Beginner Optimist

Beginner Optimist is a two-week class intended for younger sailors who are complete beginners or who need a complete refresher on the basics of sailing. No prior sailing experience is necessary. Beginner Optimist focuses on building the skills and confidence of sailors sailing their own boats. At the end of the two weeks, sailors should be able to rig, launch and sail their own Optimist dinghies in a variety of conditions and should be ready to join the TAYC Optimist Club Team.

The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by young people up to the age of 15. The Optimist is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 150,000 boats officially registered. Recommended for sailors 7 years old and older. Because the Optimist is intended for younger sailors, sailors who are over 13 years old or who weigh more than 120 lbs. should consider signing up for Beginner C420.

Beginner Optimist will be offered twice in Summer 2023:

Session 1 - June 19 to June 30 CLASS IS FULL

Session 2 - July 24 to August 4 CLASS IS FULL

New Session Added - July 10 - July 21

Beginner classes meet Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 3 pm

J-TAYC Member: $940 per session

TAYC Member: $ 705 per session

Optimist Club Team and C420/Laser Club Team

Sailors on the Optimist Club Team and C420/Laser Club Team will have the opportunity to master sailing skills and build new advanced boat handling and racing skills, all while having fun on the water with teammates. Club Team instructors will focus on building strong sailing skills for all members of the Club Team.

Optimist Club Team members are encouraged to work on racing skills, are encouraged to participate in racing at the club, and are welcome to travel with the Travel Teams to compete at any regatta that TAYC attends in the Chesapeake Bay region (subject to the availability of transportation and trailer space). Coaching at a regatta that occurs in a week a Club Team sailor is registered for is included in the program registration fee. However, racing is not required, and some Club Team members may prefer to focus on seamanship and fun!

The Optimist Club Team will sail Optimist dinghies. Sailors on the C420/Laser Club Team may sail either C420s or Lasers. (Note that in 2023 Lasers will not be available to rent from TAYC – sailors who want to sail a Laser must bring their own boat.)

The Club Team is intended to provide sailors and their families with as much flexibility as possible. 

The Club Teams will be run as a series of eight 1-week sessions.

Session 1 – June 19 to June 22

Session 2 –June 26 to June 29

Session 3 – July 5 to July 6 (Short week due to July 4^th Holiday)

Session 4 – July 10 to July 13

Session 5 –July 17 to July 20

Session 6 – July 24 to July 27

Session 7 – July 31 to August 3

Session 8 – August 7 to August 10

Club Team practices run from Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 3 pm.

4-Day One Week session Rates:

J-TAYC Member: $430 per session

TAYC Member: $323

Sailors signing up for more than 1 week will get a cumulative 1.5% discount (up to 10.5%) 

An additional Sailing Skills Practice Day is available on Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm.

5-Day One Week session Rates:

J-TAYC Member: $545 per session

TAYC Member: $409

Sailors signing up for more than 1 week will get a cumulative 1.5% discount (up to 10.5%)

Note: The cumulative discount is set so that 8 weeks of Club Team is the same as 8 weeks of Travel Team.

Optimist Travel Team and C420/Laser Travel Team

The Optimist Travel Team and C420/Laser Travel Team are intended for experienced and dedicated sailors who want to pursue racing at a high level and compete in regattas on and off the Chesapeake Bay. The Optimist Travel Team includes sailors in the Optimist Red, While and Blue Fleets, as well as Green Fleet sailors committed to sailing for the full summer. The C420 Travel Team and Laser Travel team will sail C420 and Lasers. (Note that in 2023 Lasers will not be available to rent from TAYC – sailors who want to sail a Laser must bring their own boat.) 

The Travel Teams require a commitment for the full eight weeks of the sailing program – June 19 to August 11 (no proration). When the Club Teams are in Oxford, Club Team practices run from Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 3 pm.

Travel Team sailors and their parents are expected to participate in pre-season planning meetings for regatta planning and to set C420 pairing for the season. Travel Team parents are expected to support travel to regattas (e.g., towing trailers and/or providing other support).

Non Member: $3,900 per 8 week session

Member: $2,925 per 8 week session

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Discounts

Bring a Friend - If sailors refer a new sailor to TAYC, that sailor gets a $100 discount for each referral (i.e., each NEW sailor). The discount applies to sailors who are new to TAYC (i.e., have not registered for a TAYC course previously) and not a sibling of the current sailor.

Family Discount - Families with more than one sibling signed up get a 10% discount on their families total tuition.

Early Bird - All prices increase by 1% on March 1st, 2% on April 1st, 5% on May 1st and 15% on June 1st. Please note: your registration is not final until all forms and payments are completed, you will be charged at the proper tuition rate given the date that you electronically complete all of your required forms and full payment has been made. 

Note: There will be no camp on July 3rd or 4th - - Sailors signed up for Club Team the week of July 3rd will get an extra day of coaching at the TAYC Junior Regatta on Saturday, July 8th.

Tentative Regatta Schedule

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