About Our Program

Established in 1894, Huguenot Yacht Club (HYC) is one of the founding clubs of the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound (JSALIS).  Our mission is to introduce children to sailing, which is not just an isolated skill but also a way of life that can be enjoyed for life. 

• Choose from two 3-week sessions, beginning in early July and ending in mid-August. Session Options & Dates

• For first-timers, we offer an Intro-to-Sailing Class the week before our program starts in the first week of July.

• For more experienced sailors, a racing clinic is also available. 

• Our full day runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and includes lunch and pool time.

• Basic swimming skills are a prerequisite for registration. Each child is given a swim test on the first day.

• Non-member families, who register for at least one full session, can enjoy the use of our Club House and dining facilities during the program.

• Early morning drop-off and extended day options available at an additional charge for your convenience. Pre-registration required. 

For information about the sailboats, check out the "boats" page as HYC offers a limited number of Optis and Fevas for charter. We can also help families find boats to charter privately or from local dealers. See the list at the bottom of the home page and links to the sidebar for details.

You arrive on the dock, change into your gear: Sunglasses? Check! Sailing gloves? Check! Life Jacket? Check! Then you check on your boat, which you will be sailing by yourself or with one of your fellow sailors, attaching the different parts and hoisting the sails that will take you wherever you want to go. The sun is shining, and the water is warm, and the wind is already fluttering in the sail. You push the boat into the water and hop aboard, grab the tiller, trim the sail, and away you go, learning the basics or racing against your teammates. You're sailing now, and you love it.

The HYC Junior Sailing Program brings this experience to you, teaching sailing in a safe, caring, and fun environment. You will learn to rig and sail your boat, or one available for charter from our club. You will learn seamanship, safety on the water, and racing. Lessons are taught on land in our dedicated Junior Sailing Room, outside on the lawn, and of course, on the water of beautiful Long Island Sound.

We believe our instructors are some of the best:  all are US Sailing Association or Irish Sailing Association Certified.  All have gone through a similar sailing program like the one at Huguenot Yacht Club and know what it's like to be a junior sailor.  As instructors and coaches, they chose to stick around to pass on their love of sailing as a skill and a sport and share what and how they learned in the process.  They know that learning to sail is a great way to become self-reliant, make friends, and form life-long memories – that's what they will offer you. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, our high instructor-to-student ratio ensures that you will receive the best instruction and enjoy a sailing experience that is second to none.

So who should come?  Pretty much anyone, beginner or more advanced, are welcome!  Our program accepts children between 8 and 16 years old. Necessary swimming skills are a prerequisite: sailors should know how to swim in advance.  Each child will be given a swim test at the beginning of each session.  If you're starting, you'll begin in an Opti, but if you're a bit older, then a Laser or Feva may be your thing.  But in addition to the dinghy sailing, in which sailors will be involved daily, all will also be introduced to sailing on bigger sailboats, such as our Sonar, and may have the opportunity to crew on club members’ yachts during club races and regattas.

See our schedule page to learn more this Winter at one of our Open Houses in the coming months. For beginners, we offer a one-week Intro-to-Sailing course the last week in June;  it is a great way to try out the program.  For returning intermediate and advanced sailors, we offer a Racing Clinic during the same period to allow racers to hone their skills and get more individual instruction.

JSA of LIS

Optimist

RS Feva

Laser

LISOT

Laser Frostbite

ICSA

ISSA

US Sailing

YRALIS

Huguenot Yacht Club

Huguenot Yacht Club

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