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Dinghy Sailing

Dinghy sailing courses are mixed gender, hands-on, Physical Education courses taught on RS Quest (Beginning & Intermediate Dinghy), Laser, and RS Vision (Advanced Dinghy) vessels.

Beginning | Intermediate | Advanced

  • 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.
  • 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.

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    Beginning Dinghy

  • 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

    • Intermediate Dinghy

  • This course begins with a review of the skills that were covered in the Beginning Dinghy Sailing class.

    After the review the 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

  • Advanced dinghy is an introduction to higher 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 asymmetrial spinnaker