Teen Sailing Program - Summer 2008

Teen Registration Form
Free Stuff for our Teen Sailors
Parental Release Form

Here's your opportunity to make your teen love the city. 

Let them experience the beauty, exhilaration and memories of sailing in New York Harbor.

Sailing teaches team work, develops self-confidence and sparks a new passion which will stay with your teen for the rest of their life.

Once teens discover the world of sailing, they will be changed forever.

There is something about the sport of sailing.  Maybe it's the independence teens feel when they steer the boat, maybe it's the camaraderie they feel with their crew, and maybe it's the fresh air and sunshine on their faces.  These are all important building blocks in the development and well being of your teen.

Give your teen a great opportunity - enroll them in our Teen Sailing Program today!

Program Description

This program is open to teens between the ages of 13 and 18 (as of June).

We will take a teenager without any sailing experience and over the course of one summer week, make them into a beginning sailor.

And we will take a teen who has already completed one or more weeks of this program and bring them to the next level of sailing and leadership.

What We Teach

We teach sailing.  But we also teach important life lessons.

In sailing, we start by teaching theory.  All teens get the "Sailing Fundamentals" text book.  Every morning, we begin with a classroom session which goes over theory and explains what they will practice that day.  Then sailors head out into the harbor and turn theory into practice.  Over the week, teens learn terminology, rigging, hoisting, trimming, steering, tacking, jibing and much, much more!

Sailing is also great for teaching life lessons.  Simple duties like coiling the ropes, washing down the boat and making everything ship-shape can spill over into every day life.  "Oh, that's why I should clean my room!"

Sailing also teaches self-confidence.  It easy to learn to tie a figure-8 knot.  But then suddenly, you know how to tie it and you can show other people.  You are now a leader.  Over the course of each week, teens will learn how to rig and sail a boat.  Back at school in the fall, your teen will have a special skill which makes them unique and a stand-out.

Sailing for one week on a boat creates teamwork and camaraderie.  You can't raise a sail without several hands working in unison.  The skipper can't chart a course without getting his or her crew to adjust the sheets.   Lasting friendships are created by sailing together on boats.

What Teens Will Experience

We sail in New York Harbor - one of the most breath-taking venues in the country.  Teens will sail in front of the Statue of Liberty.  They will see Ellis Island, Governor's Island and the Brooklyn and New Jersey waterfronts.  They will look back in awe at the skyline of Manhattan.  They will see the Staten Island Ferry.  They will see tug boats, barges, cruise ships (maybe the new Queen Mary II) and of course, many other beautiful sailboats.

And its not just the sights which teens will experience, they will also experience nature.  They will feel the fresh cooling sea breeze blow up from the ocean.  They will feel the summer sun on their faces, providing a glow to their cheeks.  They will see and learn about a variety of birds which fly above the harbor.

Each day when they come back to shore, teens bring a little harbor magic with them.

Our Location

We teach from the North Cove in Lower Manhattan.  This is New York City's mega yacht marina but also home to the Manhattan Sailing School and the Manhattan Sailing Club (www.myc.org).  North Cove is located in the center of Battery Park City on the Hudson River.  Full details about this marina are at www.TheNorthCove.com.   If you walk by, you have probably seen some of the school's J/24 sailboats on the floating dock at the front of the marina.  You can also see what is happening right now at the marina on the live webcam www.myc.org/cam_north.htm.

Our Sailboats
                                                            
We teach on J/24 sailboats.  These are the most popular one-design keel boats in the country.  You can see our fleet of J/24s docked at North Cove. Come down to the docks and look at the boats in person!  J/24s are the sailing equivalent of a sports car.  They are fast, easy to handle and when you turn the tiller, you feel an immediate response.  J/24s are excellent boats for teaching and for sailing in New York Harbor. 

Our Instructors

The Teen Sailing Program is led by Maritza Vargas, who is now in her 4th year of teaching at our school.  She originally comes from Colombia, South America and began sailing in St. Louis.  In Colombia, she co-founded and directed their first sailing school and was coach of the Colombian Optimist National Sailing Team.  Maritza won the "Coach of the Year Prize" given by the Colombian Sports Authority and she has degrees in graphic design and music. She speaks English, Spanish and German, is a big traveler and loves New York blues and jazz clubs.  In addition to Maritza, there are 1 or 2 other instructors who teach based on class size.

Schedule

The Teen Sailing Program is taught in one week sessions, Monday to Friday. Hours every day are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Teens can enroll in one or more weeks.

Tuition

The tuition for this one week program is $750 per student.  In addition to 5 days of great sailing instruction, your teen gets more free stuff from the school.  Here's the list.

We offer group discounts for teens who sign up together.  The available discounts are:

• 10% for 2 teens ($675 per student)

• 15% for 3 teens ($637 per student)

• 20% for 4 teens ($600 per student)

We also offer multi-week discounts for teens who enroll in more than one session.  These discounts are:

• Week 2, 20% off ($600 per student per week)

• Week 3, 40% off ($450 per student per week)

• Week 4 = Free (your teen will sail as an "instructor assistant")

There are also scholarships available.  The NY Harbor Sailing Foundation provides scholarships to teens which show great potential in the sport of sailing and who might go on to become instructors themselves.  Project City Kids provides scholarships to teens who might not otherwise be able to afford this opportunity.  For more information on scholarships, please contact Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh.

Why this is Fun

So what do teens really want?  They want to have fun while being engaged at the same time.  They want to be able to hang out, meet other kids and learn something that is cool and makes them unique.  Sailing is about all of this.

We work hard to make the Teen Sailing Program super fun.  In addition to the education, we engage our students in lots of fun activities during the week such as:

Tennis Ball Tag - a team sport which also reinforces boat handling skills and the man overboard maneuver.   Two tennis balls are put into play, one by each boat.  The object is to hit the sails of the other team.  If you hit the sails, your team scores 2 points.  But if you hit a person or your tennis ball is touched by someone before it hits the sail, then your teams loses 1 point. While the game is underway, the boats are not allowed to sail within 2 boats lengths of each other.  When a ball falls into the water, either falling off a boat after hitting it, or missing a boat altogether, first chance at the "ball overboard maneuver" goes to the team which did not throw the ball.  If they are unable to pick up the ball while passing it, then the next teams get to attempt a rescue.  Team with the most points at the end wins.

Pizza Party - on Wednesday evening, all teens are invited to join their instructors for a free pizza party after sailing.  The party is held at the sailing club's docks.

Foul Weather Field Trips - in the event of bad weather preventing sailing (such as rain or high winds), the education continues with field trips.  Teens and their instructors travel over to the South Street Seaport Museum for some historical education or ride the Staten Island Ferry, to see the whole harbor and compare the various buoys and navigational aides with a chart of the harbor.

Share Your Favorite Food Day - Thursday is always a special lunch with each teen asked to bring their favorite food.  We often have teens from different countries and different backgrounds on the same boat.  This is an opportunity to share culture or just to share their food interests.  Each team sits around in a circle and teens introduce their favorite food and share it with their friends.

Around Governors Island Race - If weather permits, the instructors may call for a special Round Governors Island Race between the teen boats.   The starting and finishing line are determined by mutual agreement.  But then, you can round Governors Island in either direction!  To win, you will need to understand the currents and how they relate to wind.  Depending on these factors, one way round the island is usually faster.  It always gets exciting.  And if you were heading clockwise around the island, but the other boat was ahead of you, then just switch and try your luck at going counter-clockwise.

Graduation Ceremony (Parents Invited) - Fridays at 4:30 p.m. is the graduation ceremony for the "future sailors of Manhattan."  Parents, relatives, friends and siblings are all invited.  Each teen is recognized and presented with a "Teen Sailing Program Commemorative Trophy."

Sign up Now for the Teen Sailing Program!

Current Enrollment - 2008

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(c) Manhattan Sailing School 2008