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JUNIORS

Welcome to the Southwestern Yacht Club Junior Program

Our mission is to instill a lifelong love of boating, whether it be fishing, racing, or cruising by making sure students are having fun and learning in a safe environment.  SWYC offers a wide variety of classes ranging from beginners to advanced, and young to old.  In our classes, we sail Naples Sabots, O’Pen Skiffs, Lasers and Laser Radials, CFJs, Club 420s, and a J-24.  Classes are offered both year-round and as part of our Summer Sailing Program. We also have Adult Sailing Classes.

No boat? No problem! The SWYC Junior Program has fleets of boats available for charter. Contact the Junior Program Director for more information.

The SWYC Junior Program is recognized across the United States as one of the foremost training programs in the country.

Southwestern Yacht Club's success in sailing is largely due to our exceptional Junior Program. We're committed to providing a positive and enjoyable environment for young sailors. Our program offers a unique chance to experience boating and build friendships. Whether you're a beginner or experienced, our program teaches the fundamentals of sailing and helps improve your skills, making it a lifelong sport to enjoy.

SWYC Juniors History

What is a SWYC Junior? A serious sailor, avid fisherman, and future Club member—all of the above. Southwestern Yacht Club's active and recognized Junior Program welcomes everyone.

The Junior Program began in the 1930s, just a decade after the club’s inception, run for 50 years by dedicated parent volunteers. Kids learned to sail and race in local Luff-ins and Sabot Nationals. In the 1980s, the program got a new clubhouse, and in 1984, a year-round Program Director was hired at the Board of Directors' recommendation.

Today, our Junior Program offers a variety of activities. The flagship is our Summer Program, which provides sailing and fishing instruction for all levels, open to children and grandchildren of SWYC members and the community. The program emphasizes fun, learning, and water safety. Kids receive sailing and racing instruction in single-handed boats (Sabots, O’Pen Skiffs, and Lasers) and double-handed boats (CFJ and C420). We also offer fishing instruction, a day-long fishing trip per one week fishing summer session, and the annual Dutch Shoe race to Coronado.

The Junior Program also runs year-round, with sailing instruction and practice on Fridays and support for weekend regattas throughout Southern California for juniors continuing with racing.

What have we accomplished? We've introduced hundreds of children to sailing and fishing and produced award-winning sailors. Our juniors have won the Paul Hartley Award, been named San Diego Area Yachtswoman and Yachtsman of the Year and competed in High School Sailing Championships. They've represented SWYC at premier events like the Governor’s Cup, Youth Championships, and I-420 World Championships. Our Olympians include Tim Wadlow (2004 and 2008), Caleb Paine, and Briana Provancha (2016), with Caleb winning the bronze in the Finn class and being named 2016 US Sailing's Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.

The Junior Advisory Committee and Junior Director thank Southwestern Yacht Club for its steadfast support. Members have donated time, boats, money, and resources. Juniors today become members tomorrow, and our goal is to instill a love for sailing and fishing, respect for the environment, and a sense of belonging to a yacht club.

Junior Membership Application
Interested in becoming a member of the Club?  You do not have to be an adult to join a yacht club, kids can do it to!

View SWYC Junior Membership Application
Junior Point System
Every December at our annual awards dinner we hand out trophies to our Juniors who have achieved certain point thresholds. Below you will find a document that explains how to earn points throughout the year.

View Explanation of the Points System

Please view the PDF version of the 2023 spreadsheet to track your points (you can contact the Jr. Office for the excel file):
Download 2023 Spreadsheet

2023 Points are due soon! Be sure to turn in your spreadsheets no later than November 13th by midnight. No exceptions.
 
New to our program or need a refresher on how our point system works? Read below! Each Junior accumulates points throughout your entire junior career here and points build year after year! Once you hit certain benchmarks, sailors earn prizes.
- 100 Points = Personalized Red Team Jacket
- 250 Points = Personalized Team Bag
- 500 Points = Personalized Blue Team Jacket
- 750 Points = Personalized Team Polo (new achievement prize!)
- 1000 Points = Personalized Team Backpack
 
Please be sure that as you fill in the points to not be afraid to add events and activities that I did not include in the sheet. There are tons of additional opportunities that your kids can earn points for that are in the key on the top right of the page (examples are, catching and weighing fish, Jr. board meetings, social activities, volunteering, high school sailing events and more!) Again, if you have any questions at all please let me know, I am always here to help.
 
Is your Junior in 5th grade or up? If so, please be sure to submit a digital version if your junior’s report card to the Junior Program Director. If they earned a 3.5 GPA or higher (excluding PE, I already know you are all stellar athletes) and earned 75+ points this year, they qualify for our Moore Academic Achievement award! This must be submitted to the Junior Program Director, inquire for specific cutoff date. Please send in your most up to date report card.
Junior Board of Directors
The goal of the SWYC Junior Board is to create a positive social environment, leadership skills and team bonding for the Junior Members of SWYC as well as put forth a positive image of the SWYC Juniors to the club and its members. These young people will be the leaders of our juniors in many ways and should recognize the responsibility as a role model that goes along with these positions.
The responsibilities of the Junior Board as a whole include:
  • Attending SWYC Jr. Program Annual Awards Dinner, the SDAYC Junior Installation Dinner, Opening Day, and various fundraising events throughout the year.
  • Helping with junior activities: regattas, fundraising, parties etc.
  • Attend monthly Junior Board meetings.
  • Help organize and carry out one major club community service project.
  • Submit a monthly article for the Mooring Line.
We want YOU to be part of the success and future of our program.

More specifically:

The SWYC JUNIOR COMMODORE shall publicize and lead Jr Board Meetings, contribute a brief Mooring Line article every month, and take a leading role for major SWYC hosted events and Opening Day. The Junior Commodore must have served at least three years on the Junior Board.

The JUNIOR VICE COMMODORE leads the Board and any other duties in the Commodore's absence, attends Jr Board meetings and contribute a brief Mooring Line article every month. The Vice Commodore must have served at least two years on the Junior Board.

The JUNIOR SECRETARY attends monthly meetings, records and publishes minutes via email to the SWYC Junior Board & Jr Director.

The SWYC JUNIOR SOCIAL CHAIR attends monthly meetings and organizes social Team SWYC events and/or outings at least on a quarterly basis that focus on fun, camaraderie and Team SWYC Spirit!

The DOUBLEHANDED FLEET CAPTAIN attends monthly meetings, encourages and reports on C420 activities such as the SCYYRA Perry Series, SCYYRA Shadden Series, SDAYC Mark Reynolds Series, the SDAYC Hart Series and clinics. The Doublehanded Fleet Captain contributes a brief Mooring Line article every month. The Doublehanded Fleet Captain is also responsible for occasional C420 & CFJ fleet maintenance, repair and updating rigging.

The SABOT FLEET CAPTAIN attends monthly meetings, encourages and reports on all Sabot fleet activities such as the SCYYRA North Series and SDAYC Conner Series and contribute a brief Mooring Line article every month.
 
The JUNIOR ANGLERS CAPTAIN attends monthly meetings, encourages and reports of SWYC Anglers activities and contribute a brief Mooring Line article every month.
 
 
2024 Junior Board of Directors
Pictured from left to right: Natalie La Fond (Junior Commodore), Nicole La Fond (Junior Vice Commodore), Sophia VanPatten (Junior Rear Commodore), Brianna Carlos (Junior Secretary), Jefferson Lazarus (Junior Double Handed Fleet Captain), Austin VanPatten (Junior Sabot Fleet Captain), Steven Ashton (Junior Treasurer). Not pictured: Lou Silva (Junior Angler Fleet Captain).