The Manhattan Sailing School Teen Sailing Camp is a summer program run by the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation. It is one of the best ways you can spend a summer in Manhattan. You’ll be outdoors, sailing on a super cool boat and having lots of fun!
Teens sail on a fleet of J/24 race boats. Five students join one instructor and learn the basics of sailing. Teens also learn to have fun and work together to hoist the sails and trim the sheets. Sailing requires teamwork and concentration and they will be off their phones and focusing on tacking and gybing. They will learn to find the wind and predict the currents while building confidence and learning how to overcome adversity.
While sailing, teens are also encouraged to capture memories using their phones to shoot pictures and videos or they can bring their own GoPros and attach them to the boat. During their breaks from sailing, teens can post pictures online or connect videos to create a movie about their sailing experience. Videos are judged after the Lucky Dog Race on Fridays and offer creative teens to find their place in the program.
The Lucky Dog Race happens each Friday afternoon. All teen boats race against one another and some of the boats from the Manhattan Yacht Club join the race as well. There are 10 one-week sessions to choose from and teens may enroll in as many sessions as they like. We encourage teens to sign-up for at least two sessions to get the most out of the program as they build skills each week.