About our Sailing Program
Our Sailing program is for youth who have completed grades 8-11.
Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned teenage sailor willing to sharpen your skills, our goal at Camp Kasota West is to provide a summer camp experience that is fun, educational and above all provides campers with a lifelong love of sailing.
With an emphasis on safety and developing and practicing proper boat handling techniques, our philosophy is that you learn sailing by sailing! That’s why (weather permitting) we provide our campers with the opportunity to sail as much as possible over the course of the week, with instructional sessions, games, and activities in between sailing times. Instruction is provided in the areas of safety, preparation of the boat, rigging, hoisting and setting sails, rules of the road and points of sail. We will cover basic terminology, knots, and the basics of how to sail a small boat under the safety and direction of an experienced instructor. Sailors will also have the opportunity to participate in camp-wide activities at Camp Kasota West, and will not miss out on the authentic and renowned summer camp experience of CKW.
The camp maintains a large but mixed fleet of sail boats which include commodore’s, kolibri’s, international’s, coronada’s, seaspray, fj’s, and sunfish. No official certification is provided at this camp, but you’ll be well prepared for a White Sail or beyond by the end of the week.
About the Instructor
Duncan has been sailing on Sylvan Lake since he was 9 years old and has continued to share his passion for sailing with campers at Camp Kasota West since 1993. He received formal sailing training from the CYA but firmly believes his skill and advancement as a sailor has come from years of sailing on Sylvan, racing Lasers and cruising on the West Coast. His program is hands-on, focuses on safety, full participation & fun!
Notes for Campers
Please remember to bring solid footware. This includes a pair of sandles with full ankle support (no flip flops), old running shoes, or a canvas shoe like “Vans”.
Have a Spare Boat?
Our program relies on the donation of boats from families of campers and individuals in our community. If you have an old boat that is not being used anymore and would like to donate it, please contact office@campkasotawest.com.
Ready to Register?
Click the button below to register your camper for a sailing summer camp program with Camp Kasota West or view this summer camp programming schedule.