Sailing

Join at any level; and if you put your mind and effort to it, you can become a skipper, too. No matter what, if you want – you will take the tiller in your hand and helm the boat in your very first session!

Sailors have the opportunity to progress through four skill levels in sailing:

• CREW members become competent and capable assisting on the boat at all times. They learn basic boating safety rules and proper crew position and gain confidence when righting a capsized boat.

• FIRST MATES learn on a single sail boat on all points of sail (either solo or with a crew member) and learn to leave and return from the mooring to tack, jibe, and recover from a crew overboard.

• SKIPPERS learn to demonstrate and teach all the Crew and First Mate skills in a sloop rigged boat and understand the use of sail shape to power up and down.

• PERFORMANCE SAILORS learn how to roll tack and roll jibe, sail backwards, round marks, and how to race using strategy and tactics.

Adirondack’s fleet includes: A Mercury sloop and a Capri sloop for an instructor paired with beginning sailors, Two single-sailed Lasers and two Sunfish for beginning solo sailors, A JY sloop and two classic 420 performance sloops for more advanced sailors, and a fleet of 6 Flying Juniors for crewed match racing by the advanced sailors.

Campers who take sailing also have the opportunity to work towards the US Sailing Small Boat Sailors certification by demonstrating many of the above skills in either light and/or heavy air; and the activity is offered as a double period, in order for sailors to have the opportunity to move through the skill levels for a longer period of time over the course of the summer.

However you set your goals for this exciting sport, you will be encouraged to push the envelope as you build confidence in your skills and judgment as well as respect for the forces of wind and water. When sailors are on the water, we’ll be on the water too, standing by on our Boston Whaler safety boat to provide assistance and instruction as needed.