Keelboat Sailing

Keelboat sailing courses are mixed gender, hands-on, Physical Education courses taught in a variety of keelboats. The goal of these courses are to attain a better understanding of how all boats are different but the fundamentals of sailing are the same, with a limit of 15 students per course.  (Intermediate dinghy-level experience required prior to enrolling in Beg. Keel)

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 the 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 Keelboat

• 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

• This is a great class for students who wish to be introduced to the wonderful world of keelboat racing!

  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 out in the bay.

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Advanced Keelboat

• 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