By Desiree Williams
The Indianapolis Sailing Club will offer its annual sailing education summer camp from June 12 to July 28 at the club, 11325 Fall Creek Rd.. From 9 a.m-4 p.m., kids will be immersed in new topics, including water safety, knot tying, wind direction and more.
Students are split into groups based on experience level, and the staff follows the U.S Sailing programs to tailor lessons to each group. The camp incorporates on-the-water instruction as well as games, rain or shine.
The camp is designed in weekly sessions. Michelle Sarber, junior sailing coordinator, said they organized it this way so that after the first week, kids can decide if they are interested enough to come back for the entirety of camp. Sarber suggests completing all six weeks in order to truly feel comfortable sailing on your own afterward.
“Sailing is a life-long skill,” Sarber said. “It’s one of those things that you may not be able to play soccer all your life or football, but you can sail.”
The staff also runs a weekly ranking program, which consists of a verbal and on-the-water test. If a student passes, he or she receives a ribbon and a new rank. Kids can opt out of this test each week, but Sarber credits this program with why 60 percent of students return to the camp each summer.
“We have kids who continue to come back every summer because they want to achieve the highest rank, and at this point in time, a lot of those kids who have gone through our program end up working for me,” Sarber said.
Registration for Indianapolis Sailing Club members is $200 per week, and $320 for non-members. The club also offers sibling and multiple-week discounts.
Those interested can register online at indianapolissailingclub.org.
