Above: Becky Nygren, Director of the Youth Sailing Program at Coronado Yacht Club
Becky Nygren loves sailing and it shows In her role as Director of the Youth Sailing Program at Coronado Yacht Club, where Becky strives to instill the same love of sailing in young sailors who pass through her Youth Sailing Program.
Nygren, originally from Connecticut, developed a love of sailing from her grandfather who was a whale researcher, working on tall ships.
Nygren says her competitive sailing highlight was winning team sailing at the Etchells Jaguar Series in Florida twice (2008 and 2009).
After completing a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Spanish, at University of North Carolina, Nygren headed to Coronado to pursue a sailing career, “When I graduated [from university] the economy had crashed. I was racing so much at the time, sailing seemed to be a good career option” says Nygren. Nygren started at Coronado Yacht Club in 2009 as a race coach, and moved into the position of Director of Youth Sailing Program in 2010.
From small beginnings in 1947, the Coronado Yacht Club Youth Sailing Program has evolved over the years, seeing an increase in student numbers, expansion in the administrative and coaching team, and formalization of the youth sailing curriculum. In the 80s and 90s, the program opened up to the public, thus enabling the program to develop into one of the largest youth sailing programs in the United States.
Above: Coronado Yacht Club
Sailing is a thrilling sport that attracts people seeking fun and adventure. Due to the nature of the sport — negotiating the water, the weather, and other sailing vessels — safety is paramount. The knowledge and skills children learn in a youth sailing program — particularly a sailing program with a thorough, well structured curriculum like Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program — are invaluable, and can be transposed into other areas of life. Skills such as teamwork, communication, and strong work habits also instill a deep sense of self confidence and resilience in young people. Joining a youth sailing program is also a great way to meet new people and establish long-term friendships.
Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program offers sailing tuition for ages six to 18 years old. Children aged six to eight years old can enroll in the Scallywags program during Summer, which offers a 3:1 student to teacher ratio; an instructor on every vessel; with a focus on fun, comfort and safety on the water. The sailing activities are developmentally appropriate and engaging, with program highlights being Pirate Day, and a trip to Stingray Point.
Sailors, aged eight to 12 years old, learn to sail in a Sabot: a single handed eight foot dinghy with a rounded hull and a leeboard. The Sabot is an ideal vessel for learning fundamental sailing skills in an enjoyable and challenging environment. Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program offers several classes in the Sabot that cater to different sailing abilities.
From Sabot sailing, young skippers, aged 12 and up, can learn to sail bigger boats such as Lasers and Laser Radials: single handed 15 foot dinghies which Coronado Yacht Club describes as “fun, fast and popular boats.” Nygren explains these vessels are the stepping stone to the Club 420: a double handed dinghy sailed by a crew of two. Sailors learn more advanced skills and the program is geared towards youth who wish to sail year round. Another type of double handed dinghy used in Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Program is the Flying Junior (FJ), which is a popular in Californian collegiate sailing, allowing for thrilling, fast and responsive sailing.
Left: sailing a Sabot. (Photo credit: Coronado Yacht Club)
Aspirant sailors can choose to sail all year round or enroll in one of the many programs offered during the Summer. Sailors wishing to have a voice in club issues and take a more active role in club activities can apply to be a Junior Board Member or Junior Fleet Captain. Nominations are received each November.
At Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program, young sailors have the choice of learning to sail for leisure or competitively. The club holds a third Sunday of every month sail, in a low key environment. A number of regattas, events, and clinics are held throughout the year for those more competitively minded.
Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program has a long history of producing accomplished graduates who go on to forge successful sailing careers, some olympic and world champions. Nygren names Hans Henken as one of the Youth Sailing Program’s latest successful alumni; Henken won the 2009 International Junior World Moth Champion. Nygren also names local Coronadans Grace Yakutis, Lorea Mendiguren, Aitana Mendiguren, and D’amy Steward as talented young sailors worth following in future sailing competitions.
Right: Students of Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program, sailing the bay. (Photo credit: Coronado Yacht Club)
The Coronado Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program gives back to the community by participating in fundraising and outreach. The club participates in Outdoor Outreach, a program which connects “at risk” youth to the outdoors. The Coronado Youth Sailing Program skippers boats, enabling “at risk” youth to experience the joy of sailing.
If family funds are tight, the Youth Sailing Program offers up to ten scholarships a year for first time sailors. Applications can be found on the website here.
Nygren says the Coronado Youth Sailing Program is open year round to those interested in learning to sail, whether it be purely for fun or serious competition. Nygren can be contacted on Ph: 619-435-0522 or visit the Youth Sailing Program website here for more information.
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Siobhan Bailie
Staff Writer
