Newport Yacht Club Marine Adventure Camp

Among the many hats I wear, I am also the Jr. Program Chair for Newport Yacht Club and sit on the Narragansett Bay Yachting Association's  Jr. Committee. I am very passionate about Junior Sailing. I wouldn't be the person I was today if I had not been given the opportunity to be a young sailor. Sailing gave me the confidence and skills to be very independent yet part of a collaborative team. I learned how to establish goals, persevere through tough conditions, but even more importantly how to be humble, patient, and trustworthy.

Newport Yacht Club has had a junior sailing program for over 40 years. Like most local junior programs, a large portion of the program has always been dedicated to competitive racing in dinghies. As the home to the America's Cup for nearly 100 years, this can be expected. However, it is important for sailors to fall in love with the joy of sailing and being on the water before the sport of racing. That is why Newport Yacht Club is launching their first "Marine Adventure Camp," a summer camp focused on having fun and learning on the water.

Not only will the club teach basic seamanship in their singlehanded- 8 foot Optis and doublehanded-14 foot 420s, sailors will learn in the Yacht Club's 19ft Ensign and Club members' 20, 30, and 40 foot sized yachts. Sailors will gain a well rounded approach to all sides of sailing by just experience the sport itself. On top of that, sailing will not be the only focus. Marine education, STEM, and nautical skills will woven through this day camp for 7-16 year olds. The camp will be held throughout the summer in 2 week sessions beginning June 29th and is meant to be an alternative to the racing program welcoming any range of experience.  Our instructors are all certified and well qualified, as safety is our number one priority. Thanks to the support of South County Orthopedics, we all have a full athletic trainer with first response training on site every day as well. 

Registration is open and all the information can be found at newportyachtclub.org. The best part of all, thanks to the donations of so many locals organizations, there are over a dozen scholarships available for local children for a full coverage of a camp fees.