Beginner Sailing includes an orientation to CBI, kayak safety, shore school, 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, RoboSail

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 Mercury clinics, Windsurfing (ratings required), Instructor In-Training (age & ratings required)

Intermediate 2 teaches new 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 Mercury clinics, 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
May be taken upon completion: Windsurf Clinic

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 Keelboat Clinic

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, take Laser Clinic, Racing Team (w/ 420 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 420 Clinic, Racing Team (w/ Laser rating)

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.

Once your Junior takes the Intermediate 1 or 2 class, the next step is to put those lessons to practice! There can be a significant lag between understanding sailing concepts and being able to execute them on the water, which is where this clinic comes into play. While independent practice (also called free/open sailing) is a fantastic method to continue along this learning curve, the Mercury Clinic is designed to provide two and a half hours of on-the-water coached practice of the skills Juniors must demonstrate to receive their Mercury yellow, or Mercury yellow plus/red rating. We encourage students to come to as many clinics as they feel they need to before taking their test.

CBI-RoboSail combines robotics, coding, and sailing into an engineering challenge! Students program a 3-foot model sailboat to sail a course while learning new skills in computer programming, electronics, and mechanisms. They will deepen their understanding of the physical principles and strategies involved in sailing by creating algorithms that translate their sailing knowledge into code for a robot. Funding for boats, electronics and on-board mini-computers is provided by a generous donor. Volunteers with technical skills and training on this system will serve as mentors to student teams.

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 part of a vibrant ecosystem in which people also play an impactful role. Water quality is a byproduct of interactions within that ecosystem, including temperature, precipitation, and human activity. In this weekly 3 hour long class, kids who are at least twelve-years-old will learn about these processes through a hands-on learning lab. They will take water samples, evaluate them using a variety of testing methods, and contribute their data to public knowledge, both locally to our Boston community and nationally through the EPA’s Citizen Science program.

Absences are discouraged, but should be communicated to [email protected]

Permission slips are required and can be found here and returned to the Front Office.

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.

Windsurf clinics offer advanced instruction for those who have taken the basic class. Will cover topics based upon the wind and experience level, including bigger sails, smaller boards, upwind sailing, perhaps even harnesses and water starts!Windsurf Racing may be open to green-rated windsurfers depending on the wind. This will be racing around buoys and racing skills clinics on one-design windsurf boards.

Advanced Laser and 420 clinics teach high level skills such as sail trim and tuning, roll-tacking, buoy roundings, using the tell-tales, weight placement, advanced sailboat righting techniques and more.

Racing skills are honed through practices and CBI 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 Operations Director, Andrew.