Join SCOW and improve your sailing skills with special classes offered only to members

SCOW has classes and opportunities both for old salts and for folks who haven't put foot on a sailboat yet but who want to learn to sail. We offer our classes to [SCOW members only*]

For more information on how to become a SCOW member visit the Join SCOW section of the Website. 

SCOW's training courses for 2012 include:

Basic Sailing

Our Basic Sailing class is taught on 19' Flying Scots. The Basic Sailing Class offers 4 nights of classroom instruction and 6 mornings or afternoons of on-the-water hands-on-learning. Once students have passed their written test, they are also eligible for on-the-water tutoring to improve their skills. These Flying Scots are the same boats that SCOW members use to race on on Wednesday nights during the season and that we use for Thursday night social sails. Once SCOW members earn their Flying Scot skippership they also may reserve these boats online for personal use.

Cruising Boat
Our Cruising Sailing class is taught on 25' Catalina Cruisers. The boats are big enough to overnight and cook on. The class includes 2 evenings of land instruction, 3 days of on-the-water hands-on-learning and one evening of hands-on on-the-water night sailing. Once students have passed their written test, they are also eligible for  on-the-water tutoring on the cruisers to improve their skills. SCOW members who are racing certified often race these boats on Tuesday nights and weekends.  Other SCOW members can join as crew. Once SCOW members earn their Cruiser skippership they also may reserve these cruising boats online for personal use. New sailors should get a year of Basic Sailing under their belt, before graduating to the Cruising Boat class.

Capsize

Our Capsize Class is taught on our 19' Flying Scots, sometimes with the help of our 25' cruisers. Students learn how to capsize and how to right a capsized Flying Scot. The class is taught on the water during a morning and afternoon.

 

 

Introduction to Spinnaker
Spend 4 hours with a SCOW instructor going over the basics of spinnaker sailing on our fleet of Flying Scots. A spinnaker is a large, thin (usually colorful) "kite-like" sail used when sailing down wind. This course wil include an electronic ahead-of-class packet of reading materials to familiarize yourself with spinnaker terms and basic theory. The class itself will be heavily weighed to getting out on the water and practicing safely raising and dousing a Spinnaker. Conditions need to be just right for spinnaker training, however, so keep the next day (Sunday) open in case the instructors needs to wait for better conditions.

All of the classes are held at the Washington Sailing Marina. Look at our 2012 Training Application for dates and times! And, contact our volunteer Training Director Tom training@scow.org or volunteer Training Co-Director Anne training2@scow.org for more info and availability of room in the classes.