The Summer 2010 Program

Our summer of fun-based instruction begins Monday, June 28th and lasts for eight weeks. All groups are taught in school-owned Widgeons and 420's, and a combination of school-owned and privately-owned International Optimist Dinghies. Class sizes are limited in order to guarantee safety and the quality of instruction necessary to teach solid sailing skills. All Senior staff are US Sailing certified and have Red Cross certification in first aid and CPR.

Learn-to-Sail Optimist

Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Classes are conducted with beginners sailing two in a boat. This gives the two students a chance to share the steering and the control of the sail. No previous experiece is assumed. Instruction starts with the fundamental basics and then progresses through tacking, gybing, sailing upwind and landing at a dock. Recommended enrollment is two weeks.
$140 per week.

Learn-to-Sail Widgeon

Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
The roomy interior of the widgeon makes it an ideal boat for students to learn the basic skills of steering and trimming the sails under the watchful eyes of the instuctors. Beginning sailors are always in a widgeon with an instructor giving the small crew focused attention. In addition to the physical skills of sailing, students learn the parts of the boat and sails, the maritime rules of the road and how to determine wind direction. Fun and laughter are second only to safety, as much of the learning is accomplished through games.
$140 per week.

Learn-to-Race Opti

Monday - Thursday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
LTR Opti helps sailors start with the basics of racing and progress up to an intermediate level. No racing experience is needed or expected. Sailors must, however, have successfully mastered basic skills in either of our Learn-to-Sail programs. In addition to racing, sailors still play games out on the water, but with the goal of making their boat move faster. Skills include refining the ability to sail upwind, trimming the sail, proper boat trim, sailing downwind, starting a race, basic racing rules and tactics. The Friday morning Junior Series races are included, and encouraged, as part of this program.
$140 per week.

Intermediate Opti

Monday - Thursday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Intermediate Opti is for sailors who are confident about the skills they learned in the morning programs. The focus is on sailing upwind, and in a variety of conditions. Students will learn how to handle both tiller and mainsheet, as they are sailing alone as both captain and crew of their own vessel, while sailing effectively. The Friday morning Junior Series races are included, and encouraged, as part of this program.
$140 per week.

Intermediate Widgeon

Monday - Thursday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Intermediate Widgeon is open to all sailors who have mastered the skills in our morning Learn-to-Sail programs. It is ideal for older students who are not interested in racing or for students who want to transition from an Opti into a boat with a crew. Sailors not only take their basic skills to a higher level, but also learn new sailing skills. The instruction is pitched at a more sophisticated level encouraging a greater understanding of how and why sailing works.
$140 per week.

Racing 420s

Monday - Thursday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Racing Program uses our fleet of 420s -- fast boats with enough sophistication to make them a standard for high schools and colleges. Students will continue to expand their knowledge about racing, with increased focus on the understanding of how to make a boat sail faster. 420s are equipped with spinnakers, hiking trapezes, tiller extensions and a myriad of sail controls. The learning curve is steep and rewarding. This class is open to students who have successfully completed our Intro to 420 class and have permission of that instructor to move up. We encourage sailors to be 90 lbs. and 12 years or older to move up. The Friday morning Junior Series 420 races are part of this program.
$140 per week.

Introduction to 420s

Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 12:00pm
This class is an introductory course to 420s, a high-performance racing boat. Before a sailor can be successful racing in a 420, she must be both a capable sailor and familiar with the characteristics of a 420. At Buzzards Sailing School, we are blessed with a reliable afternoon breeze, which is perfect for learning to race these boats. It can be too much for sailors in the 420s for the first time because the boat reacts so quickly. There is often little time to think through a maneuver. This course is held Monday through Thursday mornings when the winds are typically lighter. The course focuses on the basics of sailing a 420, not the more technical aspects of successfully racing one. We are fortunate to have our racing coach, Melissa Meara, teach this course. She understands the quirks and foibles of the 420 and will help BSS students become experts with the boat. This is not a course for beginning sailors. To sign up for the course, sailors must have previously sailed in Intermediate Widgeon, Intermediate Opti or Learn-to-Race Opti. All sailors who have not yet sailed in our Racing Program should sail in this course first. Sailors who have not yet sailed at BSS should contact the registrar with their experience before signing up.
$140 per week.

Full Day Sailing

Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 4:00pm
Buzzards Sailing School is offering a full-day option for students during the summer of 2009. This option is available only to a limited number of sailors each week. To qualify, sailors must be enrolled in the Introduction to 420s morning course and one of our afternoon courses. Sailors under the age of 10 and sailors in our Learn-to-Sail classes are not eligible for this option. Sailors are dropped off for a 9:00 AM start each morning, Monday through Thursday. They will be ready to be picked up at the end of the day at 4:00 PM. Between the end of the morning class and the beginning of the afternoon class, sailors will have a break for lunch, which they must bring with them. Sailors must remain at the clubhouse with our staff during this time, unless they have a specific parental permission. The weekly cost for the four full days includes Friday morning racing and a cookout.
$240 per week.

BYC Junior Racing Series

Friday, 8:30 am - aprox. 12:30 pm
The Buzzards Yacht Club sponsors a Junior Racing Series which is included as part of the Intermediate Sailing, LTR Opti, and the Racing classes. Each session starts with a 10-15 minute onshore clinic covering the basics of racing. Then students hit the water for a bit of practice on the topic covered ashore followed by two races. A cook out and post race analysis of the day's sailing, as well as acknowledgement of the winning sailors top off this fun morning. Students are encourage to race in weeks that they are not enrolled, but must pay per week tuition. Fees for racing will not be collected with online registration. First priority for boats is given to enrolled students.
$10 per week.