Step 2: Beginner Sailing

Description

Step 2 allows beginner sailors to develop fundamental sailing skills with ample instruction and supervision. Like Step 1, Step 2 students will sail in stable keel boats (Rhodes 19s) with an instructor in each boat and a safety boat nearby. With a 3:1 student to instructor ratio in Step 2 – one of the best in the harbor – our sailors are guaranteed individualized instruction and lots of practice time to hone key skills, like tacking, jibing, rigging, knots, and docking. Students will spend half the day sailing and half the day participating in other activities, including some with partner organizations. These activities give our students the opportunity to gain more in-depth knowledge of the Boston Harbor, to understand the science and physics of sailing, and to engage in some fun team building exercises. Activities include marine biology lessons with Save the Harbor Save the Bay, navigation and cartography classes, going on a whale watch with the New England Aquarium, swimming in the slip, and going to one of the nearby parks for some collaborative games and fun. Each session of Step 2 lasts three weeks, and students typically repeat this Step for multiple summers. Step 2 is a vital step in preparation for more independent sailing in Step 3.

Sample Daily Schedule:

8:45 Arrival

8:45-9:00 Games and Activities in the tent with instructors

9:00-9:30 Chalk Talk – go over the water skill or activity of the morning

9:30-10:00 Rigging the boats

10:00 – 12:00 Sailing

12:00-1:00 Lunch and activities in the tent

1:00-3:00 Science or Enrichment Activity with a Partner Organization

3:00-3:15 Derigging

3:15 Dismissal