About the Jr Yacht Club

SEQUIM BAY JR. YACHT CLUB, exists for the fun of it! The sport of sailing can range from leisurely following the wind as it meanders across the bay, to the high octane, adrenaline pumping, competitive aspects of racing.

However, to pursue sailing, one must have some knowledge of technique and have access to a sailboat.

 Ten years ago, members of SEQUIM BAY YACHT CLUB (SBYC) decided to make youth sailing a reality!

 …funds were raised to purchase sailboats,

…SBYC facilities housed the instructional program – Basic Sailing, certified by US Sailing,

…as the program lasted only 1 week the basics of sailing were covered, but there were some shortcomings:

  • students didn’t receive adequate exposure to varied weather and wind,
  • students had little opportunity to sail solo, due to class size and time limitations.

So…the Sequim Bay JR. Yacht Club (JR. YC) was formed to allow the experience to continue! Upon completion of a Basic Sailing course and joining the JR. YC for the modest fee of $25.00, students continued to sail under adult supervision in a variety of conditions, enabling their skills and, most importantly, their confidence to progress. 

For more information, e-mail: Jrfleet@sequimbayyachtclub.org

To download an application: Click Here

…Photos by Jean Heessels-Petit

The JR. YC sails twice a week in the summer and once a week in late spring and early fall.

  • A typical session starts with rigging and launching the boats, sailing out of the marina, and around Sequim Bay.
  • We sail in a variety of boats, depending on their skill level and physical size.
  • Usually we sail single-handed, with the adult supervisors nearby in small powerboats, providing instruction and assistance.
  • At the end of the session, which usually lasts about an hour and a half, we sail to the dock, de-rig our boats and take them out of the water.
  • If there is little or no wind, we play water games, practice capsizing boats, and swim around – we all wear wet suits.

The JR. YC has ranged from five to twenty members, ages from 9 to 16. We elect officers, hold meetings and plan activities with the guidance of the senior advisers. We help pay our expenses by assisting at senior club functions.

We primarily sail, but also have some social functions. While the JR. YC is most active during the warm weather, we meet occasionally throughout the colder months to plan our next season of fun!

Thoughts by some of our members:

 …Reid Henry Great weather, great boats, and calm seas; what more could you ask for. This summer is off to a great start. The boats look nice and are in working order, and I can’t wait to start. The SBJYC has many members and is still growing.. This summer we hope to enjoy the extended and more frequent sailing times. It’s a lot of work to keep this club running, and we always need more members and help. The parents and advisers spend their weekends and evenings just to let us sail. Only with your support, have we been able to make it this far. Thank you.
..Grant Shogren (Age 12) On August 22, 2009, I had definitely the most fun of any sailing day yet. That was the day that we sailed down to Sequim Bay State Park to have a picnic. On the way there, we had to be towed because there was not enough wind. But once we got there, there was an awesome sandwich buffet, and we played around for a bit afterward. We then had to go back out on the bay to start heading back to the marina. Once we were out, Sarah noticed that there was much more wind out in the middle of the bay. We sailed out to the middle of the bay, and once we were out there, the sailing was awesome! We had a great day! Thank you SBYC!
 …SBYC Junior, Sarah Henry (age 12) The way I see it, life can be serious, funny and both. The thing is, sailing is both. Last week, we were about to go sailing and then my Dad, who was leading the session, talked to us what to do when you get caught it a big puff. “Don’t cleat in the mainsheet” he told us. “You’ll capsize”. “How can you capsize a Lido?” Reid, my brother, asked. “It hasn’t ever been done with one of ours!” We set up the Lidos and pushed them off. I was sailing with an experienced sailor named Devin. Suddenly the newest member and his skipper zoomed past us in another Lido. We said, “Hi”, and then tried to get out of the marina. The other skipper had cleated in the main sheet and suddenly, a big puff came in! They still had the mainsheet in and the boat capsized. Then it turtled! We all got back to the dock, except for the two juniors who were still turtled and in the water. The adults pulled them out. Austin, my other brother, looked over at Reid and Devin and said, “That myth was busted!” In the background of the capsized Lido, we saw a wedding photo shoot taking place in the park – we would be in the pictures. “Oh dear!”, I thought. Eventually we had to bail out the Lido because it held so much water. We ended up spending the entire session bailing it out. Our newest member, who felt sorry about the catastrophe, ended up bailing the most. See what I mean? It was both funny and serious in the end. This was our capsized adventure on the first day of sailing.
 …SBYC Junior, Sarah Henry My name is Sarah Henry, I am 11 years old and I am in 6th grade at Sequim Middle School. I think Junior Sailing is wonderful because of the experience. You can learn so much from sailing – things such as science, the environment, and just having fun! During sailing season, we had water gun wars, played follow the leader, and raced! In water gun fights I usually sailed with two other boys, Devin, and Grant. Devin steered, and Grant helped me shoot the other boats with water! When we played follow the leader, we just picked a single boat to make complex moves and we would try to follow them, making sure not to capsize. When we go sailing we always see jellyfish floating around in the water, we sometimes see eagles in the trees, and we usually see new types of seaweed and plants. I learned to really like the marine environment! I really like Junior Sailing because it offers a lot of experience. Plus you just can’t avoid having fun!
 …SBYC Junior, Laurie Miller, Age 13, 7th Grade Looking for a fun new way to spend you’re summer? Sailing is a fun way to spend warm sunny days and it’s a pretty good workout. Some people may think sailing is just sitting on a boat not really doing anything but there is much more to it than that. You can have races and use the buoys for obstacle courses. And, on really hot days you can have water fights with other boats or go swimming. Sailing is a great way to get out of the house and into the sun!

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