Registration for Young Mariners will open on Wednesday, December 18 at 7:00am.
Young Mariners at the Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center is a dynamic summer program for campers entering grades 6-9, combining sailing, science, and creative arts with a focus on building a caring, connected community to inspire learning and personal growth. These three components are seamlessly integrated to highlight themes of interconnectedness, interdependence, and self-confidence. Campers engage in hands-on science learning, create meaningful art, and learn the fundamentals of sailing, all while discovering how each activity relates to the world around them. By fostering curiosity, connectedness, and self-determination, Young Mariners equips campers with knowledge, skills and insights that will benefit them right away, when they return to school, and for their entire lives.
Students must commit to all 3 weeks of the program, have basic swimming skills and be comfortable in the water.
Young Mariners operates out of the Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center in Boccuzzi Park.
Summer 2025 Program Dates:
Session 1: June 16 – July 3, 2025
Session 2: July 7 – July 25, 2025
Session 3: July 28 – August 15, 2025
Program Hours:
9:00am – 4:00pm
Program Cost:
Session 1: $1,820
Session 2: $1,950
Session 3: $1,950
Register before 3/28 and receive a 10% discount.
Financial aid is available for students eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch. Please see the scholarship information page for additional details.
Plovers – Entering 6th Grade
Plovers sail the Optimist class dinghy, a single-handed boat. The curriculum is based on the the US Sailing Beginning Small Boat Sailor program. Students learn the basics of points of sail, right of way, marine safety, tacking and jibing. Students also learn the mechanics of sailing, and how to rig and de-rig their boat. A great emphasis is placed on self-reliance and independence.
The classroom curriculum is based on CT state standards for Science (5th and 6th grade). The program teaches these standards in relation to sailing and marine life. This includes such areas as tides, currents, astronomy, mapping and charting and marine biology. There is also a literature component, with students reading and analyzing “Voyage of the Frog”.
Summer 2025 Program Dates:
Session 1: June 16 – July 3, 2025
Session 2: July 7 – July 25, 2025
Session 3: July 28 – August 15, 2025
Program Hours:
9:00am – 4:00pm
Program Cost:
Session 1: $1,820
Session 2: $1,950
Session 3: $1,950
Register before 3/28 and receive a 10% discount.
Financial aid is available for students on free or reduced lunch. Please see the scholarship information page for additional details.
Herons – Entering 7th Grade
Herons sail the RS Feva class dingy, a two-handed boat. The curriculum is again based on the US Sailing Beginning Small Boat Sailor program. Sailors continue to refine their basic sailing skills, including points of sail, boat handling, marine and boat safety, and rigging and de-rigging their new boats. Students also begin to learn the basics of sailing racing. A major goal of the Blue group sailing curriculum is teamwork and problem solving.
The academic portion of the second-year curriculum is based on the CT State Standards in Mathematics (6th and 7th grade). The program teaches these standards in relation to sailing, focusing on timing, coordinate work, geometry, charting, and solving for variables. There is also a literary component, with students reading and discussing relevant non-fiction articles.
Summer 2025 Program Dates:
Session 1: June 16 – July 3, 2025
Session 2: July 7 – July 25, 2025
Session 3: July 28 – August 15, 2025
Program Hours:
9:00am – 4:00pm
Program Cost:
Session 1: $1,820
Session 2: $1,950
Session 3: $1,950
Register before 3/28 and receive a 10% discount.
Financial aid is available for students on free or reduced lunch. Please see the scholarship information page for additional details.
Ospreys – Entering 8th & 9th Grade
Ospreys sail the 420s with a curriculum based on the US Sailing Intermediate Boat Handling skills. Sailors continue to refine their boat handling skills, adding in more advanced techniques such as roll-tacking. The curriculum heavily emphasizes racing skills and strategies. Independence and problem-solving are the primary goals of the program.
Ospreys classroom curriculum is primarily based on the CT state standards for Social Studies. The curriculum focuses on ecology, geography, and maritime history. Geography and ecology are taught in relation to Long Island Sound. History is taught with a focus on US maritime and naval history. There is also a literature component, with students reading and analyzing various Jack London short stories with a maritime theme.
Summer 2025 Program Dates:
Session 1: June 16 – July 3, 2025
Session 2: July 7 – July 25, 2025
Session 3: July 28 – August 15, 2025
Program Hours:
9:00am – 4:00pm
Program Cost:
Session 1: $1,820
Session 2: $1,950
Session 3: $1,950
Register before 3/28 and receive a 10% discount.
Financial aid is available for students on free or reduced lunch. Please see the scholarship information page for additional details.