Youth Summer Camps
Our dynamic Youth Summer Sailing Program runs from mid-June through mid-August, ten weeks. Our day camps provide the perfect chance to get young sailors comfortable with the water and eager to continue developing their skills and confidence. Courses are carefully constructed for specific age levels to maximize learning and growth opportunities.
Camp runs Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM beginning June 9th through August 15th, 2025. Students can sign up for however many weeks they wish, from as little as one week to as many as ten weeks. Though not a requirement, we recommend choosing consecutive weeks, if your sailor's summer schedule allows, to maximize skill retention.
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multi-week discount and 10% discount for COLYC members
Age: 7 to 10 years old
Pram
​Our Prams program offers younger children an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of sailing. Class instruction takes place on and off the water, where students learn about safety, basic sailing terminology, and sailing knots. Students are introduced to sailing theory concepts in the classroom through visual and auditory methods. On the water, students are coached on how to correctly helm a boat, trim sails, and perform capsize recoveries. Students can sign up for however many weeks they want, 1 through 10, and can also mix and match weeks throughout the summer. Though we recommend consecutive weeks for skill retention, they are not required.
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*Children under the age of seven will be considered case-by-case. Interested in Shark Bait?
Age: 9+ years old
Youth Keelboat
6:1 student-to-instructor ratio!
The Youth Keelboat is aimed toward students who want to learn to sail for the first time or continue developing their skills on one of our Colgate 26 sailboats. Through on-the-water and classroom instruction, students will learn about safety, boat parts, rigging, knots, sailing terminology, and points of sail. On-the-water instruction includes tacking and gybing, steering, boat balance, launching, and docking, and it focuses on teamwork and communication to sail the boat. For the best skill retention, we recommend signing up for consecutive weeks.
Age: 10 to 13 years old
Feva Sailing Camp
In Adventure Sailing camp, students learn to sail in our RS Feva XL’s are specifically designed for middle-school-aged sailors. These boats are considered skiffs with a light roto-molded construction and an asymmetrical spinnaker. Comprising of both classroom and on-the-water instruction, students learn about safety, boat parts, rigging, knots, sailing terminology, and points of sail and are introduced to asymmetrical spinnakers. On-the-water instruction includes tacking and gybing, steering, boat balance, launching, docking, and capsize recovery. If you’re looking for a fun class to join this summer, this is the one for you!
Age: 10 - 15 years old
Adventure Kids Camp
Our Adventure Kids camp is a fun way for students to try a little of everything that Lake Michigan has to offer! PLEASE NOTE the Adventure Kids Camp is NOT a sailing-oriented camp. A camp day consists of a variety of the following activities including kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, interactive games, story-telling and environmental-focused STEM education principles. Many of our students decide to take one of our beginner sailing classes after discovering how much fun being on the water is!
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Sponsored by Manitowoc Marina
Age: 12 to 18 years old
Beginner/Intermediate 420
Our Beginner/Intermediate C420 is a class aimed towards middle and high school students, who either want to learn to sail for the first time or are continuing their training in the premiere junior racing/training boat in the United States. With both classroom and on-the-water instruction, students learn about safety, boat parts, rigging, knots, sailing terminology, and points of sail. On-the-water instruction focuses on tactical skills such as tacking and gybing, steering and sail trim, launching and docking boats, and capsize recovery.
Students have the option to sail however many weeks they want, 1 through 10, and can also mix and match weeks throughout the summer. Though we recommend consecutive weeks for skill retention, they are not required.
Advanced C420
The Advanced C420 class is designed for students who have mastered basic sailing skills and are interested in pursuing the sport at the next level. With both classroom and on-the-water instruction, students will learn advanced boat handling techniques in C420s and how to use a trapeze and spinnaker. The US Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing will be used on the water through racing drills and simulations. At the same time, sailing theory and concepts will be covered in the classroom through lectures, videos, and on-dock demonstrations.
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*This course requires Beginner/Intermediate C420 to be taken previously, have equivalent experience, or a coach's recommendation.
