A few weeks ago my kids attended their first big sailing camp. That was a great occasion, for both, them of course, but also for me as a parent and much more, for me as a skipper. Seeing my boys dashing around in the little boats, having fun, making friends but also learning – at a fast pace! – how to safely operate and handle the boat, was truly a unique experience. As sailors and as parents, I know, that we often struggle to find an answer to that question: How can I excite my kids for sailig?
I mean, don´t we all wish our kids to become skilled sailors? Like the little skipper in the picture above, able and capable to deal with sheets and halyards, knowing what the wind is doing and how to safely harness its powers? Likewise: As parents we often own boats ourselves or charter yachts for some sailing vacations: So, how can we turn our kids into keen sailors, having fun out on the water and maybe jumping up and down with joy when the next sailing vacation is announced? Well, here´s one way to do it: A sailing camp.
First thins first: Of course, there is always this fear for our precious offspring. Especially mothers tend to be very protective (and that´s for the most part a very good thing). Sailing can be dangerous, of course: Boats do capsize, kids will go overboard. There´s the possibility of getting hit by the boom, bruises and little little cuts are daily business. We know it, because we´ve all already been there, learning how to sail ourselves. Even now, as adults, the sailing first aid kit is utilized quite frequently. I will address safety concerns in this article as well. For now: Stay cool. It´s all good.
Premises and requirements for kids to attend a sailing camp
There are many forms of sailing camps and you should do a proper research. The one I am going to talk about now was organized by the sailing club my kids are members of. If you start your kid´s sailing career, that´s the first thing I´d suggest: Look for a sailing club that has a children´s division. Most sailing clubs are regatta- or race-oriented, so be aware that pretty soon your kid will come up with some serious skipper´s talk about sailing strategies …
For most sailing clubs, a set precondition to start is the ability to swim. As this is a faculty that in my eyes is absolutely basic for any kid, no matter if sailing or not, I think it´s a matter of course for you as well. The choice which club is best for your kid should be driven by various aspects: The fee is only one. How big is the children´s division? How diverse is the curriculum of courses? Do you have a nice impression of both the club´s facilities, the state of their pontoons and facilities and the condition of the boats? Last not least, when talking to the trainers, do you feel these are equally skilled in terms of sailing but also from a pedagogic standpoint? Maybe the club offers a trial sailing experience for noobs, mabe during an open day? As for my kids, her mom did a wonderful job in determining which of the many yacht and sailing clubs of mighty Hamburg suits best – and she made a perfect choice!
Simply dinghy? As if!
Also not a real precondition, but maybe a good idea, is to have some sailing courses and classes done with your children before you enroll them in a club. Why? Because, kids are often experimenting. They try out everything, often liking it at the beginning, but as it turns out, not liking it very much over time. Sometimes, the other way round, kids often refuse for no reason (or some unidentifiable causes) to participate in things. Think of food: “I don´t like Olives!” But then, suddenly, it turns out they love it. In this, my kids already completed a windsurfing course, acquiring the first certificate in a kite school. After this, they also acquired the first little sailing certificate on the Optimist dinghy.
After these and some very cool weekends on a little chartered dinghy, we asked them: “Do you like sailing?” Do they want more? Maybe learning how to sail alone? Whilst my younger son still felt a bit uncomfy, my elder was absolutely hooked. Enrolling both kids to the sailing club, we only enlisted the elder for the camp. There´s no reason to force or persuade children to do something “cool”. My idea was rather to be there with the smaller one, showing him what his older brother does and how much fun it is: Maybe next year he will join? So, he we are: One week children´s sailing camp! And don´t you believe it´s “just” a small Optimist dinghy!
The Optimist is – at least here in Germany – the very first boat kids start to learn sailing with. It has been designed as a training vessel for people under the age of 15. It is both very safe in terms of stability, but also agile and pretty amazingly fast. It´s a perfect boat to very ostensively experience the power of the wind, learn about sailing dynamics and develop all the capabilities, future sailors need, like sails trim and steering. But the “Opti” is far from being just a small simple skiff! As I myself never learned sailing at such a small age, it was new for me too – and I was exhilarated, when my son demonstrated the set-up of his Opti, names COOL WATER.
That´s basically the first thing kids learn here in sailing camp: Taking care of “their” designated boats. Caring for your own boat means to take over responsibility, making sure it is complete and set up properly. That meant in reality: Setting an alarm clock to get up (in our case, 0715 a.m. latest) and have the boat readily rigged before classes start, which was usually around 0930. This is indeed – at least for my kids – a big thing, because back at home it is mom waking them up and preparing everything. Here in camp, kids have to manage their days from waking up to going to bed. As for my son: He was the first at the breakfast buffet and also the first of them all to set up his boat. A surprise: That´s a 180 degrees-change from his at home-behaviour …
Setting up an Optimist is not a little thing, this boat has quite some things to take care of: First, it is stored upside down over night. Flipping the hull means that the kids have to move 35 kilograms, which is not easy for many. Finding a mate to help is the solution. Then, as you can see in the pictures above, the Optimist class boats have a certain setup to be taken care of: Installing the main sheet, controlling the three lifting bodies, attaching the water scoops, preparing rudder and daggerboard. Then, the rigging with the single main sail needs to be attached and secured, the Windex attached as well. The trainers check, if the boats are set up in time and properly. And will take their notes …
Skipper´s briefings and daily routine of a sailor
A whole week of sailing camp, that´s quite a program, you might think: Getting up around 7 in the morning doesn´t sound very much like school free vacation? Well, only the early birds will catch the worm, as they say. In our case, the daily schedule was pretty simple: After the initial skipper´s briefing, three to four hours of intensive sailing on the water follows. Usually, a little snack for lunch is prepared thereafter. Sometimes, this snack was a “hidden treasure” to be discovered and claimed at a nearby little island or hidden beach, sometimes it was prepared by the staff of the school camp.
After the approximately one to two hours long lunch break, the afternoon session started. Usually, these consisted of regatta training. I´ve witnessed the initial skipper´s briefings a couple of time (with appropriate distance to not disturb). In our case, the ratio of trainer to pupils was 1:5, which was absolutely great. This meant that the trainer had few enough pupils to take care of, to “control” and advise. At the same time it made sure, that there was enough of his attention for any single of the guys. Besides the trainers, the club had provided for a shore-crew: These guys were on the VHF all the time, provided for refueling of the power boat dinghies and complete assistance. That´s for the safety: Just like a lifeguard observing the beach, they had the whole fleet in their binoculars all the time.
After the briefing, where the aim and training topic was set up by the trainer, the little skippers went to the water. A great fun: Like a huge traffic jam, a long waiting queue was formed with the Optimists lined up at the slip ramp. One by one they launched their little skiffs and slowly sailed to their designated waiting areas. Another aspect of the camp: Orientation and self-control. At first I thought that some 50 dinghies concentrated in such a narrow area will become a huge turmoil, but it didn´t!
The little fellas sailed out slowly, each group to their pre-determined waiting area. One by one joined, sailing in squares, waiting for the group to be completed. Lastly, their trainer arrived on his power boat. Another reason for an early start: Usually, there wasn´t much wind apparent so that launching and getting the whole fleet underway could be done in a very calm and organized manner. Looking more “offshore” for patches with wind, the groups then took off, sometimes being towed, often sailing by themselves. What a great sight: So many happy and proud parents!
Regatta basics, first tactics … and lots of fun
As most of the kids already had acquired their sailing certificate on the Optimist class, basically nothing happened in terms of “chaos”. I was astonished how safely and sure these little skippers operated their boats. Even my own son: Seeing him sailing away, moving around in his little dinghy, having the tiller in his hand and balancing the boat like it was a simple skateboard was so cool! He was safe and sure, mastered any gybe and tack, even rolling tacks and near-capsizes. That´s what the Optimist has been developed for: Providing a fairly stable platform on the one hand but being quite agile on the other.
The boys indulged into a true sailing adventure: Some smuggled illicit stuff on board. Like little branches from trees, “bombs” made from grassroots or even lumps of mud. The minutes before the trainer would arrived were then utilized to stage proper naval battles: Dinghies would engage in attack runs, fire exchanged, retreat. So much fun! I emphasized to one of the trainer to maybe have a huge battle arranged at the end of the camp with water balloons or water cannons … Anyway, training started when the power boat arrived. For a five-day sailing camp, that´s a pretty intensive schedule, believe me.
During the first days, the group of my son practiced regatta starts. As this is often the key to successful sailboat racing, it made sense. Also, the whole pre-start sequence is a great occasion to train boat mastery, formation sailing and position holding and time-to-distance sailing. I witnessed this from ashore: Five little boats, taking out power of their sails, hovering in front or imaginary starting lines. Then the trainer would lower a flag, the dinghies sported towards the start. In this, and in repetition, the kids started to develop a feeling for their boat´s capabilities to accelerate but also to stop, hover to hold position. Of course, basic rules – later comprised in the collision avoidance rules – were trained. “Wind from starboard side is best …” and such.
It took no two days until I witnessed the kids hollering “Rooooom!!!!!” all the time. Now they were proper racers! It was a bit hard to make out my own child in the turmoil of the whole fleet, but sometimes I could see him, which, as a parent, made me pretty proud. Apparently, he was very focused, looked around himself all the time to determine safe distances to the others, and sailed … quite like me: Defensive, strategically.
Of course they do capsize
And now the obvious: If you are a parent reluctant to granting your kids participation in sailing for safety concerns, be assured that all is safe. Of course they do capsize, the more wind, the more MOBs occur. The train capsizing deliberately. First without much wind, the girls and boys are taught how to bring their boats to the brink of capsizing. That´s important because they get a feeling for the whole process. Near the shoreline at first to instill a sense of security, then gaining more and more distance.
In the end, if capsizing occurs during sailing or their fun regattas, they know why and how to get back into the boat, turning it upside down again and empty it of the ingress water. Also, in every case of a capsize, the power boats with the trainers who always have a sharp lookout on their maximum five little skippers, will be at the location in a few seconds to assist if needed. So, put aside your apprehensions and be reassured that sailing training is a very safe occasion in a protected, secluded environment. This even starts with the very location where it takes place: In the case of my kids, it was the Schlei, a Fjord-like inlet with an inshore character: Low to moderate winds only and no significant waves at all. Just let go …
Fostering team work and personal responsibility
On the other hand, the more you as a parent let go, the more space you leave open for your child to fill in. I am a pretty accurate person when it comes to schedules, plans and appointments. Apart from operating the alarm clock, I tried to not meddle with the affairs of my boy during the whole week. I rather saw myself as a kind of anchor or reference for him if needed, focused on taking care of my youngest son. That meant, that we often left after they sailors were out. We discovered the vicinity by car in various day trips, just to return when the little skippers came out of the water again.
Some of the older boys traveled alone. Some even camped in their own tents, which is a notch up in adventure factor. We had booked a family room in the school camp facility. It´s like a low grade one star hotel. Breakfast and dinner included, fairly basic cantina food. But that´s not what it is all about: It´s about paving the way for your kids to take over responsibility and start to growing up. During the day, the small groups of five to seven kids practice together, will help each other and also race against each other. Teamplayer-mode and some nice competition. It´s so much fun but with a deep rooted pedagogic concept. It´s fascinating how fast kids form relationships and even find friends: Be it on the water or in their spare time.
This sailing camp – with parents attendance – was the first of its kind for this age. Later, even this year during the big summer vacation, another camp is up to be booked. This time without parents. It´s an even bigger step for both: We, as parents, have to let go our kids for a full week, entirely trusting their safety and wellbeing to the staff. On the other hand, our kids will have to take an even bigger step in terms of becoming self-aware, independent and responsible beings. How long will they be awake at night, knowing that the next day will start early? Will they take care of the complex sailing gear? It´s all so fascinating – and the steps they take are immense!
Race day!
The undisputed highlight of the sailing camp was the “big regatta”. It had been announced by the trainers from day one, building up tension and pleasant anticipation. The idea was that they would do a serious race against the kids of a nearby local sailing club. The whole training content was dotted with little hints to that big race. Always mentioning the “other kids”, the “local heroes” now and then made the young skippers train even harder, focus much better: Of course, they wanted to cut a dash in the upcoming final big regatta!
It was amazing: My son got up even earlier than me that morning. He checked his boat twice, putting an extra effort in setting up the Optimist and pre-trimming the sail. When the “others” arrived – equally under tension and pleasant anticipation – the boys made plans, cooked up some plots and starting tactics, even asked for a weather forecast. True racing atmosphere, but also so much fun and smiles everywhere.
It was a great sight to witness the over 30 Optimists set out. The power boats were buzzing around. The all well known dance in front of the starting line followed. As the weather progressively deteriorated with rain and more wind setting in, the big field was re-located farther away from the shore so that observing became very hard. But my son later told me with so much sparkles in his eyes, how much fun it was and how exciting it became. I know all too well what he was talking about.
The big last race lasted for more than two hours. After the starting signal, they dashed towards the windward buoy. For little skippers, this is a true challenge: Keeping a strict 45 degrees TWA is not very intuitive, kids tend to point much higher as it feels more natural to aim directly towards the yellow mark. That “let go” and sail faster with more TWA was one of the big training issues. My boy did a fantastic start: 4th or 5th over the line, not bad in a crazy field of 30 boats! After coming around the windward buoy, the next mark was to be rounded with a direct beam reach course. The high-speed part. Idea was to see who was really good at fine trimming the little sail, utilize the full power of the wind and counter-balance the tendency to heel by really hanging in to the hiking straps. Noobs often tend to ease the main, because it feels safer. Hence sailing slower of course. My son managed to catch two of these, but also got overtaken by the champs.
Back over the starting line and to the second buoy, the last part of the regatta-triangle was the leeward mark. This was an all-out running point of sail. The idea here is to train full control over the boat. With mainsail open completely, we all know how a hull behaves when sailing straight downwind: The wobbling, the yaw and the constant danger of a broach with a resulting Chinese gybe. It is also much harder now to gain positions as all boats will be equally fast – the one who has the best control over his boat will prevail …
Creating memories of a lifetime, friendships and building personalities
You can imagine the enthusiastic flood of words, the endless stream of descriptions, bits and pieces and overturning testimony of anecdotes our kids constantly shot at us upon returning to shore after the race! To see how excited, yes, how elevated and full of joy they were! Albeit beaten fully by the local sailing club, all felt like winners. And they truly are!
There´s no regatta without a proper award ceremony! The club set up a nice little sailing party in the afternoon. To start with, every single kid received an individual certificate. It was a nice document stating that they´ve completed the training and subsequent big race. Then, little and bigger trophies were handed out: The top three of every age-class were asked to pose for a nice photograph and given the cup. My son, did not grab a cup, but, as all others too, received a nice floating key fob. Seeing the girls and boys with so much happiness in their smiles, so much joy and fun, was truly heartwarming. What a great occasion! The guys of the club made sure that everyone felt like a winner, although, with a bit of comic relief, they also stated that the local kids “ripped us off, to be honest” … as long as all can laugh, that’s a good thing.
No sailing camp without a proper camp fire and big BBQ celebration, right? The last evening, we spent with grilling hundreds of sausages, devouring dozens of hand made salads and side dishes – lovingly prepared by the parents – and some nice kid´s dancing. The proud fathers gathered at their own table, enjoyed a couple of beers and engaged in “serious” sailing talks – many of these guys are club members and yacht owners themselves, preparing their adult racing season. There were also a lot of sailing moms. To my relief, not of the kind you´d assume, but rather also sailing-affectionate and very open minded ladies, not those “soccer moms” we can read about everywhere. The BBQ was the big closing ceremony, a nice highlight for the kids to foster their friendships, exchange contacts and arrange future meetings.
When does you kid start sailing, becoming an optimist?
I hope that this little report of my son´s first one week sailing camp was not only informative, but gave you a nice insight into what awaits your child when enrolling in such a venture. It´s a fun, engaging and exciting week full of – pretty heavy – sailing training and quite a full schedule. The level and quality of the training is absolutely amazing. On our drive home, I had the impression that my son mutated into a Cap Hoorn-veteran, so much hard-talk and that many sailor´s stories endlessly battered my ears … I love it!
If you are trying to get your kids excited for sailing, enrolling them in a sailing club is a great way. It will not just make your family´s sailing trips much more appreciable and potentially turn a sheer passenger into a full able deckhand aboard, it will pave the way for your kid to becoming a grown up, taking over responsibility. I am still blown away by the really huge steps he took in terms of his sailing abilities, the vast amount of experience he gained in just one week. And best of all: He is now much, much more interested in sailing: “Daddy, when is our boat ready?”, “When will we be out sailing again?” or: “What´s the next boat class after the Optimist?”. How much better can it be, right? Thanks to all the trainers, assistants and volunteers of all the sailing clubs who make this happen! You are providing our kids with unforgettable memories and make parents happy.
Sailing with kids, a huge topic. Here´s more:
How to excite your kids for sailing
My kid´s first big sailing trip: Unforgettable!
Life jacket drills with sailing kids