Youth Sailing Programs
Our youth sailing programs, open to ages 6 to 16, welcome young sailors of all experience levels—from seasoned juniors to complete beginners who’ve never stepped aboard a sailboat. Our sailing programs use the beautiful facilities of the Atlanta Yacht Club in Acworth, Georgia on the shores of Lake Allatoona. We offer youth sailing opportunities on Saturday mornings and on weekdays, Monday through Friday, to meet busy family summer schedules. Our sailing programs are run with US Sailing Certified Instructors who focus on water safety first, then fun and sailing.
Our Saturday youth program is open to children 6 years and up. The program runs from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on five Saturday mornings. A parent or guardian must remain on site for the duration of the class. This program includes 15 hours of supervised instruction and sailing (over the five-weekend period).
The class will primarily focus on sailing Optis (Optimist Prams shown in the pictures), with beginning sailors learning to rig and derig the boat, basic boat handling skills, how to steer a course, use their weight to balance the boat, and how to position the sails to catch the wind. The class also focuses on water safety including swimming abilities, proper fit of a life jacket and recovering from a capsized sailboat.
More advanced sailors will start to learn the basics of Opti racing, including starting sequence, tacking, right of way, mark rounding and finish, as well as basic rules of sailing. The skills learned by these sailors will prepare them to participate in several late summer and early fall Opti regattas.
Saturday youth sailing is 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM June 13, 20, 27 and July 11 and 18, 2026
Saturday Youth Sailing
Weekday Youth Sail Camp
Our Weekday Sail Camp program is open to children 9 years and up. The weekday program is Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM and includes 30 hours of instruction. Children may be dropped off in the morning (of course picked up in the afternoon!); however, parents are encouraged to stay to observe the sailing and enjoy the scenic view of Lake Allatoona from our waterfront pavilion.
The weekday sail camp is all about having fun, learning about water safety and, of course, learning to sail. We recognize that sailors will arrive with varying experience on sailboats, so our certified instructors are prepared to use Optis, 420s and Flying Scots in their sailing curriculum. Instructors will assign sailors to sailboats based on age and skill. They will introduce two-handed sailing on 420 sailboats for the more advanced sailors. The 420 sailboat is used by high school and college sailing teams.
Sailors who participate in more than one week will, of course, be able to progress further in their sailing experience and the instructors will start to incorporate the basics of sailboat racing. This includes everything from basic rules of the sailing road to efficient starts and mark rounding.
Sail Camp is 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM and is offered during the weeks of June 8, 15, and 22, July 6, 13 and 20.
Requirements for Participation
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All participants must be able to swim 25 yards. A swim test will be conducted the first day
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Participants in Saturday morning program must be 6 years old by June 1 and a parent or guardian must be present for all 3 hours.
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Participants in the weekday sail camps must be 9 years old by June 1. Students may be dropped off but parents are also welcome to watch and spend the day at the lake.
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Participants attending the Saturday morning program must bring their own snack.
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Participants attending the weekday sail camps must bring their own snack and lunch.
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Each participant must bring a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket with an attached whistle
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Each participant must bring a refillable water bottle, hat with a brim or visor, close-toed shoes (no flip flops) that can get wet, and sunscreen.
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A medical form will be provided to inform the instructors of any special medical concerns.
Weekday Youth Sail Camp Programs
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM (30 Hours)
Fees: AYC Member: $400
Non-Member $550
Class is Full
Class is Full
Class is Full
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Class is Full
June 8 - 12, 2026
June 15 - 19, 2026
June 22 - 26, 2026
July 6 - 10, 2026
July 13 - 17 , 2026
July 20 - 24, 2026
Early registration 10 percent discount until January 31, 2026