Summer Sailing Academy

The Summer Sailing Academy is the most exciting and fun opportunity to give your child one of the best weeks of his/her summer filled with memories that will last a lifetime. While sailing is the focus of the camp, the staff will also challenge your child to excel in important life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communication. Keeping the mind fit is also of paramount importance. Over the course of the week, campers will gain a better understanding of the basic mathematical and scientific principles behind sailing as well as the environment they sail in: the Hudson River. Activities like charting and raising oysters will show kids that much can be learned through sailing and that this learning can be fun.

Skill Development

There are three sets of skills that our staff will work on with your child over the week(s) he/she is in the program.

1. Sailing Skills - On the most basic level, your child will develop his/her ability to sail a boat. Over the course of the week(s), your child will learn how to drive the boat, how to adjust the sails, how to execute maneuvers like tacking and gybing, and how to race a sailboat. Participants will also learn various knots, how to rig and derig a boat, and the “Rules of the Road”.

2. Math/Science Skills – As part of learning these sailing skills, your child will develop his/her understanding of how a sailboat works as well as gaining a perspective into their sailing environment. Regardless of his/her grade level and scholastic aptitude in math and science, the activities of the program will keep your child’s mind active while they are having fun. For example, making a sailboat go fast is fun, but what makes the boat go so fast, and how fast is it going? Using basic science and math concepts, your child will be able to answer both of these questions. In addition, your child will gain a greater appreciation for the other members of the Hudson River community by raising oysters and studying their growth over the week(s).

3. Life Skills – While your child is learning to sail and improving his/her understanding of the math and science of sailing, the staff will be working with them to improve their leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. As the driver or helmsperson of the boat, your child will learn how to effectively lead his/her crew members using positive and professional communication. As a crew member, your child will learn to be an important and contributing member of a team. The boat group of four will rotate through the week so that each child gets equal time at each position.

Our Staff

What makes the staff at HRCS the best anywhere is that our focuses mirror yours as parents. Our number one concern at all times is safety. After safety, we focus on ensuring your child has fun, makes new friends and lasting memories, learns valuable life skills, and becomes an expert sailor. Our staff have a combined fifty years of experience teaching kids sailing and 90% are returning HRCS staff. All our staff are licensed U.S. Coast Guard Captains with certifications in CPR and First Aid.

Accreditations

• US Coast Guard, US Sailing

Camp Focus

Academic and Pre-College Camps: Math

Academic and Pre-College Camps: Science

Adventure Camps: Sailing

Sports Camps: Water Sports

All Activities