Five ways to help your junior become a better sailor
EYC parents and grandparents: are you wondering how your junior can become better at sailing, more quickly? The key is for your junior to SAIL MORE. Here are some ways how:
1. Buy a sailboat for your junior(s). Then, they can go sailing whenever they like, whenever the weather is best, with their friends, without having to pay for additional lessons. New and used age-appropriate Optimist and Laser sailboats are easy to find online, don’t cost much, and can be resold when your junior moves on to a bigger boat.
2. Encourage your junior to race. The EYC offers racing in four kinds of sailboats, six days per week. The EYC’s weekly races are free of charge. The EYC offers racing geared to juniors of every age and skill level, from beginners at age 8 in Optimists, to younger teens racing Lasers and 420s, to older teens racing Flying Scots against top adult competition in the Ephraim Regatta. Racing is the fastest way to become a better sailor!
3. Enroll in more lessons. Too many EYC juniors enroll in only two weeks of lessons each summer…then their parents wonder why they are not progressing more quickly through the EYC’s lesson program. Two weeks can be barely enough time to re-learn what was learned last year. Enroll your junior in four weeks or six weeks of lessons over two or three sessions. To enroll in EYC lessons go to www.eyc.org/lessons
4. Enroll your junior in both morning and afternoon lessons. There is no rule requiring sailing lessons to be limited to three hours per day. In fact, at many yacht clubs, the sailing lesson program is all-day. You can make the EYC’s program all-day, too, by enrolling your student both mornings and afternoons.
5. Make your junior eligible to sail the EYC’s boats unsupervised. EYC juniors who meet age and lesson level requirements can take an EYC sailboat for a free sail, outside of supervised lessons and supervised racing. Parents must first sign a waiver and release form. Other restrictions may apply. For more information on this program, see the EYC’s Safety Policy at www.eyc.org/member-info