Be Joyful and Courageous.
On a breathtaking rural point of land on the lower Chesapeake Bay, our campers have immediate access to beautiful sailing through both protected waters and beaches for our beginners and deeper waters and bigger waves for the experienced sailors. Today, like yester-years, our juniors find dirt roads and picnic tables, screen porches and oysters, wildlife and ample outdoor space. And equally, they purposefully don't find resort luxuries like air-conditioning, restaurants and technology.
Registration for Junior Week Camp
JUNIOR WEEK is a camp for ages 6 to 18 and consists of five days of sailing of course, and also swimming, weather, knots, kayaking, navigating, beach exploring, and sometimes crabbing, critter-catching, shells, aquatic life, oceanography, currents, tides, and sometimes how to have grit -- while growing in courage, friendships and laughter.
Junior Week is a great camp for Juniors to kick-off their sailing season, with lots of sailing, swimming, exploring, hanging with their friends, and when camp is done for the day, spending time with their families. Juniors completing Opti Kids who want to continue their training may participate in Beginning Opti. Click here to see more photos. Counselors for Junior Week will include professional coaches and volunteers. It is hoped that all FBYC Juniors will participate, and Junior Week is also open to non-club members. Entertainment will follow after sailing, and will likely include a ice cream, pool parties, and a family cookout.
The session choices are as follows, and all classes have a mixture of sailing with great swim breaks at beaches and on boats, weather, knots, seamanship, exploring to nearby locations.
- Beginner Opti: Sailors ages 6-10 with limited experience, sail doublehanded in Club-provided Optis, and learn basic boat-handling skills with close supervision. Weather permitting, they even build up to the ability to explore using their sailing skills to nearby beaches, and get the joy of beaching their boats, swimming and games. Sailors may be in this class for no more than two years.
- Intermediate Opti: Sailors ages 8-12 who have completed Beginning Opti or with some boat handling and sailing experience sail singlehanded and learn more about boat setup and sail trim, and seamanship skills like knots, weather, and boat handling that they can use to explore with their group further away from shore to remote beaches and sandbars. Sailors must bring and use their own Opti. A few Optis may be available to charter through FBYC. This must be arranged prior to Junior Week by contacting juniors@fbyc.net.
- Advanced Opti: Sailors ages 9 & up who have completed Intermediate Opti or have equivalent experience learn starting techniques, sail trim, boat speed, and race strategy in preparation for regattas. Sailors must bring and use their own Opti.
- Laser: Sailors ages 12 & up who have outgrown Optimists or older sailors with limited experience who want to learn about Laser sailing. Class will be focused on learning about the Laser and having fun with a larger boat. Sailors must bring and use their own Laser.
- Beginner 420: Sailors ages 12 & up who have outgrown Optimists and are ready for double-handed racing in Club 420s to learn starting techniques, sail trim, boat speed, and basic racing strategy in preparation for regattas. The 420 Class is appropriate for older beginners with little or no sailing experience, as well as those with extensive experience. Beginners will be paired with more experienced sailors and will receive basic instruction, and will be given the opportunity to skipper and crew a 420.
- Advanced 420: Sailors ages 12-18 who have outgrown Optimists and have race team experience either in Optis, Lasers or 420s.
- Explorers Sailing: Sailors ages 12 & up sail with crew and an experienced instructor in club member boats, usually keelboats, learning boat setup, sail trim, and boat handling, with an emphasis on sailing to destinations. This class is appropriate for older beginners with little or no sailing experience, as well as for those with extensive experience. Although we strive to accommodate demand for this class, enrollment is limited by the number of boats available to the program.
- Counselor-in-Training: Experienced junior sailors ages 13-18 who have attended at least 3 previous Junior Weeks as participants are invited to assist in the various classes as assistant instructors under adult supervision. Please contact juniors@fbyc.net for additional information.
Note to Parents:
Parents are encouraged to seek guidance from the Junior Division staff in selecting the class that is best suited to their child (email juniors@fbyc.net). FBYC has taken care to develop a camp that fills the needs of a wide range of ages and skill levels. It is important that parents work with staff to properly place their children in the most appropriate class to avoid frustration on the part of the child. If you are uncertain of your child's skill level or have concerns about their progress at any point in the program, please ask for an assessment by our coaches so that adjustments can be made to ensure that your child's introduction to sailing is a positive experience. You should not register your child for a class beyond or below the child's abilities in order for your child to be with a friend or sibling.
Parents can email juniors@fbyc.net after registering with the specific experience level of their kids, as classes may be subdivided based on age, size, and relative sailing and racing experience.
Swim Test: All sailors must pass a simple two-part swim test on the first morning of camp. First, all sailors will be asked to swim the length of our pool (approximately 75') unassisted, without swim shoes and PFD. Sailors who pass will then be asked to swim to our beach from the end of our pier in Fishing Bay, wearing swim shoes and a PFD.
Note on Safety: All participants during junior events, including juniors, adults and observers, must wear PFDs and water shoes while on or in the water (boating, swimming and wading), while on the beach, and while on the piers. No exceptions are allowed. Those who will not follow this rule will be excused from participation.
In case of inclement weather, class sessions will be held onshore.
Payments: Payments are refundable for the sooner of 60 days or registration has closed.
To register, please follow the Registration Table link on the navigation bar.
Daily Schedule:
Monday check in is between 8am - 9am. All other days check in is 8:30am - 9am. Junior Week runs from 9am - 12pm, 1pm - 4pm. Lunch is 12pm - 1pm. Additional family activities will be offered after 4pm some days. Junior Week ends at 12pm Friday.
Parents or guardians must provide lunch for their children, as well as supervision during the lunch hour.
| Junior Week Schedule (June 16-20, 2025) | |
| Sunday | PM Boat Drop-off and early Check In (encouraged) |
| Monday | 8am - 9am Check In, Swim Test 9am, 4pm Check Out |
| Tuesday | 8:30am - 9am Check In, 4pm Check Out |
| Wednesday | 8:30am - 9am Check In, 4pm Check Out |
| Thursday | 8:30am - 9am Check In, 4pm Check Out |
| Friday | 8:30am - 9am Check In, Group Pictures, 12pm Check Out |
| Junior Week Management | |
| Junior Week Contact | juniors@fbyc.net |
| Online Registration | Opens 2/1; Member Preference Ends 3/1; Closes 5/15 |
Boats: FBYC provides only a limited number of boats for the Beginner, Group Sailing, and 420 Classes.
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Need a boat? Want to sell or charter your boat?
Need a place to stay in Deltaville during Jr Week and/or the Jr Regatta? Want to rent your place?
Check out FBYC's Classifieds page or contact juniors@fbyc.net for more info.
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Following Junior Week, there are several excellent options for continued learning and sailing during the summer:
- Opti & Laser Development Team
- Summer Race Teams
- Regattas
- Fun Sail
- Summer Sailing School Mini-camps
- Spring & Fall Clinics