Well it was a hot one this week.  The traffic was a nightmare; the 405* was jammed and the 5, the 7, the 10 were all gridlocked as everyone headed for the water.  Temperatures saw high 90's and the deck of the hut I'm sure was about 110 for part of Tuesday.  All this heat didn't stop the Junior Sailors from coming to class though; in fact, it encouraged them!  Banana Boat, Coppertone, and Neutrogena made serious cash off Junior Sailing this week as classes ran at full capacity from the 5th of July through the 9th.

This week, the junior sailors in the program had a very special guest come to speak to them about water safety.  We are talking about none other than the esteemed Eastern Yacht Club Dockmaster Mike Smith.  He came to each class and reminded everyone the proper steps you can take to be safe on the water, along with what to do in case of an emergency.  He was well liked and respected by all.  Thanks for coming Mike!

Check Mike and the kids out at our PHOTO SECTION  of the site which was recently updated for several classes!

The Sloops class this week got to enjoy a cool sea breeze both Tuesday and Thursday afternoons as they went over parts of the boat and the points of sail for the first time ever!  Each one also got a chance to steer the boat as they cruised through Salem Sound.  Heavy air doesn't affect these young sailors either!  If you ask some of your kids whether they like the "high side" or the "low side" of the Sonar when it tips, don't be surprised if a big smile comes on their face and the stories start to flow.

The Intro to Junior Sailing class was met with hot hot heat Tuesday and Thursday mornings as they sailed around the harbor.  The class is the biggest group of kids we have at junior sailing now, with a class size of 20!  (Sorry to everyone looking to sign up for session 1 still, but we are full!  Still room in session 2 though!)  The class is split into three groups, with two groups on the Opti dock, and one group in the Sonars.  They rotate each day which ensures that everyone gets to see their friends while getting to sail on both Sonars and Optis.  Enthusiasm and spirit thrive in both places, as a definite passion for sailing is being developed by everyone.  Points of sail and parts of the boat were covered this week, as well as steering principles like "tiller towards trouble".  The sea of smiles on the dock seemed endless.

Opti I is yet again this years rock star class.  Beating everyone's expectations, many of the kids are already sailing by themselves.  The learning curve on the entire class is by far the steepest, as some kids went from not wanting to sail at all, to sailing two in a boat with an instructor, to two in a boat without an instructor.  Some even took the final step of sailing wanting to sail alone.  I'm not saying these were easy steps to get through, but it was amazing to see after only two weeks in a boat.  It helped that the instructors were armed with their secret weapons too...;Freeze-pops!!!

Opti II knows how to handle themselves in heavy air.  On Thursday this week they saw gusts up to 12 knots come rolling over the causeway and fan throughout Riverhead.  Sailing terms such as "hike", "submarining", and "death rolling" were covered as kids sailed (and swam) their boats around Riverhead.  Had this class not been so filled with spunk, it might have ended a disaster; but luckily, they all pulled through and even sailed to the end of class with some relay races for freeze-pops.

Opti III is in full race prep stage for the upcoming Marlbehead Junior Race Week, which happens from July 19th through the 21st.  Tacking, gibing, upwind, downwind, reaching, and race courses are all second nature by now.  On Wednesday, the starting sequence was covered and practice starts were done in a light breeze.  Let me tell you, these guys looked "boss" (as they would call themselves).  Stay tuned for more Race Week info!