Boat Transition Tips for Youth Sailors

Transitioning into a new boat class is always a bittersweet moment. Your journey to this point has likely been in a small, introductory boat such as the Opti or Sabot, and now there are many more boat classes to consider as your next step. You may be struggling to decide your next boat class, not to mention training partners, equipment, and coaching.

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Best Practices for Growing Your Class by Attracting Younger Sailors

The Lightning Class has supported youth sailing for many years. Every year we hold a Junior North American Championship. A Youth World Championship is held every other year. Many top sailors spent a lot of time racing Lightnings when they were young: Andy Horton, Jay and Jody Lutz, Greg and Matt Fisher, Jody Starck, Tim Healy, Brad Read, Ken Read, Betsy Alison, Dave Dellenbaugh and Ted Turner to name a few. Some class members thought this was not enough.

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Rules with Rocky: Understanding Leverage on the Racecourse

Hello, my name is Rocky the Rule-Following Fish! Although I live under the water, I love knowing everything about rules for boats on top of the water. My glasses help me see a lot from down here. Every month I will share new information about how to act when boats meet. The rules on the…Read More

WATCH THE REPLAY on The Starboard Portal – Increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Sport of Sailing

The panel discussed ways sailors and sailing organizations can implement strategies now to increase awareness and opportunities within their sailing organizations and programs for individuals from diverse backgrounds and people of color. The panelists provided practical guidance for conducting outreach in your local communities and best practices on fostering relationships with community leaders and influencers to help you achieve your diversity, equity and inclusion goals. Watch the replay!

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Fun is the Key

The lessons of the past are still relevant today! This article excerpt was originally published in the July/August 1996 edition of the American Sailor. With current anecdotal information showing that participation in sailing is in decline and people are making choices based on limited leisure time, we as sailors need to do everything we can…Read More

Fun, Fast, and Fair – the J/80 at its Best!

This article is from an interview with Ramzi Bannura, President of the J/80 North American Class Association – www.j80na.org. US Sailing: What is the appeal of the J-80 class? Ramzi Bannura: The allure is that the J/80 is a competitive one design class that has pockets of established fleets and boats across the US and…Read More

Staying Engaged with Sailors: Lake Minnetonka Sailing School with Jessica Haverstock

Lake Minnetonka Sailing School stays engaged with their members and sailing community through creative remote control sailboat racing.

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How to Hydrate Your Athlete If They Don’t Like Water

This article is brought to by US Sailing in partnership with TrueSport If you have a picky athlete who doesn’t love the taste of water, or just one who’s constantly on the go and bad at remembering to regularly sip from a water bottle, it can be tricky to make sure that he or she…Read More
RS Feva

Capturing Sailors using Social Media

By Jess Haverstock and Cindy Moen of Lake Minnetonka Sailing School Social media platforms are powerful promotional tools for sailing schools, yacht clubs and sailing organizations to reach the sailing audience. Sure, you have a Facebook page. Okay, you are on Instagram. Now how do you positively and meaningfully engage with your audiences to reinforce…Read More
Kids Presenters

Ask Kids What They Want

By John Pearce and Ariana Smaldone On Saturday, February 2nd youth sailors Will Levy, Mallory Edwards, and Sydney Monahan, ages 16, 17, and 18 respectively, took command of a room full of sailing leaders at the National Sailing Program Symposium (NSPS) in Jacksonville, Florida. Their panel discussion, titled “Ask Kids What They Want,” took place…Read More