Summer Camps

While having fun is a top priority, safety is our primary goal. If conditions are deemed too extreme for safe sailing, children will engage in fun and educational activities. Activities will take place either on site or up near the beach located  on the western side of Clipper Cove (safe protected waters and a small protected strip of sand). Activities include, sailing (close to the beach) kayaking, and paddle-boarding.

Clipper Cove provides an ideal sailing environment for both beginners and more advanced students. The cove is a protected area in the San Francisco Bay tucked safely between Yerba Buena and Treasure Island. During the summer consistent steady westerly wind is funneled through the cove providing ideal sailing conditions. On days when wind speeds are a little much for the younger children, Clipper Cove’s small protected beach provides the perfect location for retreat.

Our US Sailing certified instructors take pride in providing excellent instruction and guidance to every child here at TISC. Each morning two staff members meet parents on the deck and chaperone the children to the changing area. From there children are split into their sailing groups until it’s time for lunch.

Sailing classes take place in Clipper Cove between 9:00am – 12pm and 12:45pm – 4pm. Supervised lunch break is between 12 – 12:45 pm. Sailors are off the water no later than 3:30 pm in order to stow equipment, change, grab an afternoon snack, and be ready for pickup at 4pm.

Extended Care is offered for those needing a late pick-up between 4 pm – 5 pm. Register ahead or the day of.

On any given day, the average number of staff at TISC is 12-15 people, including the Executive Director, Program Manager, Program Coordinator, Fleet Manager, and Sailing Instructors. The number of youth at any given time can be as low as 30 or as high as 100.

In addition to teaching children to sail in a fun, engaging, and safe way, we strive to instill character-building aspects in the students both on the level of personal growth and from the viewpoint of environmental stewardship. In all our classes and activities we encourage goal setting, communication, decision-making and leadership; we also nurture the student’s awareness of nature and the San Francisco Bay, thus fostering environmental stewardship.

We do not provide plastic water bottles or plastic cups in an effort to minimize our environmental impact. We do have a water dispenser and students are encouraged to keep well hydrated throughout the day – TISC instructors take particular care in making sure the kids keep well hydrated. To this end, children are encouraged to bring their own water bottle and to refill them regularly.