How do we keep teenagers interested in sailing? Every yacht club and sailing organization in the country is asking the same question. Most programs see a dramatic drop in junior participation starting at age 15.  Most don’t see new kids coming into the sport after age 12. Keelboat sailing, and specifically big boat sailing, provides a new and usually less time consuming way for juniors to connect socially, learn new skills, and potentially develop into competitive big boat racers. It’s perhaps the most effective way of bridging the gap for those who would otherwise drop out of sailing at 15 or 16 and then perhaps re-emerge after college without the means to buy a small boat and without the experience to crew on a larger boat.

US SAILING is working to establish a national, standardized Junior Big Boat Sailing Program. The goals of the JBBS program are to:

q       Increase junior sailing participation

q       Establish a JBBS program in every big boat sailing area in the country

q       Increase the competitiveness of junior big boat sailors to rival those of New Zealand and England, who have been benefiting from similar programs for years

q       Decrease the median age of big boat sailors by introducing a new wave of young big boat sailors to the mix

There is no shortage of big boat crewing opportunities (most big boat owners are always looking for crew), but there are few existing programs that adequately prepare juniors for such an experience. The JBBS program’s concept targets 14-18 year olds with and without sailing experience - all that is needed is the desire to learn. One of the greatest benefits and the attraction to big boat sailing is that you can assign tasks that fit the experience of the person, so a crew might have a wide range of skill levels and yet can still bond together as a team.

Some initial projects are required to support the success of the program:

• The development of a detailed orientation brochure to send to yacht clubs and other sail training organizations on “Starting a Junior Big Boat Sailing Program”.
• A JBBS Modular Program Supplement.
  The modular planner would provide basic information and techniques for becoming a JBBS coach, and serve as a planner for teaching the course.

To make a contribution to the development of the Junior Big Boat Sailing Program, or to sign on as a program sponsor, please contact the US SAILING Training Office.

Thank you to the following contributors who are making development of this program a reality:

Tom Neill
Jeff Johnstone
J/Boats
C&C