The Captiva Island Yacht Club is taking sign-ups for its summertime youth sailing program.
This year’s Junior Sailing Camp will be offered in two sessions – June 17-28 and July 15-26 – running Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hosted for about 10 years, the program teaches participants how to rig and sail a boat single-handedly, race a sailboat and handle a kayak.
Open to ages 8-15, families do not need to be a club member to register for a session.
The sessions are held at the club and the boats launch from the ‘Tween Waters Island Resort. The youth split their time between classroom instruction and on-the-water training on the Roosevelt Channel.
The first week, each child is assigned their own sailboat to use – an Optimist Pram. For the second week, students are paired up and put in a Sunfish sailboat, which is a slightly bigger boat and faster to handle. Participants also receive instruction in kayaking.
On the second Thursday of each camp, a family award luncheon is held where the children receive their certificates and “Little Red Book,” the US Sailing student record book that they can produce if needed to verify their credentials to use a sailboat. Families also enjoy lunch and a slideshow of the camp’s daily activities.
In addition, on the second Friday of each session, a family sail day is scheduled where students invite their families to come and sail with them and see what they have learned.
To qualify to take part, youth must successfully complete a swim test on the first day, where they will be required to swim 50 yards, tread water for one minute, put on a personal flotation device or PFD while in the water, and swim 50 yards while wearing the PFD.
The deadline to sign up is June 1 and enrollment is limited to 12 per session.
For more information, call 239-472-4133. The Captiva Island Yacht Club is located at 15903 Captiva Drive.
