’ll assist lead instructors in delivering safe, fun, and educational on-the-water experiences for young sailors. Perfect for enthusiastic team players with strong communication skills and a solid foundation in sailing. Gain hands-on leadership experience while spending your summer outdoors doing what you love! This is a training program for Junior Instructors open by application. Junior Instructors will be is assigned to assist with the morning Starter Sailor.

In exchange, the JI will sail for free in that week's afternoon 420 afternoon class. The JI must help out for the entire week. This is 9am-4pm full-week commitment.

No classes on July 4. Instructor approval required.