Sail Training

About Junior Sailing

Chester Yacht Club operates one of the most respected junior sailing programs in Canada.

In the past decade, we have been developing sailors through our Junior Sailing program at an extraordinary rate.

Our Junior Sailing program is the largest in the province with over 100 competitive kids at times, and our results show it. Our “alumni” accolades include participation at multiple IODA events and top 10 finishes in a number of national, US and/or international regattas.

Jacob and Graeme Chaplin-Saunders, the Rio 2016 Men’s 470 Olympians, hail from Chester. In addition, Olympic hopefuls and Canadian Sailing Team members Georgia Lewin-Lafrance, Antonia Lewin-Lafrance, and Max Flinn all grew up sailing on Chester’s waters. This long list of talented sailors largely exists because of the superb sailing conditions of Mahone Bay.

Facilities

During the regular junior sailing season, our property is laid out to house 50 club and private Optis, 13 420s and 10 Lasers, with lots of space to rig and conduct lessons and briefings.

During Opti Jam, we house 150+/- Optis on our property and on Fredas Beach, with full 24hour security.

Fredas Beach provides us with a wonderful launching area, in immediate proximity to the CYC dock, which also has a launch ramp.

Summer 2026

Our new Director of Sail Training for 2026 is Anne-Marie Di Lullo.

Our programs will continue to focus on developing sailors’ skills in both sailing and racing, while recognizing that not every sailor wants to compete or attend regattas. If you’re unsure which program to register for, please choose the most suitable category and add a note outlining your sailor’s experience. Anne-Marie will follow up if clarification is needed.

We will continue providing evaluations for all sailors so families have clear feedback on their CANSail level and what is required to advance.

We hope to see you out for another strong summer on the water!

Registration Policy

CYC is committed to the satisfaction of all our members enrolling in our Club programming.

Participants registering and wishing to withdraw or transfer from a Junior Sailing program must refer and agree to the following policies:

All membership fees or other outstanding amounts must be paid in full to register for any Junior Sailing program.
Registration fees must be paid in full at the time of enrolment. Enrolment is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and no spot will be held for any amount of time without payment. Partial payments or deposits will not be accepted to hold a spot.
All registrations are non-refundable unless:
1. A program or session is cancelled by CYC
2. A participant cannot participate due to medical reasons substantiated by a medical note from a doctor
We use Clubspot for all program registrations. (See the registration panel on the Junior Sailing main page.)
If a session is full, a wait-list option is available. There is no charge for a wait-list registration. If a position becomes available, the member will be contacted by the LTSD and given 48 hours to enrol. If the 48 hours pass without payment, the spot will be offered to the next member on the waitlist.
Prices for programs and sessions are subject to change.
CYC reserves the right to cancel programs or sessions if a minimum registration number is not obtained prior to the start date. In this case, a full refund will be issued.
Cancellation and transfers: A notice of cancellation or transfer must be received a minimum of seven (7) days prior to the start date of the session for a full program credit. Any cancellations or transfers received within six (6) days of the session start date will receive a credit for the full amount, less an administrative fee of 25% of the session fee.

Questions? Contact Us!