lewes beach yacht club

Sailing School

Click here for 2024 sailing school registration..

Email   [email protected]  with questions and to be placed on the reminder list.  

Cape Critters Program The Cape Critters Program is designed for children ages 5-7 years old that have no sailing experience. It is a ½ day program that begins at 9 AM and concludes at 12 PM, Monday through Wednesday or Thursday and Friday. The core concepts are fundamentals of water safety, sailing our Hobie Waves, and an experience of the wonder of our diverse bayside environment. FUN and teamwork are emphasized while sailing as a group. An onboard instructor rotates the campers through a series of jobs including Lookout - Sail Trim - and Steering.

Weekday Sailing School

Students can attend a 3 hour morning or afternoon session, or they can attend a 7 hour all day clinic with a one hour break for lunch and pool time. We have 5 different skill levels, training to the 19 skills in US Sailing's Start Sailing Right. Students are placed in groups based on previous experience and instructor assessments. Depending on their skills students may sail in Hobie Waves - Flying Scots - Zests - Sunfish - Lasers, and other boats. As they progress they will learn skills like seamanship, water safety, proper sail trim and steering, rigging and de-rigging, launching and landing, and capsizing and recovery. Each daily session includes a brief pre and post sail chalk talk, with the majority of the time dedicated to being on the water.

Cape Critter Program (morning only, M-W or Th-F)  

        Ages 5-7  with NO SAILING EXPERIENCE.

•        Monday to Wednesday or Thursday and Friday

•        9 AM to 12 PM

•        Boats: Hobie Wave For more Critter information Click HERE

Register HERE

All Day Session                                     

        Ages 8-18 •        Weekday Sailing School** •        9 AM to 4 PM (12-1=lunch/swim break) •        Boats: Zest/Opti/Sunfish/Laser/420

Morning Session

       Ages 8-18 •        Weekday Sailing School** •        9 AM to 12 PM •        Boats: Zest/Hobie Wave/Opti/Sunfish/Laser/420 **Requires Froglet minimum skills for sailors under 10

Afternoon Session                                  

       Ages 8-18

•        Weekday Sailing School**

•        1 PM to 4 PM

•        Boats: Zest/Opti/Sunfish/Laser/420 **Requires Froglet minimum skills for sailors under 10

For more Weekday Sailing School Information Click HERE

To register click here, frequently asked questions.

Q: What should my sailor bring to summer sailing lessons?

A: Sunglasses, Hat, Water bottle, Swim outfit, Sunscreen, Towel, Lunch (for Full day), Life Jacket, Closed Toed shoes that can get wet. Click here for a detailed list.

Q: Does my sailor need a life vest?

A: YES! Sailors need to bring their own life jacket. Your PFD should be Coast Guard approved and the right size for your sailor. We have a bin of life jackets that students can borrow if they occasionally forget.

Q: Where can I drop off/pick up my sailor from LYC Sailing School?

Please drop your sailor off outside the Regatta Room Monday morning and register with the instructor at the table. They will direct you to the proper location. For the safety of your sailor, please check in and out. Drop off starts at 8:50 am. Please find the Sailing Director to approve contact information!  The AM and Cape Critters end at noon and Full and PM lessons end at 4pm. The kids will be waiting for you in the Regatta Room to pick them up. Please confirm pick-up with the Sailing Director or an Instructor so that we know your child has been picked up safely. All non-member AM/Cape critters need to be checked out before 12:15pm.

Q: Will there be a swim check?

A: Instructors give a swim check Monday morning to ensure comfort and safety in and around the water.

Q: What happens when the weather is too bad to sail?

A: Safety is our #1 priority. If the weather does not permit us to sail we will bring class inside to do sailing related activities and team building exercises until conditions improve.

Q: What if we have to cancel?

A: Students who cancel three weeks prior to the program start date receive a full refund. Within two weeks prior to the start date, the student receives a 50% refund. Inside of two weeks there will be no refund.

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Photo by Maria Deforrest

The east coast boasts a colorful racing scene this summer as first state residents enjoy lively yacht competitions on the delaware bay..

In 2005, Vincent Walsh and Thomas Sheridan purchased a house on Pilottown Road in Lewes for one primary reason. Since the property stretches to the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, they have a private slip for the 37-foot sloop Ceili.

Over the past decade, the couple has witnessed an increased interest in sailing. “[Lewes has] become a big sailing community,” Walsh says. “It’s partly because of the easy access to the Delaware Bay, which is beautiful to sail in.”

The proximity to bay and ocean has made Lewes a sailor’s paradise for centuries. The Lewes Yacht Club was founded in 1932, and residents like Nick Carter—whose grandfather was a club founder—and Bert Keller grew up sailing off Lewes Beach. “We probably spent as much time on the water as we did on the sand,” Keller says.

In the late 20th century, powerboats and Jet Skis began eclipsing all but the small sailboats on the horizon. But now, there are more vessels like Ceili gliding past the Delaware Breakwater and East End Lighthouse.

In part, credit the “Beer Can Fleet,” an informal regatta for all sizes and classes. Carter and friends started the competitions about 15 years ago. Today, about 11 boats participate in the races, held on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. during the season. Anyone can join, and participants include Carter’s 36-foot Catalina sloop rig and Keller’s Catalina 25, a smaller cruising sailboat. “We’re the smallest but not always the slowest,” Keller quips.

The wind affects the course, but the two breakwaters, ice breakers and buoys often serve as marks. It’s up to the skipper to monitor the race time from start to finish. The boats are handicapped since they are all different. (Handicapping allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to race against one another. The goal is to emphasize a crew’s skill and not the boat’s inherent advantages or disadvantages.)

At the month’s end, boats with the lowest scores receive awards. There’s also a trophy for sailboats with the lowest cumulative score over the summer. It’s named the Drew Pfarr Memorial Cup to honor a late competitor’s son.

Part of the Mid-Atlantic Yacht Racing Association , the more formal Cape-to-Cape Challenge is organized by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May and the Lewes Yacht Club. The 2021 event is Friday, August 6, through Saturday, August 7. (The Lewes Yacht Club has also hosted the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association.)

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As for smaller vessels, the club is kindling more interest in racing with 2 p.m. competitions on Saturdays and a sailing school for kids ages 6 to 16. Membership is not required.

Sailfish and Sunfish are frequently spotted soaring across the Rehoboth Bay, which is too shallow for larger boats. It’s not unusual to spot a novice sailor trudging through water, pulling a boat behind them.

“But that’s why it’s a good place to learn,” says Greg Holochwost, manager of the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association . “It’s a relatively calm body of water with fairly steady winds all summer long.”

The club, founded in 1963 to promote sailing and preserve the inland bays, has about 150 members. (A family is considered one membership.) However, the public may rent sailboats, including a 19-foot vessel, and take lessons. The club also holds a sailing camp for kids.

Every Saturday, Sunfish and Flying Scots participate in races, and the club welcomes non-members for Hobie races. An annual race around the bay is also open to all boats, which are handicapped, and this year, the club plans to hold regattas for Lasers and Sunfish.

Any type of sailing requires skill. For a race, larger boats need a crew of up to five to cover all the bases. But the thrill of competition is not sailing’s sole allure. Sheridan, who has his captain’s license, and Walsh simply enjoy the quiet charm of moving across the bay on wind power. They often tie-up with boats to create a floating social scene.

After all, Walsh says, ceili is Gaelic for “party.”

For more information, visit: Lewes Yacht Club 2701 Cedar St.; Lewes, 645-8596; lewesyachtclub.com

Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association 38767 Rehoboth Bay Sailing Assoc. Lane, Dewey; 227-9008; rbsa.org

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• Yacht Clubs

Lewes Yacht Club

lewesyc.com

2701 Cedar Street

Lewes , DE 19958

(302) 645-8596

The Lewes Yacht Club (LYC) was founded in 1932 to encourage water sports, boating, casual sailing, and promote racing competition. The Club is enriched by its history and traditions, yet has a casual and relaxed atmosphere. LYC is situated at the mouth of the Delaware Bay, which feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. The Club hosts Sunday races in everything from Sunfish and Mobjacks to Open Bics, Zumas and Optis for junior racers. They also co-host the Annual Cape-to-Cape Challenge Race, between LYC and the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May, NJ.

From the Commodore:

“We are extremely pleased to have been able to participate with and join the National Sailing Hall of Fame as a Founding Member. The members and friends of sailing at LYC rallied to raise the donations privately, but it was a Club-wide Campaign with Club-wide support! We feel that this effort in supporting the NSHOF has strengthened the Lewes Yacht Club and sailing in general. We look forward to a lasting relationship with the NHSOF to the benefit of all those with sailing in their blood!! We strongly encourage that all yacht clubs undertake a similar campaign— it was “win-win” for us.”

Bob Edelen, Commodore

Quick Links

Getting Here

The Sailing Museum & Hall of Fame

365 Thames Street

Newport, RI 02840

401.324.5761

[email protected]

Lewes chamber installs new board for 2023-24

The Lewes Chamber of Commerce held its annual installation banquet Aug. 30 at the Lewes Yacht Club.

The 2023-24 officers are President Ray Book, Vice President Ted Becker, Treasurer Jeff Fried, Recording Secretary Maggie Lingo, Corporate Secretary Mark Carter and Past President Nikky Fisher.

The directors are Jen Mason, Lisa McDonald, Ken Norman, Gavin Radka and Jim Smith.

The chamber honored outgoing President Nikky Fisher at the banquet. Executive Director Betsy Reamer presented her with a framed photo of the Fisher-Martin House herb garden, taken by Brook Hedge.

Reamer said it has become tradition for the chamber to present outgoing presidents with a photo of Fisher-Martin House when their term ends.

Dr. David Tam, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare, gave the keynote address. He introduced the faculty, staff and four residents from the new Family Practice Residency Program.

For more information about the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, go to leweschamber.com. 

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