What is high school sailing? An opportunity to learn to sail, race and compete against other high school teams and travel to regattas. At the highest level, high school sailing leads to national competitions. How is it organized? Currently 84 schools in California and Hawaii are registered in the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association (PCISA). Eligibility is open to boys and girls in ninth through twelfth grades. The northern California region sponsors ten regattas each school year and PCISA holds five regattas spread throughout the state. What is the local scene? The San Francisco Yacht Club supports some Marin high school teams. SFYC supplies boats, coaches, trailers, hot showers and much more. Currently Redwood, Tamalpais, Marin Catholic, and Branson High Schools are based there. Practice is three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday, from 4pm-6:30pm (leaving the dock at 4pm) with all varsity teams practicing together. Teams travel to one or two regattas each month.  Sausalito Yacht Club will be used as a practice venue as well for 2009/10.
What boats are sailed? Most HS sailing is “fleet” racing. It is done in double-handed dinghies such as the Flying Junior, or “FJ”. There are also single-handed regattas in Lasers or Laser Radials, and team races in FJs. What happens at a high school regatta? High school teams arrive at the host Club early in the morning towing trailers with up to six FJ's on them and with cars full of kids and their sailing gear. Each high school team has at least four members, two skippers and two crew. All boats are entered into a rotation. The A skippers and crew take to the water and sail the first two races. In the meantime the B teams remain ashore waiting their turn to sail. After two races the boats are brought ashore, the A teams jump out while another school's B team jumps into the boat ready to sail two races. This A/B flip-flop continues throughout the regatta. Since only half of the kids are sailing at a time, it allows for a lot of fun interaction between teams while onshore. A team's score is the total of both their A and B scores added together. Races are generally short, with the goal of both A and B teams completing 6 races each day. Are there opportunities to sail on my team this year? YES! Both skipper and crew positions are needed in fall and spring.  
When does it start?   The introductory meeting will be in the Sailing Center (Roger Eldridge Room upstairs) at The San Francisco Yacht Club, in Belvedere, Tuesday, September 7th, at 6:00pm. Students and parents are both invited. Practice begins September 15th. Tryouts will be September 8-9 (if needed). How much does it cost? The fee to sail is $750/semester.  Regatta entry expenses are additional, but reasonable. What are the benefits of joining the sailing team? Sailing is a co-educational competitive sport. Colleges actively recruit talented sailors for their college teams. Sailing not only involves a high level of physical strength and agility but it teaches students about navigation, physics, the marine environment, SF Bay and the importance of teamwork. Sailing is a worldwide activity that literally can take you around the globe and provide instant introduction to people in every country. Sailing is a sport that you will enjoy throughout your life. Supervised use of SFYC facilities, offering the highest standard of safe, quality access to the water. Supervised use of a fleet of FJs. Safety and rescue boats on the water at all times with liability coverage under the Club's insurance policy. Professional coaching during regattas and practices. Requirements: Completed Registration Forms and proof of swimming ability. Enthusiasm and commitment. STILL WANT TO KNOW MORE?? Click here to check out the High School Manual! For more information, contact: Youth Sailing Director: Forrest Gay
415-435-9525 or Youth@SFYC.org PCISA website: www.PCISA.org, includes latest schedule