Explorers, our youngest group, is for children ages 4-6. We hold one week of camp for Explorers before formal camp begins. It is a land-based group, they do not sail. Children will explore the Fort Getty marine environments - the rocky shore, the sandy beach, and the salt marsh. Children will discover and learn about marine animals and their habitats through hands-on activities. The goal of the class is for kids to have a positive experience at the water's edge, while learning more about the marine environment.

Children must be able to communicate verbally and be fully toilet trained. All campers should bring a snack. No food will be provided. A water refill station will be on-site, so please bring a reusable water bottle. 

*NOTE: There is NO swim check for this age group since it is a land-based class. They may get their feet wet in the water, so please bring a life jacket for your child/children. However, they will not be going swimming.

Marine Adventurers is for children ages 5 - 8 (Children age 5 must  have completed Kindergarten to participate. No exceptions will be made). Children will participate in hands-on investigations of the beach, salt marsh, tide pools, and bay at Fort Getty. Through fun games and outdoor activities, kids will learn about the Bay's ecology and the marine ecosystem. They will go crabbing, add creatures to touch tanks, and generally immerse themselves in the marine environment around them. 

Children will also go sailing on CISF's Hobie Waves in groups of 4 or 5 with an instructor. Life jackets will be provided, but those who have a life jacket are encouraged to bring theirs. Children will have a safe, fun experience sailing around Dutch Harbor & the Bay (an informal swim check may be done before the kids go sailing. The swim check consists of the kids swimming a short distance away from and back to shore with their life jackets on. This is done so that instructors get a feel for every child's swimming ability and comfort in the water).

In this age group, Jamestown Sea Adventure Camp focuses on introducing marine science and environmental education coupled with learning to sail (adventure sailing). Days are mixed to combine both sailing and marine/environmental learning. Each week's schedule may be slightly different due to weather conditions, though children will always be learning through fun, hands-on activities. Arts and crafts are interspersed throughout the day, and Thursday is tie-dye day. No prior sailing experience is necessary; those with experience will enjoy sailing Hobie Wave catamarans and sailing with their friends. 

Incorporated last summer, the 7 - 12 age group is aimed to allow more flexibility for families to send all their children in one week. Campers in this age group follow a similar schedule to that of 8-10, and are half-day.

Campers in this age group, 11-16, are our eldest group, and are thus encouraged more autonomy in sailing and marine education. Campers with sailing experience--or those who are looking for more experience--may be allowed to sail without on instructor on board. Autonomy in this way builds confidence and leadership, as well as sailing skills. Sailing without an instructor on board is at the discretion of the sailing instructors. Not all 'solo' sails will be successful, meaning some may end in a capsize. In terms of safety, there is always a powerboat on the water to help. Campers are briefed about capsizing and have experienced capsizing before being allowed to sail solo. Capsizing can be a valuable learning experience, and to be honest, is pretty fun.

Launched in 2021, O’Pen Skiff Adventures is for to children that have had previous experience in the O’Pen Skiffs or are 10 or older with sailing experience. This will be a small class where the focus is only on sailing (as opposed to sailing and marine education). Children will have the opportunity to improve their sailing skills and comfort on the water in a more challenging boat than our signature camp boat, the Hobie Wave. We have 5 O’Pen Skiffs available and class will be led by an experienced sailing instructor. Topics that will be covered in this class are the basics of sailing which include points of sail, tacking, gybing, capsizing and recovery, rigging, launching off the beach and coming back in safely, as well as sail trim and weight balance in  the boat. More advanced sailing information will be added as we see fit for each individual and class. If you are unsure whether your child would love and/or thrive in this class please reach out to us at Fiona@JamestownSailing.org. We are excited to challenge children, but want to make sure that kids are comfortable and excited to participate.

Some age exceptions may be made to allow participation. Children must have significant & successful O’Pen Skiff or Optimist sailing experience. Contact Meg Myles to discuss: (CISFSailing@gmail.com)

Leadership Program, for ages 12- 16, runs in conjunction with Sea Adventure camp - children will participate in both, with approximately 40% of the week's time in Leadership and 60% in Sea Adventure Camp. New in 2022, register for camp with leadership included.
Sailing is an ideal platform for gaining confidence and leadership in its own right. CISF wants to take the next step by directly providing leadership skills through discussion, leadership training, games, and goal achievement in sailing, marine science, and environmentalism.
Vince Lombardi once said “leaders are made, not born”. The skills that will be taught are life leadership skills. Our goal is not to create the next group of Sea Adventure Camp Instructors, but to empower students with skills that will enable them to make better decisions, and to lead by understanding what it means to be a leader and how to lead using the leadership style that best suits him or her.

Campers will continue to participate in Jamestown Sea Adventure Camp within their age group (12-16). However, those in the Leadership will be in their own pod, or group. Leadership participants will have a longer day, ending at 4:15/4:30 each day. The camp day will be 9 am – 4:15/4:30 pm. 

At the conclusion of each Leadership Course, students will receive a certificate of completion. There is also a badge system in the fields of sailing, marine science, and environmentalism. Leadership students will work towards a badge during the week. It will not be possible for leadership students to complete all badges during a single week. We are hopeful that a student can complete a badge during the week, but it is not a guarantee. The Leadership Course is valuable for multiple weeks of attendance.