Wet Pants Sailing Association is Hiring!
Wet Pants Sailing Association seeks applications for Optimist and 420 Race Coaches for the summer 2020 season, running late June to mid August. Our fun learn-to-sail programs teach students (ages 8 through adult) with beginner to advanced skill levels to become safe independent recreational or competitive racing sailors. Good coaching and a passion for sailing is fundamental to success! For more information and to apply, please see our job ad HERE.
Wet Pants also seeks a HEAD SAILING INSTRUCTOR. Salary commensurate with experience. This is a full-time, 8-week position beginning June 22, 2020. Head Instructor oversees and guides all Instructors/Coaches as they develop their teaching skills, maintaining a productive courteous team, keeping them on task. For more in formation on, and to apply for this position, please see our job ad HERE.
A community based sailing organization since 1934, we are located in Sayville on the Great South Bay on Long Island, New York’s south shore. We have 2 international and 1 regional airport nearby, buses and trains, farms, vineyards, beaches, shopping and close proximity to New York City.
OUR STORY
Two young racers who were not able to receive their trophies because they were not yacht club members. Since 1934, Wet Pants members have been bringing home trophies.
OUR VALUES AND TRADITIONS
It had to be inexpensive and self-supporting, allow for boats of different types and sizes to participate on equal footing, and encourage inexperienced sailors to learn to sail while racing.
OUR SAILING SCHOOL
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BEGINNER CLASSES: Ages: 8+ Learn the parts of the boat, how to put sails on, wind direction, move safely in the boat, control the sails, steer the boat with guidance from the instructor, tie square, stopper, and bowline knots, be able to start and stop, and come back to rescue someone who falls overboard.
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INTERMEDIATE CLASSES: Ages 9+ Review what was taught in the beginner course. Learn to sail figure 8 and hotdog courses, trim the sails, reef, get out of irons, rules of the road, weight distribution, tie a cleat hitch and a clove hitch, sail on just a main, just a jib, anchor, and sail safely without the instructor on board.
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CRUISING CLASSES: Ages 10+ with prior sailing experience. This is an advanced class. Review of the skills taught in the beginner and intermediate classes. Students learn how to right a capsized sailboat, leave and return to the dock, rescue a person who falls overboard, trim the sails for the most power, heave to, sail backwards, anchor, read a navigational chart, use a compass to find where the boat is, reef the sail, sail on just the main or jib, and how to call for help. Knots taught include cleat and clove hitches, reefing knot, bowline, sheet bend, rolling hitch, & 3 strand rope eye splice for anchor and dock lines.
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RACING: Ages 11+Review of the skills taught in the beginner and intermediate classes. Learn how to use sail tails to adjust sail trim, use the centerboard to adjust weather helm, adjust sail draft to increase the Bernoulli effect, adjust the opening between the jib and main to increase the Venturi effect, determine if another boat is on a collision course and what to do about it, strategies for starting, sailing upwind, passing boats on a reach, & mark rounding, learn the racing rules & use them to advantage. Tie cleat & clove hitches, reefing knot, bowline, sheet bend, rolling hitch, & 3 strand rope eye splice for anchor and dock lines. Racing with the club on Wednesday nights and going to junior regattas on Fridays is encouraged.
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OPTI I: Students should be able to sail before taking this class. This class is designed as an introduction to sailing an Opti in a fun, safe and controlled environment. Sailors will learn how to rig their Opti, tie Opti specific knots, tell wind direction, tack, gybe, capsize recovery and sail trim. Sailors will gain the confidence to sail a boat by themselves.
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OPTI II: Students should be comfortable sailing alone. This class is an introduction to racing the Opti for sailors who want to build upon the skills learned in Opti I. Sailors will learn to sail the Opti efficiently and independently. This will help build their self-confidence and increase their social skills. They will learn advanced boat handling skills and be introduced to the basics of racing the Opti.
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ADULT LESSONS: Ages: 18 + Learn parts of the boat, parts of the sail, sensing wind direction, points of sail, capsize recovery, tacking, gybing, docking, reefing, anchoring, tying square, stopper, and bowline knots, and chart reading.
