Sailing Adventures, Field Trips and Other Programs for Youth

Learning to sail and being on the water builds self-confidence, teaches patience and teamwork, and is loads of fun.

Youth Sailing

Our beginning sailing classes teach the fundamental skills of sailing. Intermediate sailing expands upon skills covered in basic sailing, and our advanced classes offer experienced sailors (students who have completed two sessions) a deeper understanding of sailing and maritime skills. Themed classes include Pirate Sailing and Words on Water. Also, once sailors have “checked out” on a test sail, they can sail El Toros on their own on Saturdays during the summer.

Browse our sailing classes for youth. 

Many of our youth classes are Pay What You Can because we believe every child should have access to sailing. The costs of each class are reflected in its suggested price; however, financial assistance is available. If you are able to pay more than the suggested price this extra funding will support our Pay What You Can policy.  Pay What You Can registration is only available in person and by phone. 

Want to practice your sailing skills online? Check out this fun sailing game.

School Programs

We provide hands-on educational opportunities for a variety of age groups and curricular needs. Our programs use our maritime environment and classic wood boats to engage students in the Pacific Northwest’s unique culture, history and the natural world. Contact us to find out more about our programs or to schedule a visit. 

Field Trips 

Our field trips allow educators to bring groups to The Center for Wooden Boats for adventure on the water paired with hands-on learning. Field trips at CWB can include trips in our traditional skin on frame Umiaq, toy boat building, canoe carving and more. Visit our Field Trips page to learn more. To schedule a field trip for your group, contact fieldtrips@cwb.org, or fill out this online form.

All of our field trips are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis. To apply for a reduced price field trip, please download and submit this form.

Boatbuilding

Build a boat! Boatbuilding gives students a sense of pride and accomplishment in creating something of value while helping them to develop mathematic, craftsmanship and communication skills. CWB offers youth dinghy and kayak building courses at our South Lake Union and Cama Beach sites for school and youth groups. We can partner with you to offer Pirate pond boat building at your school. Ages:12+

Download an info sheet about CWB's boatbuilding programs

Service Learning

CWB exists due to the passion and dedication of volunteers. Inspire your students to be active stewards of our community and help them find value in labor through meaningful work. Recent projects include vessel maintenance, building and repairing docks and boat maintenance.

Sailing Expeditions

Our sailing expeditions involve teamwork and skill and can be demanding. We travel under sail and oars in longboats. Longboats are open boats where we live and sleep on board. Groups spend some nights on shore but the majority of the nights are spent aboard under a tarp pitched between the masts. A typical day starts with planning the day’s route. Once we raise the anchor, students row or sail all day, taking turns navigating, handling lines, rowing and steering. At our anchorage, we’ll set the anchor, furl the sails, stow the oars and begin rigging the sleeping tarp. We will also learn traditional commands and knot work. Also available as a day team-building program.

For more information about any of our youth programs, email fieldtrips@cwb.org.

Programs for Underserved Youth at CWB

Thanks to the generosity of CWB supporters at our 2011 Auction as well as in the community, CWB is able to offer our field trips at a reduced rate to groups facing financial barriers. To find out if your group qualifies, see the box below about scheduling a field trip. CWB has also received funding through the Paul G Allen Family Foundation to reimburse groups for transportation costs associated with participating in a CWB Field Trip. These funds can be accessed by filling out the transportation reimbursement form available on our website.

Download a Pay What You Can Request Form

Download a Travel Reimbursement Form

Job Skills Training Program

The Center for Wooden Boats is excited to announce the pilot year of our Job Skills Training Program, thanks to funding from the Russell Grinnell Memorial Trust. This October, CWB will welcome six young adults from low-income or underserved backgrounds as Job Skills Crew Members to our location in South Lake Union. Crew members will participate in all areas of CWB’s operations. They will gain hands-on experience maintaining CWB’s fleet of historic boats, assist in the delivery of youth and adult programs and learn on-the-water skills in power, sail and row boats.

Learn more about this program and download an application here.

High School Program Assistant

Spend your summer outside and gain valuable professional skills some place fun! CWB's High School Program Assistants work directly with wooden boats and the people who use them. Learn about traditional sail and row boats, help teach youth sailing, assist with field trips, help repair and maintain our fleet, or volunteer in marketing and communications . High School Program Assistants receive valuable experience, training and mentorship. 

To apply, download an application form.

Youth Program Evaluation

At CWB we are committed to offering valuable programs to our community. We recently undertook an extensive evaluation of four of our primary youth programs: Tugboat Storytime, Umiak Adventure Field Trips, our El Toro Sailing Program, and our El Toro Building Program. To learn more about the evaluation, you can download the CWB Youth Program Evaluation Brochure or contact our Youth Programs Department.

We've also gotten some great direct feedback, such as this quote from a Seattle School Teacher: 

“This was hands down the best field trip that I've ever taken a class on. Our school is modeled around hands-on learning and children making meaningful connections to nature and their surroundings. We shy away from the normal field trips and this was all around a very meaningful event for my students- they're still talking about it!”

Didn't find what you were looking for? Let us know!