Beginner Sailing includes an orientation to CBI, kayak safety, shore lessons, and more. The first week covers basics including rigging, safety, and sailing maneuvers; everyone learns to sail with a partner in our beginner boats, under instructor supervision. Kayaking is included! The second week continues with lessons and games designed to challenge and encourage. They’ll be on the water every day — active, in the sun, and having fun.

Upon Completion: Mercury green rating, kayak rating
Next up: take Intermediate 1, RoboSub, Sailing Adventure

Intermediate 1 teaches new skills while polishing techniques introduced in Beginner Sailing. Sailing in pairs, students improve positioning, sail trim, maneuvers and control through a combination of lessons and structured play. This one-week class focuses on sail trim, boat handling, upwind sailing, and skills needed for heavier winds, including reefing. If students are ready, we introduce the Jib sail, encouraging teamwork and more fun!

Next up: test for Mercury yellow & red ratings, take Intermediate 2, take Sailing Adventure, Windsurfing (ratings required), Instructor In-Training (age & ratings required)

Intermediate 2 teaches intermediate boat handling and heavy wind skills while polishing techniques introduced in Intermediate 1. Sailing in pairs, students learn to further improve positioning, sail trim, maneuvers and control, and learn to use a jib, all through a combination of lessons and structured play.

Next up:  test for Mercury yellow or red ratings, take Sailing Adventure, Instructor In-Training (age & ratings required). Once the student earns their red rating through either the class or by testing they can sign up for the Keelboat class, 420 class, Laser class.

Intended for sailors with prior experience elsewhere to become familiar with our boats, safety, and facility so they can jump into Intermediate “running”.

Our Fast Track class is an orientation and refresher designed to get a variety of experience level sailors up to speed on our Mercury sailboat and at our facility. Returning Beginners, sailors with experience in other boats and programs, and even sailors who want a refresher after their first week of Beginner Sailing may choose to take this as a first or second introduction to CBI’s Junior Program. The class is on land, and includes abbreviated orientation, rigging, and shore school demonstrations.

Windsurfers are an entirely different way to get out on the river, combining the balance of a SUP and power of sailing! This class begins with a land-simulator session, to introduce proper form and sail-handling. The class then goes on the water to apply their newly-learned techniques.

Upon completion: may test for windsurf rating

Keelboats are fun, fast, and allow larger groups to sail comfortably together. Lessons will be on our two larger keelboats; the Sonar and Ideal 18. Sailors will learn to rig, reef, launch from and return to our moorings, as well as apply their existing knowledge to a new and exciting fleet of boats. Most students will receive a green keelboat rating upon completion of this class.

Upon completion: test for keelboat rating, take Spinnaker class

The Laser is a fast, fun boat for a single sailor. This class covers how to rig the Laser as well as skills tailored for it. Sailors will also learn to right a capsize and be introduced to the basics of racing. Students should be prepared to get wet, so make sure to bring a change of clothes. While many sailors will receive their green Laser rating upon completion of this class, that will depend on their ability to effectively rig, sail and right the Laser on their own, which is a physical task but required for safe sailing.

Upon completion: test for Laser rating

The 420 is a quick, fun boat for a crew of two. This class covers how to rig and sail the 420 with a teammate. Sailors will also learn to right a capsize and be introduced to the basics of racing. Students should be prepared to get wet, so make sure to bring a change of clothes. While many sailors will receive their green 420 rating upon completion of this class, that will depend on their ability to effectively rig, sail and right the 420 on their own, which is a physical task but required for safe sailing.

Upon completion: test for 420 rating, take Intro to Racing

Guided Paddle Adventure takes the rating received in Beginner Sailing to another level. In class, with instructor supervision and organization, Juniors may paddle to new and distant places not normally allowed or join organized kayak games and relays! They might take a trip up the lagoon, play Capture the Life-Jacket or Ultimate Kayak, go on a scavenger hunt, or run a relay race in the mooring field.

In this hour and a half class, our instructors will pair up the Juniors at the beginning of each session, ensuring that they have a supportive partner to share their sailing adventure with. This partnership allows Juniors to collaborate and learn together, enhancing their sailing skills and building new friendships. The safety of our Juniors is our top priority. Our trained dock staff on the shore and Coast Guard-certified safety launch operators ensure that all participants at Community Boating are well-protected throughout the class. Life jackets and safety briefings are provided to guarantee a secure and enjoyable sailing experience.

Please note: This class is supervised sailing, but does not include on the water instructor or testing.

RoboSub at CBI connects teamwork, engineering, and technical skills into a unique challenge. Students will build and control remotely operated submersibles to complete various tasks. Experts from the robotics field will share their experience in industry and work alongside the students as they perfect their submersibles.

*This class extends after normal Junior Program hours. Permission slip is required and can be accessed here.

Community Boating’s Environmental Science and Physics of Sailing program is a STEM program which utilizes sailing as a vessel to explore physics, environmental science, and how they both govern interactions within ecosystems. This program is in part based off of U.S. Sailing’s REACH curriculum, which is a STEM education program created through collaboration between classroom teachers and sailing instructors. Students will have a chance to participate in several experiential learning activities such as building their own anemometer, exploring buoyancy by creating clay boats, and constructing their own water sampling tools. In addition, students will get hands on training and practice with microscopes, slide preparation, water quality testing, and flourometers.

The Charles River makes up a vibrant ecosystem, filled with microbial organisms. In this two-day course, students will undertake field studies and collect water samples in kayak based expeditions of the river. They will learn the basics of microscopy, including how to prepare samples on a slide and view them through a microscope. In so doing, students will be able to observe cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and green algae species, many observing these microscopic species for the first time. Communities of microorganisms in biofilms will also be recovered by scraping boat hulls and observed microscopically.

Our keelboats provide a stable platform on which to teach spinnaker use, the finer points of sail trim, and to get demonstrations from an instructor in their boat. Advanced topics covered will be based on the week’s wind forecast and individual sailors.

Intro to Racing is a dynamic one-week program designed to impart essential racing skills. Our comprehensive curriculum covers everything from racing rules and advanced sailing techniques such as roll tacking and gybing to spinnakers, racing starts, wind shifts, and ladder rungs. As participants progress through the course, they will develop their upwind sailing abilities, fostering confidence and competence on the water.

Upon completion: test for Racing rating, sign up for Race Team

Racing skills are honed through practices and CBI’s weekly racing series. The team competes in regattas at sailing centers throughout the area. Please see the Race Team page for more information. If your junior sailor is new to CBI but has prior racing experience and would like to join the race team, please contact the Junior Program Director.