KHYF High School Program – Bringing Pride to KHYC!

For those of you that see the KHYF Flying Juniors out sailing every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, here is a little info on what we are doing. The boys and girls you see are members of the KHYF high school program. First organized by the KHYF roughly 6 years ago, the high school program began with two to three boats on the water each day, and has grown to a 14 – 16 member team with as many as 8 boats on the water, at times. Many schools participate – currently Redondo Union, Mira Costa, Chadwick and Peninsula – and although there is the inescapable friendly competition between teams, one can’t help but notice that these boys and girls embrace each other as teammates.

High school sailing is a unique form of racing. Sailed in FJs and 420s, regattas consist of two fleets – an “A” fleet and a “B” fleet. The fleets take turns racing, rotating into a new boat after every other race. Members of each fleet are not allowed to crossover; however crews and skippers can be substituted for new sailors. A typical race day produces any where from 8 to 16 races. Courses are short, so starting and boat-handling must be at a premium in order to be successful. No throw-outs are allowed, so mistakes are very costly! A typical first mark rounding sees 20 – 30 boats all rounding within about a 30 second time frame, so you can imagine the maneuvering and mayhem involved! Racing is always close!

For me, however, high school sailing has an entirely different significance from its unique format. High school sailing is special, because it puts teenagers on the water. It provides them with the opportunity to work toward a physical goal and perhaps more importantly, the regularity of the practices allows sailors to witness actual gains to help give them confidence and pride.

We have many promising young sailors and teams, the most notable being our all freshmen team from Peninsula. After their first season as a team, the boys and girls of Peninsula have qualified for the Pacific Coast Championships by finishing in the top 20 of the standings for all of the west coast. If we can do that in our first year, I can’t wait to see what four years of experience will bring us!

All of our young high school sailors give us much to be proud of. Although a bit boisterous at times (as high school students tend to be!), they are all pure of heart, and most of them share one similar value with all of you: they’re love of the water! Get to know these boys and girls any chance you have… they are our future!

If you would like to keep up to date with all of our high school activities, see the new KHYF bulletin board across from the yacht club office. If you would like to help support the KHYF, speak to Dinah or myself about becoming a monthly donor!

Best,

Coach Brian