Please click here for a PDF of the Jr Sailing Program Guide

Mission Statement and Program Goals

Junior Sailing Contacts

Communication

COVID-19 Policies

MYC Jr Sailing COVID-19 Policies for Summer 2023

The goal of our MYC Junior Sailing is to continue to conduct the program in a safe and fun manner. We recognize that we are presented with a unique set of circumstances and challenges this summer. In order to keep the program running we will need everyone’s cooperation with the new guidelines. As the summer continues we may need or be able to make adjustments to the policies. Your participation in the program is an acceptance of these policies and any changes that may be made.

All of our policies are made in accordance with guidelines from the CDC, the JSA, US Sailing, and state and local governments. They may be changed at any time without notice.

Participation in the Program

1. By participating in the Program, parents and guardians acknowledge their acceptance that their child’s participation in the Program may expose the child to COVID-19.
2. Participation in the Program is voluntary “opt-in.” The Program cannot guarantee that the child will not be exposed to risk.
3. The JSA waiver remains in full force and effect, and COVID-19 is considered a “Loss” as per the definition of the term within the waiver.
4. The Program reserves the right to request a secondary waiver from parents or guardians prior to the commencement of the Program.
5. The Program will not be responsible for monitoring the health of participants, but requests that all be forthright and vigilant to known/unusual symptoms.
6. The Program reserves the right to conduct non-contact temperature checks on any child or instructor at any time. The Program will have a thermometer on-site. A child or instructor with a temperature in excess of 100.4°F will be dismissed for the day. Parents are requested to pick up a dismissed child immediately. The parent or guardian is requested to confirm temperature at home. A temperature below 100.4°F for 72 hours (without any medicinal effects, e.g. fever reducers) or a negative COVID test is required in order to return to the program.
7. A child who carries a temperature of 100.4°F or more for 72 hours will qualify for a pro-rated refund of program fees; such calculations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
8. A parent/guardian must notify the Program immediately if any unvaccinated sailor has had direct contact with an individual who has tested positive or has themselves tested positive for COVID-19. That child will be sent home from the Program and asked to self-isolate for 10 days.
9. A child who tests positive for COVID-19, or who has a known exposure and is unvaccinated will qualify for a pro-rated refund of program fees; such calculations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
10. If a child, instructor, or family member becomes infected with COVID-19, decisions on how to continue, pause, or cancel the Program will be made at that time. Parents and guardians acknowledge that there are too many scenarios possible to predict a single response to this possibility.
11. Cancellation: Should the Program be cancelled while in session by events or directives outside the control of the Program, or due to a COVID-19 infection within the Program, a prorated refund for Program Fees (less a $175 fee, which will defray the operational expenses of commencing the program which include t-shirts, buffs, instructor training, and similar expenses) and Boat Charter Fees (if a boat is chartered from Milford Yacht Club; exclusive of any privately-made charter agreements) will be made to all participants.

Social Distancing and Physical Contact

1. Masks will not be required for sailors or instructors when outside. Non-fully vaccinated sailors and instructors should continue to maintain social distancing as much as possible. Fully vaccinated sailors and instructors (those who are two weeks out from their Johnson and Johnson vaccine or second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine) are not required to maintain social distancing.
2. Following CDC guidelines all sailors and instructors, regardless of vaccination status, will be asked to wear masks and social distance as much as possible when gathering together indoors as part of the program.
3. When traveling to other clubs for regattas all sailors and instructors will be required to abide by any masking and social distancing policies of those clubs.

Code of Conduct

Milford Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program
Code of Conduct

•     All sailors will respect and listen to coaches and other employees of the MYC.
•     All sailors will conduct themselves with good sportsmanship and accept responsibility for their actions.
•     All sailors will be courteous and respectful to fellow sailors and MYC club members and guests.
•     All sailors, parents, and instructors will refrain from criticizing or putting down others including coaches, fellow sailors and competitors, officials, parents and spectators.
•     All sailors will be on time for all activities. Lateness affects fellow sailors if they have to wait.
•     All sailors will clean up after themselves inside the MJYC club building and outside on the MYC premises and try to leave it cleaner than when they arrived.
•     All sailors will leave other athletes’ and coaches’ equipment alone, except with their permission (no borrowing or taking other’s equipment without permission.)
•     All sailors will keep personal equipment and items left on the MYC premises neatly stored in their proper place.
•     THERE WILL BE ZERO TOLERANCE OF BAD LANGUAGE, OBSCENE GESTURES, PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL ABUSE OF OTHERS, FIGHTING, HITTING, PUSHING, OR ANY TYPE OF BULLYING.
•     THE USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS, ALCOHOL, AND/OR ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES BY A SAILOR DURING THE PROGRAM WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXPULSION FROM THE PROGRAM.
•     BRINGING WEAPONS OR USING OBJECTS AS WEAPONS ON MYC PREMISES WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXPULSION FROM THE PROGRAM.

Sailor Safety Code:
I will not engage in horseplay on the MYC premises, whether during program time or before or after. While on the water, this includes no needless capsizing, intentional boat bumping or other behavior which my coach prohibits.
I will listen to instructions from my coach.
I will look out for my fellow junior sailors.
I will wear a life jacket and appropriate water shoes at all times on, around or near the marina, launch areas and on the water, and follow all other club safety rules.

Disciplinary Action
In the event that a sailor violates the Code of Conduct, one or more of the following will occur:
•     Discussion with parents, coaches and athletes concerned.
•     Suspension of sailing privileges.
•     Suspension from sailing program- no refund.

Guidelines for Parents

Private Instruction

Daily Schedule

Equipment

Boat Safety Checklists

Optimist Safety Checklist

•     Bow Line
o   8 meters (26’ 3” long)
o   Buoyant
o   3/16” in diameter
o   Securely fastened around the mast step and led through a loop of line at the bow, not through the bow drain hole
o   Tied with a 4-6” bowline at the towing end
o   Free of chafe and all other knots, with no hardware attached.
•     Mast tie-down – There must be a line or other device that is secure enough so you can lift the boat by the mast without disengaging the mast from the mast step
•     Air bags – Three buoyancy bags made of strong fiber-reinforced material with non-return valves. Each must be properly inflated and secured to boat.
•     Daggerboard – Securely attached to the boat with a lanyard.
•     Rudder catch – The rudder shall have a retaining device so that it will not become detached from the boat during a capsize.
•     Bailer – At least one bailer, with a minimum capacity of one half gallon, securely attached to the boat with a lanyard.
•     Mainsheet bridle – No looser than 100 mm (4 inches) from the boom at any point.
•     Mainsheet hook – Covered and/or securely closed. The hook must have no chance of trapping a line that drags across it.
•     Paddle/Praddle – attached to the boat with enough line or shockcord to allow use.
•     Hiking Strap - Secure and in good condition.

Feva Safety Checklist

•     Hiking Straps
•     Rudder /Tiller
•     Spinnaker pole
•     Towline-floatable at least 28 feet long
•     Plug
•     Front shackle
•     Cunningham Line
•     Porthole cover
•     2 side stays/shrouds Mast
•     Boom
•     Topping lift
•     Cover
•     Main, mainsheet, and halyard
•     Jib, jib sheets, and halyard
•     Spinnaker, spinnaker sheets, and halyard
•     Trailer/dolly

Laser Safety Checklist

•     Mast, 2 sections and boom
•     Sail
•     Mainsheet (approx 45 feet)
•     Outhaul
•     Boom Vang
•     Cunningham
•     Rudder and Tiller and Hiking Stick
•     Daggerboard and Shock Cord
•     Clew Strap
•     Hiking Strap
•     Stern Plug or bailer
•     Dolly
•     Cover

420 Checklist

•     Mast and Boom
•     Mainsheet and Jib Sheets
•     Boom Vang and Outhaul
•     Mainsail and halyard
•     Jib and halyard
•     Spinnaker and halyard
•     Spinnaker Pole
•     Forestay - Short enough to hold the front edge of the mast forward of the aft face of the mast partner when the jib halyard is released
•     Rudder - boat has device to keep rudder connected in the event of capsize or turtle
•     Stern and Air Tank Plugs
•     Trapeze Harness
•     Dolly/Trailer

Resources

Regatta Information

Regatta Information for 2023

MYC actively participates in regattas throughout the JSA. The Head Instructor, in conjunction with the sailing instructors, will determine who is ready to attend a particular regatta.

Parents are responsible for transporting their child to and from all regattas. Please make sure you check in with the instructor attending the event when dropping your child off and picking them up.

Parent volunteers may be needed to transport coach boats and trailers. Please let the Junior Sailing Chair know if you are able to tow a boat.

Registering for Regattas
Regatta registration is done through ClubSpot by parents.
If your child is eligible and ready for a specific event, you will receive an email inquiring whether he or she would like to participate. Please respond in a timely fashion to avoid late fees.
Prior to the event you will receive an email with the link to the Notice of Race (NOR) and Sailing Instructions (SI). These links will provide all of the information about the event such as location, arrival and start times, and whether or not lunch is provided. Links are also available through the calendar on the JSA website - www.jsalis.org.
If your child is registered for an event and does not participate in the event you will still be responsible for the registration fees.

Preparedness
Parents and sailors are responsible for making sure that their boats are properly equipped and tuned prior to race day. Instructors can assist with small tweaks, but are unable to provide backup equipment or make repairs.
Please review the NOR and SI with your child prior to race day to familiarize yourself with the details of the event.

At the Event
Arrive at the start of the check-in window to allow your child plenty of time to check in, rig their boat, and meet with their instructor.
Competing in a regatta may require more than a simple drop-off and pick-up at the beginning and end of the day. Especially for first year racers, parents should plan on sticking around for a half hour or hour at the beginning of the day to make sure that their sailor is checked in and ready to go.
Pickup time at the end of the day can be a bit unpredictable at a regatta based on weather conditions. Most regattas will have general guidelines such as “no races will start after X” or maybe even a set time for an awards ceremony, but not an exact time that sailors will be off the water.
If a parent is planning on bringing their own boat to the regatta to watch on the water, it is a generous gesture to contact any other parents of sailors and offer to have them aboard. Parents are not able to watch the regatta from a coach boat.

Regatta Equipment Checklist
Boat with race sails
Blades and blade bag
Spare boat parts such as sail ties, backup sheets, etc.
Lifejacket with whistle
Sun protection - hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, sun shirt
Closed toe shoes
Lunch and reusable water bottle in a cooler to be kept on board the coach boat
Dolly
Ziplock/waterproof bag for phone and other essentials
Foul weather gear (weather dependent)
Towel

JSA Regatta Guidelines for Junior Sailors

Respected sailors ALWAYS:
Know and abide by the Racing Rules. They promptly take a penalty or retire when they know they broke a rule or file a protest when appropriate.
Always obey event regulations on and off the water, including housing rules.
Are always organized, prepared, and responsible for their own equipment.
Show respect to fellow sailors and those helping to run regattas and programs.

Respected sailors NEVER:
Swear at, intimidate or harass anyone, including teammates, on or off the water.
Steal or borrow, without permission, anything that does not belong to them.
Break laws related to alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs.

Please remember that at all regattas you are representing Milford Yacht Club. Particularly at events where housing is provided, bad behavior can result in all members of the team being denied housing in future years.Background on the JSALIS Championship Series

Milford Yacht Club junior sailing is a member of the regional junior sailing association Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound (JSALIS or “JSA”). The goal of JSA is to promote competition between clubs by organizing interclub regattas and a championship series. A major goal of any JSA Junior Sailing program is to have as many sailors as possible participate in the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Championship series. The championship series consists of several “qualifying” regattas early in the season. Separate events are held for Optimist, Feva, 420, Laser Full, Laser Radial, and Laser 4.7.

In order for an MYC Laser Radial, or 420 to qualify to compete in the JSA Championship, the boat must place in the top 40% of the fleet in one of the following events:

Eastern District Qualifying Regatta at Norwalk and Norton Yacht Clubs
Larchmont Race Week
JSA Race Week at Cedar Point Yacht Club
Shelter Island 420/L/R Regatta

All Laser Standards that sail in a JSA qualifying regatta are eligible to compete in the JSA Championship.

In order for an MYC Optimist to qualify to compete in the JSA Championship, they must meet one of the following criteria:

White and Blue Fleet sailors must finish in the top 30% in an Area C Qualifying Regatta (Milford YC is in Area C).
All Red Fleet sailors who participate in a qualifying regatta automatically qualify.

These are just the basics, many more details and exceptions to these rules can be found on: https://jsalis.securespsites.com/JSA%20organization/JSA_Rules_for_Events.pdf

If a sailor is interested in qualifying in JSA champs, then they should make the qualifying events a priority when deciding on their regatta schedule. Also, it is sometimes easier to qualify in later events because many of the top sailors who qualify in the first or second qualifying regatta choose to drop out and not sail in the later qualifying events. So, if you don’t qualify at the first event, don’t get discouraged.

However, even if we have no boats qualify, each member club is entitled to send at least one boat per class to JSA champs. In this case, the club can nominate one boat that participated in one of the qualifying events, even if they did not achieve a qualifying score. If this happens, we will send the skipper/crew pair who won our own “class champs” series organized by the instructors and held during the regular program throughout the summer.

JSA Champs occur at the end of the summer and are typically two-day regattas. The location of champs generally changes every year.

Sailors who do not qualify for the championships are automatically eligible for “Alternate Champs.” This regatta is more accessible because it is generally only one day instead of two. It is an especially valuable experience for younger sailors who look forward to qualifying for Champs in future years.

After successfully competing in JSA Champs, junior sailors can make it a goal for the next season to compete in North American or US championships events organized by their class association, especially if they happen to be held in the Northeast. They can also make it a goal to participate in the Sears/Bemis/Smythe Trophy ladder events — this is a junior Championship series organized by the US Sailing Association in which sailors qualify at the local level and then compete regionally and nationally. These are prestigious events that expose sailors to competition outside of Long Island sound, but generally require preseason planning in order to compete.

203-783-0060 jr.sailing@milfordyachtclub.com

131 Trumbull Ave

Milford, CT

Important Links