The Museum offers a very popular summer program for children and various ways for adults to learn to sail.
Junior Sailing Program
The Museum’s Junior Sailing Program offers two week sailing sessions starting in mid- June for youth ages 8 and older. Using the fun of sailing, the program teaches seamanship, from basic to more advanced, and competitive racing culminating in Regatta Week. The program promotes self-reliance, awareness of safety, adaptability to the forces of nature, developing self-confidence, sportsmanship, and respect for others, boats, and the sea.
The Jr. Sailing Program uses Optimist Prams and Flying Juniors.
The program sessions have been developed to allow the instructors to provide a curriculum that will introduce seamanship and the fundamentals of sailing to beginners while teaching more advanced techniques to participants with experience. The instructors coach and encourage cooperation from every junior sailor. Students are encouraged to help one another with rigging, and launching, and also to assist others and offer guidance. A 6-day Regatta Week program at the end of the season concentrates on competitive sailing and honing the skills of the participants.
The Junior Sailing program invites all past and present students of the program to participate in recreational sailing on Wednesday evenings during the summer. This is a great opportunity to practice skills and have some fun. Parents are expected to be in attendance as spectators and/or to help out. Boats are available on a first-come first-served basis.
Youth and High School Sailing Club
The Friends of the Maritime Museum (the Friends) in conjunction with community members have come together to organize a sailing club under the Friends for middle and high school students. Sailing activities will be at Gallants Channel, the site of the Friends’ Junior Sailing Program.
By drawing from a pool of young sailors in Carteret County, the club plans to represent local secondary schools at regattas in the Southeast Region and one day at Gallants Channel. Any student can participate, including home-schooled students. If sufficient funds are donated, we will offer scholarships to students who could not otherwise afford to participate. Scholarships will be based on need not on sailing ability.
The Vision
The Youth and High School Sailing Club seeks to initially raise $25,000 to develop competitive youth and high school sailing teams under the direction of Brent Creelman and the Board of Directors of the Friends. The Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to support the mission of the Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Donations are therefore tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
High school sailing is an established sport with a long tradition but has not been established in our area. The closest high school sailing programs in the area in Wilmington, Oriental, and the Raleigh area. By establishing a committee of volunteers and coaches that work closely within the established structure of the nonprofit, the club seeks to purchase racing practice boats to build their fleet for its student members. The vessel used for high school sailing is the C420. The 420 is a two-person sloop that is also used in collegiate racing. The club seeks to purchase boats through donations in order to help defray the costs of student participation.
Continued support of the program will be through business sponsorships, fundraising, and dues which will be assessed to participants. Fundraising and program fees will be used for maintaining the fleet, buying new boats, making improvements to the infrastructure at the site where the vessels are kept, as well as funding registration and insurance through the Interscholastic Sailing Association. The long-range goal will be to purchase a fleet of race quality vessels that can be used for hosting regattas at the Gallants Channel site.
Why are we starting the Youth and High School Sailing Club
- Meshes well with the educational system and its goals
- Offers a challenging sport that is age, gender, and race inclusive
- Takes place in a desirable environment
- Fosters friendships
- Teaches team work
- Promotes tourism—regattas bring tourism dollars to the area and fill hotel rooms and vacation rentals
- Gives students the opportunity for sailing scholarships and the ability to participate in a collegiate sport
- Enhances extracurricular opportunities and activities for local families and students
Private Sailing Lessons
Offerings in the Private Sailing Lessons programs include basic and intermediate instruction in both modern day sailors and traditionally rigged skiffs. Lessons are done on a custom basis and scheduled to suit your preferences. Whether you are just starting out, want to get the rust off, or desire to hone your skills as crew, we will work with you to determine just what you need in the way of instruction.
Families and small groups can schedule time on the water with our Family Sailing Program. Enjoy sailing in Taylors Creek, take a turn at the helm, stop and take a swim – it is all up to you.
Click here to request more information about Private Sailing Lessons.
Beaufort Woman’s Sailing Club
Beaufort Woman’s Sailing Club
The Beaufort Woman’s Sailing Club is a Friends sponsored program that brings members together for learning and camaraderie on the water.
Visit their page to learn more.
Call for more information on any of these programs – (252) 728-1638
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