Sailing
"All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came."
-John F. Kennedy, Newport, RI at dinner prior to America's Cup Races, September 1962
Courses are mixed gender, hands-on, Physical Education courses taught on RS Quest (Beginning & Intermediate Dinghy), Laser, and RS Vision (Advanced Dinghy) vessels.
- Each class meets a total of eight times at the dock (weather permitting).
- Students need to have taken and passed our Beginning and Intermediate Dinghy classes or equivalent to participate in keelboat classes.
- Good attendance is strongly recommended in order to achieve best results.
- Satisfactory completion allows you to move on to the next class and achieve higher levels in the Community Boating Center Sailing Club.
- Students learn the basics inside the protected Santa Cruz Harbor, then venture out to Monterey Bay for further practice.
Dinghy Sailing
Beginning Dinghy
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No prior experience necessary! Beginning sailing uses RS Quest vessels, which can hold 2-3 students per boat.
Students Learn:
- Rigging
- Nomenclature
- Sailing theory
- Proper boat handling
- Basic sailing knots
- Rigging for strong vs. light-wind conditions
- Departing and returning to the dock
- Balancing the boat
- Sail trim
- Tacking and Jibing
- Stopping and starting on the water
- Safe-boating practices
- Self-rescue techniques
- Rules of the road
- Wind and ocean conditions
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Intermediate Dinghy
This course begins with a review of the skills that were covered in the Beginning Dinghy Sailing class.
After review, the intermediate class shifts towards further development and refinement of small-boat sailing techniques.
Satisfactory completion meets prerequisite for Beginning Keelboat and Advanced Dinghy Sailing classes.
Students Learn:
- Right of Way
- Detailed discussion of rules of the road
- Points of sail
- Sailing in stronger winds
- Improvement of boat handling skills
- Hiking out
- Sail theory
- Sail trim
- Powering up vs. depowering
- How and when to reef
- Heaving to
- Backwards sailing
- Blind-folded sailing
- Introduction to racing
Advanced Dinghy
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Advanced dinghy is an introduction to high-performance racing dinghies, with an emphasis on boat control and speed.
Wetsuits are required!
Students Learn:
- Rigging the Lasers and Visions
- Self-rescue techniques
- Dry capsizes
- Boat handling
- Sail trim
- Sail shape and adjusting controls
- Upwind vs. downwind sailing techniques
- How to effectively hike
- Establishing and maintaining a plane while sailing
- Racing techniques and rules
- Sailing with an asymmetrical spinnaker
Keelboat Sailing
Beginning | Intermediate | Advanced
Beginning Keelboat
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This is a great class for those students who wish to expand their knowledge of sailing.
Students Learn:
- "Hands-on" rigging and docking practice;
- Sailing practice on the Monterey Bay;
- Sail trim, powering up vs. de-powering, sail theory;
- Person-overboard recovery techniques and drills;
- Boating safety, VHF usage, and rules of the road;
- Weather and ocean conditions.
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Intermediate Keelboat
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This is a great class for students who wish to be introduced to the exhilaration and intricacies of sailing with a spinnaker!
Students Learn:
- Review of skills learned in Beginning Keelboat class;
- Introduction to spinnaker — packing, rigging, setting, crew management/positions, jibing, dousing and safety;
- Practice new skills at the dock first;
- Eventually set and fly spinnaker on the bay.
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Advanced Keelboat
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This is a class for those who want an introduction into cruising.
Students Learn:
- Boat systems
- Docking
- Anchoring
- Back and fill
- Introduction to charts and navigation
Junior Sailing
Super Junior Basic Dinghy | Junior Basic Dinghy | Junior Intermediate Dinghy | Junior Advanced Dinghy
Super Junior Basic Dinghy Sailing
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Ages 8-10
This class is geared towards our younger sailors with smaller class size, more games, and a slightly slower pace than the Basic Sailing Class. Students in this age group will learn and practice:
- Boating safety and sportsmanship
- Launching & rigging the boat
- Basic knot tying
- Docking
- Proper boat balance for skipper and crew
- Sail trim
- Tacking and jibing
- Steering with a tiller extension
- "Right of Way" and "Rules of the Road"
- How to right a capsized boat
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Junior Basic Dinghy Sailing
Ages 11-16
Students master the basics inside the protected Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, then venture out onto the beautiful Monterey Bay for further practice, weather permitting. Students in this grouping will learn:
- Boating safety and sportsmanship
- Launching & rigging the boat
- Boating safety and sportsmanship
- Basic knot tying
- Docking
- Proper boat balance for skipper and crew
- Sail trim
- Tacking and jibing
- Steering with a tiller extension
- "Right of Way" and "Rules of the Road"
- How to right a capsized boat
- Rigging for strong vs. light winds
- Tiller extension and main sheet hand exchange during a tack or jibe
- How to steer while under tow
Junior Intermediate Dinghy Sailing
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Ages 11-16
This program begins with a review of the skills acquired in the Junior Basic Dinghy Sailing Class. After a review on the first day, the emphasis of this course shifts towards further development of boat-handling skills. Students in this group will learn:
- Boating safety and sportsmanship
- Review of basic dinghy sailing skills
- How to sail in stronger wind
- Improvement of boat handling, boat balance, sail adjustment, and steering
- Sail theory, sail trim, angle of heel, points of sail, powering up vs. depowering, and reefing
- Dinghy sailing drills and racing
- Basics of US Sailing racing rules and vocabulary
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Junior Advanced Dinghy Sailing
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Ages 11-16
This course begins with a review of the skills acquired in the Junior Intermediate Dinghy Sailing Class. After a review, the class focuses on better boat handling skills and racing. Students in this group will learn and practice:
- Boating safety and sportsmanship
- Review of intermediate dinghy sailing
- How to rig RS Visions and Lasers
- Emphasis on sailing drills and games
- Boat handling
- Mark rounding and racing
- Racing rules
How to Enroll
Registration opens on April 1st.
UC Santa Cruz Students: click here.
Adult Comunity Members: click here.
See Also
