3-Day Opti Kids Camp: 2023, June 21-23

$179.00

Optikids Camp 5-7 years old

Price Per Person: $179

  • Ages 5-7
  • 4-6 campers in each camp
  • 3:1 Maximum Instructor Ratio
  • 3hrs each day from 9am – noon
  • Swimming, playing, paddling, Introduction to Sailing Optimist
  • Double-handed sailing with reduced sail area, in shallow water light wind area
  • May coach the camp in our light wind training ground so that sailors are captive and winds are lighter…instructor will advise on the week of camp

What are we learning?

A week of jam packed water sports fun.Taught by Hatteras Sailing Coaches and junior sailors as assistant coaches. We learn some basics of sailing and begin introducing basic sailing concepts (points of sail, knots, steering straight, wind indicators, etc) and we have lots of fun with a variety of activities.

Each day of camp includes chalk talk, land drills, instructor demonstration, on the water instruction, snack time, and a de-brief. Optikids camp is lead by a Hatteras Sailing Coach and an experienced Opti Sailor. The goal is to finish the week wanting to learn more about sailing. Each sailor is provided with a skills progression chart that the coaches will use to communicate with the parents. As the student masters the skills, coaches will initial sign off on that skill.

Weather Policy: We try to move and groove through the week to find weather and match the instructional hours. Once we start camp, no partial refunds and we work on alternate days/times or alternate material that can be accomplished in the current weather.

Registration

We need to have 4 minimum campers to run the camp. Please complete this form and when we have 4 campers for your week, we will send you a payment link.

     

    6 in stock

    Description

    Boat Handling Skills included Beginner I and Beginner II

    Beginner sailing for this age group is taught on the Optimist. Wind speeds here on Hatteras are quite strong and gusty which makes for exciting sailing, but it can be a challenge for coaching little beginners. We have an alternate ‘pond’ location that is protected, less gusty, and shallow. It is surrounded by land on almost every side so that the sailors cannot sail out into the sound. We use this as an alternate location for beginners when the wind is too heavy. In addition, sometimes we mix it up and do more adventure camp things when the weather is not favorable for learning to sail. It is expected that sailors will continue to repeat Beginner Sailing until they reach competence/confidence and our coaches sign off on the set of skills outlined. We do our best to make the experience fun and diverse enough to keep the sailors wanting to come back. We often take ‘play breaks’ for paddleboarding swimming, playing, etc.

    Each sailor is provided with a skills progression chart that the coaches will use to communicate with the parents. As the student masters the skills, coaches will initial sign off on that skill. Skills in Beginner I are prerequisite for moving up to Beginner II. A sailor must master all of these skills before being invited to sail with our development team.  It is recommended to repeat our weekly beginner sailing camps until these skills are mastered. We’ve learned through experience that intensive weekly instruction helps our sailors hurdle these basic boat handling skills more quickly and builds confidence better than Once or Twice per week instruction – particularly at younger ages. In addition, sailing is a sport that becomes more and more fun as your boat handling skills and confidence increase. Not only do sailors enjoy it more, but they feel safer and more confident sailing.

    Skills & Knowledge Covered

    • rigging / boat parts
    • wind awareness: direction & speed
    • basic knots: square knot, bowline, figure 8, double overhand stopper, clove hitch
    • capsize & recovery
    • proper sailing posture and body position
    • points of sail
    • boat handling: tack, jibe, upwind, downwind

     

    Additional information

    Membership Status

    Member, Non-Member

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