Work then Sail – Wednesdays @ 5pm

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6/1, 6/8, 6/15, 6/22, 7/6, 7/13

Enjoy the evening breezes at Yellow Creek this summer with your fellow sailors. BBQ available for grilling at sunset after sailing.

  • Beginner? – enjoy free, group lessons facilitated by a certified US Sailing instructor.
  • Experienced? – brush up on skills, sail with others.

Try it free! Community Sailing at Yellow Creek provides sailors access to FOYC club boats (including four sailboats and SUPS). Season membership, which supports the maintenance of the sailing base, is $100. Free US Sailing skills check-out available.

Participation: Free to FOYC Community Sailing members; 1 free sail for non-CS members. Adults or children 10 and up with parents. You must be able to comfortably swim 50 yards in clothing. For insurance purposes, you must be an FOYC basic member ($14) to participate to try it.

Weds @5pm (6/1, 6/8, 6/15, 6/22; 7/6, 7/13). Please register online if you plan to attend.

http://bit.ly/YC-Sail-2016

Limited to 12 beginners.

Email Ken Sherwood, via friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com for more information.

 

foyc

FOYC and IUP Sailing offer Get Outdoors Sailing 101

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SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 – SAILING 101

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Sailing101

Join us to explore the sport and art of sailing on Yellow Creek Lake. This two-hour session begins with a lesson on the parts of the sailboat and introduces future sailors to the basics of wind awareness, sail trim, and points of sail. Three US Sailing Certified instructors will be on hand. After this orientation, in the second hour each student will have the chance to enjoy a short sail accompanied by a experienced sailor (weather permitting).

We will wear PFDs, but to participate, sailors must be capable of swimming 50 yards in clothing and shoes.  Your instructors will conduct the class with yoru safety in mind; like all outdoor activities, sailing entails certain risks.  We’ll try to stay dry and capsizes are rare, but waterproof shoes and a change of clothes are recommended.

Pre-registration required. Participation is free but is limited to 12 students over the age of 10 years. To register call the Park Office at (724) 357-7913.

FOYC and the IUP Sailing Club are collaborating to offer this program.

Sailboat Building – March 24, April 1 2012

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A Puddle Duck Racer “hatch” is scheduled by the Friends of Yellow Creek for March 24th and April 1st, 2012.



The PDR is an economical, safe, and easy-to-build box boat designed for beginners and families, as well as being suitable for experienced sailors who wish to build XL sails and race. Six Indiana families built them as FOYC projects during 2011 and sailed at Yellow Creek State Park this past summer.

FOYC volunteers will lead a group-build next month.  The basic hull can be completed in one day; families then take home the boats for sanding and painting.  Cost is approximately $200; only basic carpentry skills are required. Currently 2 slots remain for families who would like to be involved.

FOYC co-chair Ken Sherwood observes “it is a great winter project.”  “This year the Friends will also be sponsoring free learn-to-sail sessions for Puddle Duckers.”

 

“So if you have always wanted to learn to sail, this is your chance.”

Contact friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com for more information or to reserve a spot.

Puddle Ducks Launched – July 3rd, 2011 – Yellow Creek Lake

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The Launch

On July 3rd, 2011, Yellow Creek Lake was the scene for an happy if unusual launching.  Six new, homebuilt sailboats made of wood took to the water. These six Puddle Duck Racers were built by groups fo Indiana families in a project organized by FOYC with the help of Moraine Sailing Club’s John Bridges.  We gathered as a group for construcion oft the hulls in February and  sail building in March.  Now after much sanding, caulking, and painting, we had sailboats.

There were last minute questions about rigging. Is this boom supposed to be 8 or 10 foot?  Some of the builders had never sailed, so we held a 20-minute crash course.  How do you sail up-wind?  What if you capsize? What is the main-sheet for again? But the winds were gentle, and even first-time sailors made it off the shore and back again! Our sails made as cheaply as possible from Tyvek and stuck together with carpet tape held!  Not only did the boats float but, thankfully, but they sailed pretty well and only mine leaked!

In the picture below, you can also see a pair of wooden Optimist sailboats and a Weekend Skiff that came along for the ride.  In the gallery, you can see that we launched from shore. The soft mud is gentle on boat bottoms, but you sometimes need a push to get “unstuck.”  We found ourselves having to launch the boats into deeper water before hanging on the rudders.

Building and sailing a PDR offers a few chances to be create.  Our PDRs sport some  colorful, custom paint jobs.  For our first build, we suited up the six boats with a popular sail style called the “Leg-o-mutton” which is efficient and easy to build.  You may see other PDRs with very different sails, since while the boat hulls should conform to the same shape, sail design is totally open to experiment.

 

 

Puddle ducks, and other wooden boats; Optimist, far right. Yellow Creek Lake 2011 –  From PDR

Post-Poned

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This course has been postponed.  Please email friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com if you are interested; we will reschedule it if there is sufficient interest in the future.

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FOYC is sponsoring two certified,  US Sailing courses  at Yellow Creek State Park, May 2-4, 2014. 

US Sailing Logo

Like sailing? Want to work or volunteer on a waterfront? This course is designed to prepare camp counselors and staff from community sailing, boat rental, and scouting programs to supervise small boat recreational sailing activities. The emphasis is on safety and hands-on practice to familiarize candidates with proper terminology and boating techniques. Participants should have some prior exposure to sailing but need not be experts. 

Over the course of three days, participants can complete Sailing Counselor, and achieve certification in US Sailing Safety and Rescue.

 

Course begins Friday, 5/2 at noon.  Depending on experience and need, students can sign-up for one or both courses which are effectively taught in tandem.

The minimum age for attending this course is 14 years old.This course will be taught by a certified US Sailing instructor trainer from Pittsburgh. It is co-sponsored by Friends of Yellow Creek and the IUP Sailing Club. There is a US Sailing fee associated with this course.

Contact friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com for more information.

Online registration is available for the Sailing Counselor Component:

http://training.ussailing.org/Course_Calendars/SailingCounselorCalendar.htm