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Our
goal in the LTS dinghy sailboat course at Camano Sail and Power is, in
18 hours of
instruction, to qualify a person to be a competent and safe
"small boat
skipper", able to sail in mild to moderate conditions in the waters
immediately adjacent to Camano Island State Park. We qualify a
person to be a skipper by teaching a
non-sailor how to rig and de-rig, launch and recover the boat,
sail out away from shore and return in the prevailing wind strength and
direction and sea state, and to be able to safely and confidently
handle the occasional capsize by being able to right the boat, bail out
the water, and continue sailing, in winds generally not exceeding 10
knots steady, with occasional slightly higher gusts. Our goal includes educating the new sailor
about the environment: how to predict conditions and how to stay
safe and warm while sailing, and how to keep your crew safe as well. Successful completion of this course earns the sailor a "skipper" designation and a US SAILING small boat course completion card. With these, the skipper can rent our sailboats that they are qualified to sail during our Open Sailing periods, and to bring a non-sailing guest (see Open Sailing for details). The cost for the complete 18 hour Learn to Sail Small Boats course is $275. This fee includes the US SAILING textbook "Learn to Sail", and the use of Camano Sail's boats. PACKAGE DEALS, DISCOUNTS: 1) Adult family members and friends: First person pays $275. Additional family or friends pay $250. 2) Group: Our minimum small boat class is four people, max of 6. If you have three, four or five friends that you would like to learn to sail with, the cost is $250/person. 3) Mom or Dad plus Son or Daughter: For sons or daughters 12 years of age or younger, there is the special Mom or Dad + son or daughter classes. For these, the cost for one adult and one child is $350 for both and they sail together in the same sailboat. Note especially that for these adult/child arrangements, only the adult receives the US SAILING small boat certificate of graduation and our site-specific open sailing card. That is, the adult is going to be the designated Small Boat Skipper and therefore eligible to rent our small sailboats during open sailing sessions during the Summer. As the designated Skipper, that person can rent a boat during open sailing and bring along as a passenger anyone they wish as long as that person had a wet suit and had done a float test. 4) Mom and dad plus underage Son or Daughter: PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CANNOT mix parental attendance in any one course. That would create terrible scheduling conflicts for the instructor who is trying to keep straight who was here when and what did they learn?? However, for the situations where we have two parents (same family) who want to be certified with their child, they both will need to take the entire 18 hour course. That would normally be $700 but we have the 3-person-family special of $500. Considering that both adults individually would pay $350/each for a regular class, this is a substantial savings. And, your son or daughter gets to sail for 36 hours in the bargain. And, with this arrangement, if a family has more than one young child, they can alternate or mix their participation since it is really the adult who is being rigorously trained and certified. 5) Sons/Daughters who crewed with Mom or Dad and are now old enough to sail on their own. We all hope, of course, that our children will grow up loving sailing and the water and will want to go on. For the kids that start out with Mom and/or Dad in one of family arrangements, we offer a $20% discount to take the small boat course all on their own once they are strong enough and mature enough to handle a small boat on their own. 6) Already a small boat sailor? If you are already a small boat sailor, our "Challenge" class is the way to go. Show up, have a wet suit, do the float test, take the written test, rig a small boat and show us your moves around the buoys, including a full turtle capsize and recovery and, if you pass, receive the US SAILING small boat skipper certificate and our site specific open sailing card which allows you to come down to our open sailing and rent our small boats and bring a friend with you (they need not be sailors but they do need a wet suit and a current float test). $75 and a few hours on one day. What could be simpler? 7) But I really lust to be a swashbucking big boat skipper and sail the seven seas. As is described in detail on the small boat philosophy page, we have found that the best big boat skippers are the ones who learned in a small sailboat first. For sailors who agree with this philosophy, we have a special package designed to encourage and reward this approach. If you would like to be certified in both small boats and big boats, check out our special TOOFER package.
After you certify in our small boat course, either
through taking the entire course or by doing the Challenge, we offer
the following "toofer" (two for the price of one) package. Sign up for the Basic Keelboat course and
pay only $400 for approximately 12-18 additional hours learning to sail
our J-24 (normally $660 for just the KB course). We can do this because by the time you
complete the small boat course, you know how to sail, you "speak the
language" and you know the names of almost everything. Big boats
are just dinghys that have eaten their veggies and grown up to be
bigger. Not more difficult, just bigger, more expensive and
requiring a bit more care and feeding. So, we do not have to
teach you most of the "how to sail" skills, just the skills that are
specific to big boats. 8) Private lessons. For
sailors with busy schedules or who do better in a one-on-one class
situation, private, individual sailing lessons with the instructor are
available for
$50/hour for one student, $45/hour each for two, $40 each for three and
$35/hour/each for the max per private class of four. To arrange
days and times that are convenient for you, please contact Head Instructor, Capt. Lawrence Baum by e-mail or at 425-314-9824. More details Every
client who is considering signing up for the LTS small boat course must
realize that, by its very nature, dinghy sailing can be a wet sport and
the waters of Saratoga Passage at Camano Island State
Park are colder than the official US Coast Guard definition of "cold
water", which they consider to be 59 degrees. A student in
the LTS course can expect to capsize and end up in the water more than
once during the course. This is a normal part of dinghy sailing
and we teach you how to deal with it safely and confidently.
Thus, all small boat students must wear a wet or dry suit while
on the water. Camano Sail has a limited number of rentals at $25
for the entire class.Camano Sail and Power guarantees their clients that, if for any reason, the client is not able to complete or pass the course the first time, they may continue to attend classes at no additional cost, providing that 1) they have attended all of the regularly scheduled classes; 2) they continue to attend classes within a 60 day extension period from the date of the final day of their class; 3) there is space and a boat available in another class, and 4) that the sessions they attend must be on the learning and practising of the skills that they need to pass the course. We do not guarantee that everyone will finally qualify at the end of the 60 day extension period and be certified as a US SAILING/Camano Sail and Power "Skipper." From time to rare time, a client may find that sailing a small boat is just "not their cup of tea." We understand this however, Camano Sail and Power is not in a position to refund the cost of the course should this occur. The minimum requirements for enrolling in a LTS small boat course are: 1) Minimum age of approximately 14. However, this age is arbitrary and "approximate" due to the great variation in size and weight among 14 year old people. A better guide is a minimum weight of 100 pounds. These minimums are for the student's protection: a lighter person often does not have the weight needed to bring a dinghy to an upright position after a capsize. *The minimum age does not apply to Father/Mother + Son/Daughter team classes. If an adult is learning in the same boat as their son/daughter, the age can be lower. This is a very individualistic determination and should be discussed with the Head Instructor, Capt. Lawrence Baum prior to the class. 2) Wear a wet suit and wet-suit booties at all times while sailing. A long-legged and long-arm suit is highly recommended due to the cold water in which we sail. A dry suit is acceptable but tends to be more restrictive and prone to overheating. 3) Own and have on and securely fastened a well-fitting USCG-approved Type 3 or better PFD in good repair (no tears or other signs of abuse) 4) Pass a float test test on the Camano Island State Park waterfront. This test will take place near-shore under the closely controlled supervision of Camano Sail staff. 5) Have the following on file at the waterfront office of Camano Sail and Power: A) Float test B) A signed state-of-health/medical issues form; C) A signed release-of-liability form (signed by parents in the case of persons under the age of 21); D) If the participant is 18 or under, statement of intention to abide by the rules of good sportsmanship and behavior "You have not won the race if, in winning, you have lost the respect of your fellow competitors." Paul Elvstrom, 4-time small-boat Olympic Gold medallist. |