Sailing is tradition at Lewes Yacht Club
Sailing has been a tradition in Lewes handed down through the generations. Hundreds of youngsters get their first lessons about wind and rigging thanks to the Junior Sailing Camp offered by the Lewes Yacht Club.
Although classes have been offered for decades, a revamped sailing committee has placed greater emphasis on youth and adult sailing, which has been the foundation of the club since it was formed in 1932. The club is filled with old sailing photographs attesting to the ties the club has to the sea.
The club has weekly regattas as well as special races throughout the summer. Mobjack and Sunfish races take place every Sunday, July Fourth through Labor Day, and the Beer Can Regatta takes place at 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday throughout the summer.
The club hosted the Sunfish Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships June 24 and 25 and will participate in the Cape-to-Cape Challenge scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 6. The race was coordinated through the efforts of the Lewes and Cape May yacht clubs.
Sailboat rentals are available every day at the club, and the committee sponsors adult sailing clinics.
Sailing committee Chairman Stephen Robinson said two years ago, the junior sailing program provided lessons to fewer than 90 children with limited time in the water. Last year, 250 children ages 5-15 participated, and the numbers this year should equal that, he said. “We have been able to quadruple the time of instruction,” Robinson said.
Youth lessons in morning and afternoon sessions take place each weekday on the beach and bay in front of the yacht club. Some sessions in weeks five through eight have openings, said Jeff Futcher, a longtime Lewes sailor who is in his second summer as director of Junior Sailing Camp.
Participants can choose half-day or full-day lessons and can register for multiple weeks. The only restriction is the Cape Critters program for 5- and 6-year-olds that takes place during mornings only. Registration is open to nonmembers as well as members of the yacht club.
The club has added two-person Club 420-class boats this summer. The boats, with jibs and mainsails, are the same boats used by collegiate teams.
Registration can be made via the website at lewesyc.com/sail/saillesson.html. Limited scholarships, funded by the club’s foundation and the club, are available.
Robinson said it’s easy to see the youth program is making a difference to help young sailors gain an appreciation for the sport. “You see smiles from ear to ear,” he said.
The committee is looking to the future by adding more regattas and more races. Plans are in the works for a Mid-Atlantic yacht summit to better coordinate activities and races among yacht clubs in the area.
In addition, Robinson said, the committee is investigating the idea of sponsoring a Cape Henlopen High School sailing team. “With our venue we should have a team,” he said. “Let’s go sailing.”
