Hiking out – leaning out over the edge of a sailboat – is an invaluable skill to manage the wind effects by providing a counterbalance.
Many boaters remember the very first time they set foot on a vessel. Whether it was a canoe, a speedboat, a pontoon boat, a raft or other craft the first boating experience is usually memorable.
For the past 16 years the UYC Maritime Foundation has sponsored junior sailing weeks as part of the organization’s education mission. The program has grown from a single one-week course to three separate weeklong sessions.
Since the program was created 16 years ago, more than 500 students have experienced boating first hand. Some have gone on to be sailing instructors, several have become regional and national racers, and others just developed a love of the water.
US Sailing Level II-certified coach Sally McDonald, 17, interviewed four students in the early stages of their sailing experiences this summer. These four are first-year participants and all are friends of returning junior sailors or relatives or friends of UYC members.
Here’s what they had to say:
Skylar Connor – Her initial boating experience came when she and her friend Nina went out on Nina’s parents’ boat. Nina encouraged Skylar, now 14, to register this year after Nina attended in 2025 and returned in 2026.
“Being on a sailboat was very different and we got to be on a couple different boats, set them up, take down the boats and experience the wind,” she said. “The hardest part was the days with more wind, because I hadn’t learned how to hike out,” (lean to one side to compensate for the wind).
(During the classes) “I had a lot of independence, and that was cool, because it helped me learn faster when you’re given more responsibility, do stuff on your own, control the boat, things like rig and de-rig.
“Sailboats have a lot of moving parts and there’s a lot to learn, but once they showed us how, we kind of had to figure it out, so it takes a little longer.”
Skylar initially registered for one week, but returned for the second week of the program.
One of the first things junior sailing students learn is how to properly put away a sailboat at the end of the day.
Ella Miller – Early in the week, each student takes a swim test, then is asked to capsize their small boat and right it. Ella, 10, said it was her least favorite thing: “When we did a try to capsize, that was not fun. It was pretty hard to get back up.”
“Having the students learn to right their boat early on helps build their confidence, gives them an invaluable skill and introduces them to the importance of safety,” said UYC Maritime Foundation Junior Program Executive Director Susan Reddaway. “Ella did an excellent job with this drill and it influenced her approach to sailing.”
Ella recognized that she would be learning many sailing skills during the week.
“When I first started, I was really bad at doing the tiller and the rudder,” she said. “And I kept going all over the place on Monday, but then by Tuesday, I was doing really well. I think I did pretty good with the steering then. I think I definitely improved on the steering.”
“Sailing camp was really, really fun, and I feel like you actually get something from it. Like, if you just go out in the water, rent a sailboat, you actually know what to do,” she said. “I think I could (someday) take my family out sailing to the Caribbean or to the Bahamas, if I actually get a sailboat and learn more stuff.”
Lawson Chesser – Lawson, 9, took his first sailing class in San Diego so he had already gotten a taste of sailing when he signed up for the Junior Program.
“I went to a sailing camp in San Diego, and I liked it,” he said. “I spent more time here learning how to steer, tie knots, because the boats (in the Junior Program) are smaller. Here, you get to try to do everything.”
Windy days were not his favorite, but for novice sailors that’s not unusual. “It was so windy today. I was on a 420, and I didn’t like that because I wasn’t used to the boat and the wind.”
Several days during the camp, instruction shifted to the shore. “As instructors we’re always mindful of safety, and when the wind is blowing hard or storms are predicted, we have a back-up plan,” Reddaway said. “Students practice tying knots, learn about safety and do ‘book-learning’, such as points of sail and rules of the road.”
Hudson Rockwell – For Hudson, 10, being on a sail boat by himself for the first time opened his eyes, although he had ridden on powerboats before.
“Once I got out there, I thought I was gonna capsize, like, six times, but I didn’t capsize any,” he said with a smile. He’d been on larger boats with family, but he was a passenger.
“It was really different (on sailboats), because the other boat was pretty big, and I didn’t really get to sail a lot. And here, it’s just, like, really fun, and you get to sail all the time.
