LYC sailing camps get underway June 24

Lewes Yacht Club summer sailing camps get underway Monday, June 24. Last season, the program offered sailing lessons to more than 250 campers; already, nearly 200 campers have signed up for this year.

In addition to weeklong camps, LYC is starting a youth travel team. The team will practice weekly and compete in four major regattas in July at various venues on the Chesapeake Bay, said Matt Bower, director of LYC youth sailing.

“We are looking forward to seeing how our sailors do against some of the best youth competition on the East Coast,” Bower said.

As always, the sailing program is about safety, fun and learning, Bower said. LYC offers weekly camps running through Monday, Aug. 11. LYC is also offering adult women's clinics in July and August. For more information on registration for sailing programs, go to lewesyc.com.

The staff is also available for smaller, private lessons. For information, contact Bower at 302-645-8596.

Bower's focus this season is starting up and eventually expanding a youth sailing team. He hopes to bring competitive youth sailing to the community and make LYC the premier destination in the area for youth sailing. In the off season, Bower is a middle school humanities teacher.

This season, sailing school has a mix of new faces and returning instructors.

Ben Nefosky is a criminal justice major at the University of Delaware with aspirations of becoming a Delaware State Police trooper. Nefosky has sailed for the university's sailing club for two years, and during that time he raced in the team's home regattas at North East River Yacht Club. While at NERYC, he participated in the club's big-boat racing series working on the foredeck of the Soverel 27. This is Nefosky's first season at LYC.

Bryan Whittington of Newark spent four years sailing for the University of Delaware Blue Hens. Whittington, who grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, has been an instructor for youth sailing programs every summer for the last six years; this will be his first season at LYC.

Alex Stein worked as a youth sailing instructor for several years at the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association before coming to LYC. He is an avid and experienced big-boat sailor, as well as a knowledgeable competitive sailor. He currently attends the University of Vermont in Burlington, and this will be his first season as an instructor at LYC.

Ben Watson is a junior at Tower Hill School in Wilmington. In addition to his interest in sailing, he also plays soccer, basketball and lacrosse. He has been sailing for eight years, and this is his fourth summer at LYC and his second year as an instructor.

Kristin Schaen is a junior at Kennett High School in Kennett Square, Pa. She has been sailing for six years. This will be her third year at LYC and first year working as a full-time instructor. Besides sailing, she plays field hockey, track and lacrosse.

Ann Williamson is a junior at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., majoring in environmental studies with a minor in biology and anthropology. At Eckerd she is on the varsity sailing team. She practices throughout the academic year and has the opportunity to travel to regattas around the country on most weekends. She has grown up sailing on the Delaware Bay and has been in instructor at LYC for six years.

Ben Fairer is a student at the University of Delaware and a member of the university sailing team. Before coming to LYC last season, he was a youth sailing instructor at the Northeast River Yacht Club. This is his second season at LYC.