Youth Sailing Camp
Half Moon Bay Yacht Club, 214 Princeton Avenue, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
About
Youth Sailing Camp introduces campers to basic sailing and water safety through hands-on experiential learning. Campers explore the marine environment, learn how to read the wind, navigate a boat among a group of other small boats, and work in small groups to rig and sail boats. No experience is necessary and beginners are welcome.
• Ages: 8–16 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, with dates for 2026 running from June 8th to August 7th
• Price: Camp fees are $400 per camper per week session for member families; non-members pay an additional one-time $200 youth membership fee that is valid for the remainder of the calendar year
Youth Sailing Camp is available to both members and non-members, and campers may sign up for any number of weeks. Boat availability is limited and assigned based on early registration and experience, with final determination by instructors. A sailor will start out in an Optimist, a very stable one-person dinghy approximately 8 feet long, and older sailors who weigh at least 100 pounds and are at least 5 feet tall may be ready to sail on 16-foot ILCAs (Lasers) or two-person FJ dinghies. All sailing takes place in the calm, protected waters of Pillar Point Harbor under close supervision of instructors, and safety is described as the first (and second, and third) priority for instructors.
Youth Sailing Camp Instructors and Junior Instructors have powerboating, youth sailing, and college sailing experience. Instructors are certified by either US Sailing or the American Sailing Association and have been trained in proper safety and coach boating techniques as well as first aid and CPR, and all instructors carry the California Boater Card. Most instructors have been Half Moon Bay Yacht Club youth sailors themselves. Campers need to be comfortable in the water while wearing a life jacket and wetsuit, and sailors must wear their personal flotation devices at all times while on the water, dock, and boats, must wear a helmet while sailing, and must wear shoes on the beach, with water shoes recommended.
Each sailor is asked to bring a sack lunch and snack, a water bottle, a snugly fitting wetsuit, a helmet to be worn while sailing (bike helmets are acceptable), sailing gloves or rubberized gardening gloves, neoprene booties or comfortable closed-toe shoes, a swimsuit for under the wetsuit, a sun hat and warm hat, sunscreen and sunglasses, a lightweight weather-proof jacket, a change of clothes and towel, and a big bag to hold everything. Appropriate attire for sailing includes layers like fleece and wool for cooler days and quick-drying fabrics or rash guards when the sun is out, and cotton is not recommended for on-the-water activities. Sailors are responsible for providing their own lunches during camp.
Half Moon Bay Yacht Club is committed to teaching and supporting youth sailing. In 2017, the Club’s Youth Sailing Camp program was recognized by the Pacific Coast Yachting Association as the best youth sailing program on the entire West Coast. Half Moon Bay Yacht Club is a non-profit, volunteer-oriented yacht club whose volunteer members maintain fleets of boats, hold regattas, and host many social events throughout the year, and the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club Foundation focuses on adaptive sailing, hosting several events per year for sailors and wannabe sailors with disabilities.
Last updated July 15, 2026.
• Ages: 8–16 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, with dates for 2026 running from June 8th to August 7th
• Price: Camp fees are $400 per camper per week session for member families; non-members pay an additional one-time $200 youth membership fee that is valid for the remainder of the calendar year
Youth Sailing Camp is available to both members and non-members, and campers may sign up for any number of weeks. Boat availability is limited and assigned based on early registration and experience, with final determination by instructors. A sailor will start out in an Optimist, a very stable one-person dinghy approximately 8 feet long, and older sailors who weigh at least 100 pounds and are at least 5 feet tall may be ready to sail on 16-foot ILCAs (Lasers) or two-person FJ dinghies. All sailing takes place in the calm, protected waters of Pillar Point Harbor under close supervision of instructors, and safety is described as the first (and second, and third) priority for instructors.
Youth Sailing Camp Instructors and Junior Instructors have powerboating, youth sailing, and college sailing experience. Instructors are certified by either US Sailing or the American Sailing Association and have been trained in proper safety and coach boating techniques as well as first aid and CPR, and all instructors carry the California Boater Card. Most instructors have been Half Moon Bay Yacht Club youth sailors themselves. Campers need to be comfortable in the water while wearing a life jacket and wetsuit, and sailors must wear their personal flotation devices at all times while on the water, dock, and boats, must wear a helmet while sailing, and must wear shoes on the beach, with water shoes recommended.
Each sailor is asked to bring a sack lunch and snack, a water bottle, a snugly fitting wetsuit, a helmet to be worn while sailing (bike helmets are acceptable), sailing gloves or rubberized gardening gloves, neoprene booties or comfortable closed-toe shoes, a swimsuit for under the wetsuit, a sun hat and warm hat, sunscreen and sunglasses, a lightweight weather-proof jacket, a change of clothes and towel, and a big bag to hold everything. Appropriate attire for sailing includes layers like fleece and wool for cooler days and quick-drying fabrics or rash guards when the sun is out, and cotton is not recommended for on-the-water activities. Sailors are responsible for providing their own lunches during camp.
Half Moon Bay Yacht Club is committed to teaching and supporting youth sailing. In 2017, the Club’s Youth Sailing Camp program was recognized by the Pacific Coast Yachting Association as the best youth sailing program on the entire West Coast. Half Moon Bay Yacht Club is a non-profit, volunteer-oriented yacht club whose volunteer members maintain fleets of boats, hold regattas, and host many social events throughout the year, and the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club Foundation focuses on adaptive sailing, hosting several events per year for sailors and wannabe sailors with disabilities.
Last updated July 15, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.