Learn to Sail - Beginner Sailing Program
It All Begins at
the Beginning
Independence, self Reliance, self Respect, accomplishment: all of the things that children learn when they learn how to sail.
The Lauderdale Yacht Club Sailing Foundation, through the generous donations of our supporters, provides learn-to-sail scholarships to the youth of our South Florida community. Established learn-to-sail programs provide an exceptional experience for these first-time boaters. Children learn life skills such as respect for others and equipment, communication, problem-solving, and a positive attitude. Through fun games and activities, sailors also learn how to identify wind direction, points of sail, basic boat handling skills, knot tying, rules of the road, and water safety.
Many of the LYCSF Sailing Scholarships are awarded based on essay contests in local schools. The LYC Sailing Foundation also helps teach children to sail by sponsoring participants in the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Learn to Sail Program.
“Why I would like to learn to sail”
“Imagine me on a sail boat out in the cool, salty water of the ocean. Now that’s an amazing experience. I hope one day I will earn that opportunity.”
“I think learning to sail would be really fun. Sailing might also help me to focus and persevere. Sailing takes a lot of patience and it is very hard to maneuver the boat. I can’t wait till I learn to sail!”
“I have always wanted to sail a real boat. If I close my eyes and concentrate really hard, a picture paints in my mind of my chocolate brown hair flowing in the soft breeze as I stand tall on a beautiful sailboat painted mustard yellow, a deep red, and a sky blue. I really hope I get to sail one day.”
“I think that it would be really fun to learn to sail. If I had to stay home I would have nothing to do and I would be super bored. I think that boats are cool because they float above the water”
The Cost to Sponsor a Sailor in Learn to Sail is $515
If you would like to sponsor a young sailor’s summer program, please contact us at info@lycsf.org.
Gabriel Blandon is a now a 14-year-old Fort Lauderdale High School student who began sailing as a fifth grader, when he received a scholarship for participating in the summer camp essay contest. Read his testimonial below.
“I want to begin by saying thank you for this opportunity to speak about my time at the Lauderdale Yacht Club. The coaches at the club are kind, funny and dedicate their time to making sure new sailors are taught to master their craft. Another thing that’s great about the program is the director JC allowed me to volunteer during the summer so I could give back and teach new and young sailors how to sail, that was awesome and fun; especially since one day I want to sail around the world and continue to give back. With that being said, living in the sailing capital of the world is a pretty cool and I the fact that the foundation and the yacht club opened their doors to me to be a part of this world is an amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Sincerely – Gabriel”
