Overview

The Sport of Sailing. Sailing is a lifetime sport that is athletic but does not require unusual coordination, size, or strength. Girls and boys participate in lessons and compete in races together. Sailing is social and at the same time rewards individual initiative and learning. Sailing is low-impact and is very safe. EYC students and parents consistently comment that the student completed lessons with a great feeling of accomplishment. Sailing is also tremendous fun!

Lesson Overview. The EYC offers sailing lessons during its summer season to junior and adult members of the EYC. The EYC operates one of the oldest and largest sailing schools in the Midwest. Each year the EYC teaches hundreds of students with a US Sailing certified staff of up to 16 instructors. Our enthusiastic and well-trained instructor staff receives great feedback from parents and students! The EYC maintains a fleet of 55 sailboats (Flying Scots, 420s, Lasers, and Optimists) for use in its lesson program. The EYC’s lessons include on-shore and on-the-water instruction, nomenclature, sailing theory, safety, seamanship, boat handling, sail trim, and boat care. Both group and private lessons are offered.

Enrollment. Advance online enrollment is required for group lessons. For private lessons, online enrollment is not available; instead, call the EYC at (920) 854-7107 during the summer, or stop by the EYC during open hours to make an appointment. **ATTENTION** In order to benefit from current season lesson pricing, registration must be completed by 2 pm on the Friday, two weeks before the start of the class.  After that deadline passes, registration is still possible, but each class will cost an additional $25.00. If a student has registered for a class early but needs to change classes due to promotion inside the two-week limit, the $25.00 fee will be waived. We anticipate more classes than usual filling this summer. To secure your preferred session and current season pricing, please register early!

EYC Membership Required. Each student must be an EYC member in good standing. Students under the age of 25 must belong to the EYC within a family membership or as a student member. Students 25 and older must have a membership in one of the following categories — Single, Young Adult, Family, or Senior. Please note–Student memberships are no longer available for purchase through lesson registration. They must be purchased through Club Express. Please contact Membership Volunteer Lisa Gifford at [email protected] for more information.

Scholarships. Scholarships funded by the Aaron R Moore Scholarship Fund are available to students ages 7-16 who are year-round residents of Door County and who would not be able to enroll but for this fund. Students granted scholarships can enroll in any EYC sailing session. The scholarship process is simple and confidential. Parents seeking scholarships should contact the EYC Scholarship Chair at [email protected] prior to membership and lesson enrollment. Application for a scholarship should be made as soon as possible and prior to July 1.

Safety. Safety is the EYC’s number one priority. All EYC instructors undergo safety training as part of their US Sailing Level 1 Small Boat Instructor course, and all EYC staff take part in annual pre-season in-house safety training. The EYC strictly enforces its PFD rule for instructors and students engaged in sailing lessons. Safety concepts and techniques are integrated at every level of the EYC’s sailing instruction program. All EYC students must know how to swim and must be comfortable swimming alone, in deep water, and in open water.

The Ephraim Yacht Club employs a staff of experienced and enthusiastic sailors. All have received US Sailing Level 1 certification. Many of the Senior staff have also received Level 2 certification. All staff is Red Cross CPR and First Aid certified. Most of our staff have “grown-up” at the EYC and learned to sail on Eagle Harbor. Many of the Senior staff sail for their college teams and compete during the school year. They all look forward to sharing their love of sailing with the students.

Two week classes

Beginner An introductory course for students ages 7-17. Students will learn sailing theory and terminology, basic seamanship, helmsmanship, and sail trim. Click here to see the list of skills taught at the Beginner level. Students are divided into multiple class sections based on experience and age. The Beginner class is taught in Optimists and Flying Scots. Upon completion of the skills and testing, instructors will recommend that the student may enroll in Opti Racing, Intro to Lasers, and/or Intermediate. The cost for the two-week Beginner class in the mornings is $399. The same class in the afternoons is $360. Both classes require a $15 textbook, available for purchase at registration. Parents of seven-year-olds should consider the size, maturity, and water experience of the child before enrolling him or her in this class.

Opti Racing This two-week class will be offered three times; in a one-week session from July 6-July 6 in the afternoons, in a two-week session from July 9-July 20 in the mornings, and a two-week session from July 23-August 3 in the afternoons. The Optimist is raced regionally, nationally, and internationally by sailors through age 15 and offers a great opportunity for this age group to improve their confidence, knowledge, and racing experience. The class will cover starts, upwind and downwind strategy, and the racing rules of sailing. This class is open to students up to age 15 who have skippered in an Opti series race or regatta. It can be taken multiple times, but completing the class does not qualify the student for the Intermediate class. The cost for this class is $399. No textbook required.

Intro to Lasers Students who have passed the Beginner class can continue to improve their single-handed dinghy techniques by moving directly to the Laser using the EYC’s Laser 4.7 rigs. The Laser 4.7 is a smaller rig used with the standard Laser hull, allowing students as light as 77 pounds to transition from Optis to Lasers. Students will spend time learning how to rig and sail a Laser.  The cost for these dates will be $399.

Intermediate Students will learn double-handed dinghy sailing techniques using the EYC’s fleet of Club 420s. Students will learn how to rig and sail a 420, including boat handling in a wide range of wind conditions as both skipper and crew. Includes an introduction to racing, including fundamental racing rules and techniques. Click here to see the list of skills taught at the Intermediate level. This class is open to students who have passed the Beginner class and have instructor approval. Students who pass the Intermediate Class are eligible for the Advanced and/or Racing Classes. The two-week Intermediate class in the morning costs $399. The class requires a $12 textbook, available for purchase at registration.

Advanced For students up to age 17 who have been promoted from the Intermediate class. This class is taught in the EYC’s fleet of nine Flying Scots with the goal of learning all the skills necessary to obtain an EYC Skipper’s License. (Persons holding an EYC Skipper’s License are able to skipper an EYC-owned Flying Scot without staff supervision.) The class emphasizes correct rigging, seamanship, boat handling in all weather, and spinnaker handling. Some racing instruction and racing-derived drills may occur, but students who wish to emphasize racing should enroll in the Racing class instead. Click here to view the list of skills taught at the Advanced level. The Advanced class is offered in the mornings and costs $399. No textbook required.

One week classes

Beginner In Sessions A, B2, E, and F, the Beginner class will be offered as a one-week class. See course description under Two Week Classes. The cost for this class (either morning or afternoon) is $199. There is a $15 required textbook available for purchase at registration.

Intermediate In Session E, there will be a one-week Intermediate class in the mornings. See course description under Two Week Classes. The cost for this class is $199. There is a $15 required textbook available for purchase at registration.

Opti Racing Opti Racing will be offered as a one-week class from July 2-6 in preparation for the Opti Regatta. Please see the Two Week section for a class description. The cost will be $199.

Adventure Sailing Enjoy sailing in beautiful Eagle Harbor with trips planned to Nicolet Bay, Horseshoe Island, and Ephraim Beach. Basic skills will be covered in the context of a fun and relaxing atmosphere. This class is a great option for siblings and friends of varying ages and skill levels who would like to sail together. The class will mostly be held in Flying Scots, though other EYC fleets may be used. Open to ages 7-17 in separate, one-week sessions. Students may enroll in one or multiple sessions—no required textbook. The cost for this class is $199.

Powerboat Skills Learn the basics of operating a small outboard motorboat, with an emphasis on safety and maneuvering in tight spaces. The majority of class time will be spent on the water with plenty of hands-on practice in starting procedures, steering, and docking. The class is open to students age 12 through adult and is a great parent/child class opportunity. We recommend that all students obtain a Wisconsin Boater Education card prior to beginning this class, but it is required for those born on or after January 1, 1989. The link for the Boater Education card course is https://www.boat-ed.com/wisconsin/. The cost for this course is $199, and there is a required textbook available from the EYC for $30.

Private Sailing Lessons

The Ephraim Yacht Club offers private sailing lessons by appointment. This is a great way to get a lot of instruction in a short period of time. Private lessons might be for you if:

• Group lessons do not fit your schedule;
• You want to learn at an accelerated pace;
• You want intensive instruction to catch up to the other students in your age range;
• You want to take a lesson together with specific friends or family members;
• You want intensive instruction in a specific sailing skill; or
• You feel more comfortable in a one-on-one situation with an instructor.

Private lessons are available to both adults and juniors. Up to four persons can take a private lesson together. The pace and content of private lessons are geared to the individual student(s) and can be taught in any of the EYC’s fleets, Flying Scots, 420s, Optimists, or Lasers.

Private lessons are available by appointment. To schedule a private lesson, contact the club director at [email protected], or phone the EYC (920) 854-7107, or stop by the EYC during open hours.

Online signup is not available for private lessons.

2020 private lesson per-student per-hour rate, based on a single instructor:

• 1 person – $35.00 (example: 3-hour lesson for a single student would be $105) + 5.5% sales tax
• 2 people – $25.00 (example: 3-hour lesson for two students would be $150) + 5.5% sales tax
• 3 people – $20.00 (example: 3-hour lesson for three students would be $180) + 5.5% sales tax
• 4 people – $18.00 (example: 3-hour lesson for four students would be $216) + 5.5% sales tax

If private lessons are not for you, and you would like to learn more about group lessons for adults and juniors, please view alternative options on this page.

Education Awards

The Larry Lewis Memorial Happy Camper Award is awarded in each lesson session to the most enthusiastic boy and a girl in the Beginner level in each of the morning and afternoon classes. The award is determined by the Beginner level instructors. The awards consist of gift certificates to local businesses.

Sportsmanship Awards are awarded in each lesson session to the boy and the girl who exhibited the most sportsmanlike attitude. The awards are determined by EYC instructor staff. The awards consist of gift certificates to local businesses. The US Sailing Sportsmanship Award is awarded to the EYC member who, over the course of the season, exhibits the best sportsmanship. The award is determined by the EYC instructor staff. The winner’s name is engraved on a plaque that is kept at the EYC, and the winner also receives a keeper prize.