Junior Week

2. Junior Week Our traditional program - five days in late June

Junior Week will be June 16-20 for Juniors age 7 to 17 and will consist of classes for Beginning Opti, Intermediate Opti, Racing Opti, Racing 420/Laser and Group Sailing for teens who wish to sail with crew. This is a great way for Juniors to kick-off their sailing season with lots of time learning sailing on and off the water, hanging with their friends and spending time with their parents. Kids completing Opti Kids that want to continue their training may join Beginning Opti at Junior Week the following week or continue on with our Learn to Sail program the following week.

A parent or guardian must be on site during the program. Coaches for Junior Week will include three professional Coaches including Luis "Dingo" Canuto (420/Lasers), Damian Saponara(Racing Optimist), and Tommy Coleman (Intermediate Optimist). Other volunteer coaches assist with all aspects of the program. All Junior sailors should participate in Junior Week (June 16-20), our premier sail training program for children ages 7-17. It consists of 5 days sailing school and other fun - swimming, ice cream, movies, and playing with contemporaries. The choices of programs are as follows:

Optimist and Group Sailing Classes

  • Beginning Opti Classes - use a Club Optimist. sailors age 7-10 with limited experience. They’ll sail double-handed, and learn basic boat-handling skills with close supervision. SOLD OUT.
  • Intermediate Opti Classes - bring and sail your own Optimist. for sailors with some boat handling and sailing experience, ages 8-11. They must bring their own Optimist. Students sail one to a boat but within a closely supervised group. They’ll learn more about boat setup, sail trim and boat-handling. Racing is introduced to this class. SOLD OUT
  • Group Sailing Classes - sail with 3-5 other Juniors in a Mobjack or similar boat. This class is for sailors age 12 and over who ideally have completed Intermediate Optimist class. This class sails triplehanded with friends in loaned boats, such as Mobjacks. The emphasis is on sailing to destinations. We work hard to accommodate everyone who wants to be in this class, but enrollment is limited by the number of boats we can borrow.

Racing Classes

  • Racing Opti Class - bring and sail your own Optimist. This class will appeal to sailors ages 10 and up, who have their own Opti and want to learn about starts, improving sail trim, going faster, and the basics of racing strategy. They should have completed Intermediate Optimist or have equivalent experience. This class is designed to prepare our Juniors to enter Regattas.
  • Racing Laser Class - bring and sail your own Laser - NO Club Lasers. This program is designed to parallel the racing Optimist program but provide separate coaching for older kids 8 and up who have outgrown Optimists and are ready to move on to doublehanded racing in Club 420s or continue singlehanded dinghy racing in Lasers or Laser Radials.
  • Racing 420 Class - sail with another Junior - as skipper or crew - in one of the Club's 420s. SOLD OUT

A Note to Parents

Parents are encouraged to seek guidance from the Junior Division staff in selecting a program track that is right for their child. FBYC has taken care to provide programs that fill the needs of a wide range of ages and skill levels. It is important that parents work with staff to properly place their children in the most appropriate program to avoid difficulty and frustration on the part of the child and disruptions to the class. If you are uncertain of your child’s skill level or have concerns about their progress at any point in their program, please feel free to ask for an assessment by our coaches so that adjustments can be made to make your child’s introduction to sailing a positive experience. It is not recommended to put your Junior in a skill level above the Junior’s experience just to be with a friend or sibling and the leaders and coaches will counsel you against that mistake.

Housing is available during Junior Week at Christchurch School. See Housing at bottom of Parent Support.

Daily Schedule

More details will be provided in the enrollment package sent to registrants, but note that Junior Week classes are from 9:00 am to Noon, and from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Lunch on your own is to be supervised by parents. Junior Week officially ends at noon on Friday.

Parents and juniors interested in participating or helping who would like additional information should contact Stephan Cost at costfamily@comcast.net 434-973-8861.

Boats

There is the issue of Boats ... FBYC now has an on-line method to either buy, sell, rent or borrow a boat. See Classified Ads

After Junior week

After Junior Week is over - there are several additional options for sailing during the summer.
  • Race Development Team - with race training and coaching for beginning racers - mostly Optimists Green Fleeters - together with travel to local Regattas More about Race Development Team
  • Race Team Extended Program described at 2008Racing
  • Learn to Sail Program described at 2008 Learn 2 Sail
  • Coaching and Clinics - available on selected days at daily or hourly rates
  • RegattasSee the entire 2008 FBYC Junior Schedule here.
  • Team Racing Team Racing clinic on June 20 and 30
Office Mail: Fishing Bay Yacht Club, P.O. Box 29186, Richmond, VA 23242
Race Committee: FBYC Race Committee, P.O. Box 499, Deltaville, VA 23043
Phone Numbers: Club House (804) 776-9636   Fannie's House (804) 776-9346     Contact Webmasters