Introduction to Racing

Have already crewed on a someone else’s boat during a regatta but would like to know more about racing? You generally enjoy casual sailing but at times long for a bit more competition? Know how a sailboat works but want to improve your sailing skills? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then DC Sail's Introduction to Racing is the course for you!

Sailing against other sailors is fun and allows you to improve your skills since you receive constant feedback about your actions through observing other boats. Since the course uses the same boat type for all students, the only difference in performance is you!

In this fun and friendly Introduction to Racing course, we cover racing rules, work on boat handling, balance and trim, and introduce some tactics. Lessons include chalk talks, on the water drills, and practice races.

The Introduction to Racing course builds on the basic knowledge gained in a Beginner Sailing course and consists of a total of 12 hours of instruction over the course of four sessions during a weekend. The course is taught on our Flying Scots with a maximum of three students per boat.

Prerequisite: We assume that you have passed our learn-to-sail course on the Flying Scot or have equivalent experience. See the curriculum overview of our learn-to-sail course to judge your skill level. If you have not sailed for a while, we suggest you consider taking our refresher course first.

For more information please contact lessons@dcsail.org.