Slide show of pictures from our annual Sailing Clinic - June 2008

What is Sebago Sailing?

Our Boats: All boats at Sebago must be hand carried down the ramp and launched from the dock. This naturally limits the craft to those that are relatively light in weight. There is also a mast height restriction at the Belt Parkway bridge. But so far, no boat that you could get down the ramp has a stick so big it wouldn't go under the bridge, (but you never know). All of our club boats are one-design dinghys. These are single person boats that can be quite athletic to sail, and require hiking out to keep upright. They are wet boats, and will flip easily. The club has three Sunfish, two Lasers, a Supersunfish, a Force 5 and a vintage 420 (we're still working on getting this boat up and running). All of our club boats require yearly maintenance to keep them afloat, and since Sebago is an all-volunteer club, this work is performed by our members. This is however, good training for maintaining and repairing your own boat when you get one. To use one of our club boats, a member must be "certified". Download SailCom Policies and Certification Requirements. The Sailing Committee (SailCom) keeps two dollies for transporting the boats down to the dock and works to keep the boats in reasonable condition throughout the year.

OUR EVENTS
Members who have little or no experience sailing dinghys and would like to sample sailing have several opportunities. The first is our Open House (this year on May 24) when Sebago sailors take anyone interested out on rides. We also invite members to join in on our Friday nite races the first Friday of June, July, and August. Note: you will need to contact the SailCom Chair to schedule and confirm a partner to take you out.

Annual Sail Clinic... (this year on June 28 and 29th) is the best opportunity for our members to learn sailing at Sebago. This is a basic sailing class, but the information can be adapted to our students as necessary. We teach adults only, and use the club boats, so you will learn to rig and sail our particular boats, and you will also be offered specific information regarding our waterfront, the basin, and Jamaica Bay . Remember - these boats require very physical movement. You will be wet, and more than likely you'll flip the boat and spend a little time in the water (but that makes it fun!). The class runs all day on both days, and includes classroom instruction, rigging, on-land training, and extensive on-the-water training for both days. We usually cruise out to one of the islands and set up buoys to run sail drills by the second day. The class requires an instructor for each student, so enrollment is limited. Book early! Payment ($105) confirms enrollment.

Friday Racing... This year we will be racing on Friday nights (previously it was Thursdays). These races are open to all certified sailors in any boat. Use of boats is on a 'first come-first served' basis. Sailors should be rigged and on the water by 5:30 (latecomers are welcome to join in, but we ain't gonna wait on you!). We welcome sailors of all skill levels as long as you can handle a boat by yourself. The races are friendly. We're happy to work with beginners who need to understand procedures and rules. Racing is a terrific way to hone your boat handling skills. When we have daylight we usually get in 2-4 races. Races begin this year on May 30 and run through August.

Cruises... SailCom has a cruise scheduled once every month. Any certified sailor is welcome to join in. Use of boats is on a 'first come-first served' basis. Sailors should be rigged and on the water by the times listed on the calendar for each cruise. Cruises are typically 3-4 hours long, and usually include beaching for lunch.

Our sailors get out on the water as much as possible. Most of us are sailing every weekend, in addition to our scheduled events. We often set up impromtu games or drills for our amusement, and we practice skills during our cruises in the Bay. Many of our sailors own their own boats, which include not only the one design dinghy classes mentioned, but small skiffs and sailing canoes as well. Jamaica Bay offers fabulous sailing; some of the best to be had in the NYC area.

We welcome anyone interested in our sailing program to contact the SailCom Chairs for more information.

Download:
Sailing Schedule of events, 2008 for our membership
 
SailCom Policies and Certification Requirements for members to use club sail boats
 
Sebago Calendar - April, 2008
(all pdf files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader)