Children’s Island Sailing Camp Makes Waves

Up until last year, the Sailing Camp on Children’s Island was a part of the day camp, rather than its own separate entity. But separating the Sailing Camp has made huge strides for the program and for the young sailors who attend.

Katie Morgan is at the helm as the Sailing Camp Director this summer, and has been going to Children’s Island since she was 11 years old. She has been part of the Sailing staff for six years, and was enthusiastically chosen to be the Sailing Camp Director this summer.

With Sailing Camp separate, a group of kids spends all day learning about sailing and practicing their new skills. “They build on their knowledge and their confidence all day, and they impress us every day with the progress they make,” said Morgan.

Every morning, the campers go over safety rules and rigging, and learn the basics behind the sailing they will be doing that day.

“We have been taking at least one full day trip per week, and the kids absolutely love it,” said Morgan. “We pick a destination to sail to, like Riverhead, Misery Island, and Brown’s Island, and the kids have to sail to the destination and tie up to a mooring. We go to the beach and play for a while or get ice cream, and then we sail back. It’s been a huge hit with everyone so far.”

The counselors sail with the campers for much of the first week of camp, to make sure they are comfortable on the boat and they are confident in their new sailing skills before sailing solo.

“I like this camp much better than other sailing programs I’ve tried,” said camper Lindy Miller. “It’s smaller and more fun, and you get more time with the counselors because there are less kids, which makes it more informative too. I learned how to sail without a rutter or tiller, and earned my Mate Patch. The counselors are really nice and helpful, and in the boat to guide you and help you when you are learning new things,” said Miller.

The kids are learning to race as well, being broken up into groups by skill level by the second week. They each decide who will take the responsibility to be skipper.

“By the second week, we have all of the kids sailing solo comfortably,” said Morgan. “We simulate real races, and it teaches the campers discipline. I’ve seen campers who have too much energy for other camps completely transform when they are in charge of their own boat; they direct all of their energy into successful sailing.”

But this Sailing Camp teaches much more than racing. The kids all have to do man overboard and capsizing drills, for example, in their safety training. “We want to make sure that they are prepared for these situations too, because anything can happen out on a boat,” said Morgan. “We want to make sure these campers have the most well-rounded Sailing Camp experience and leave us with as much knowledge as they can.”

“For me, I pay attention to the smiles,” said Morgan. “Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and hearing the thank you’s at the end of the day are the best rewards.”