Practice Plan today- Start @ BYC due to weather

Good afternoon everyone,

Due to the current and forecasted wind, we will be starting and ending our first day of sailing practice at Bellingham Yacht Club. The address is 2625 S Harbor Loop Dr., Bellingham, WA. We will be meeting downstairs in the basement, the same location as the New Parents and Sailors Meeting last week.

We will still be doing some time on the dock and on the water today, including a rigging demo, a make-up swim test for those that did not get to Arne Hanna, and a capsize/recovery practice. All students should still come to practice ready to get wet and get in wetsuits today. We will have more changing rooms and opportunities to try out wetsuits at Bellingham Yacht Club.

The walk between the Bellingham Yacht Club and the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock is around 10 minutes, and the team will be doing this walk as a group after everyone has the correct gear fitted. We will likely not sail for any extended period of time due to wind forecasted at 15-20knts, which requires a significantly reduced number of sailboats on the water. 

Similarly, for Wednesday there is a gale warning all day and has wind over 25knts forecasted, which is more wind than we can safely sail in. For tomorrow, we will also plan to meet at BYC, and will NOT be doing any time on the water due to extremely high winds. Practice will still be from 3:45pm-6:30pm, but will be fully on shore. Students should dress to be outside in stormy conditions, but do not need to bring wetsuits to Wednesday's practice.

Thursday's forecast is looking much calmer than Wednesday, and for now we plan to sail on Thursday and meet at Zuanich Point Park as normal. We will update on Remind if that changes.

Please let me know if you have any questions! We look forward to seeing you all shortly.

Best,

Anna

First Fall Practice Tuesday 3:45pm

Good afternoon sailors and families,

We look forward to seeing everyone at our first day of sailing practice tomorrow! 

Please make sure you or your student is fully cleared for school athletics in Final Forms, and has submitted the separate club sport registration at Whatcom Community Sailing. The Whatcom Sailing registration can be found online here: https://www.whatcomsailing.com/registration  Both Final Forms registration and Whatcom Sailing registration must be complete for students to get on the water tomorrow. If you are having issues with either system, please reach out. Thank you to everyone who has completed both so far!

We do not what cost to be a barrier to joining sailing. If you need a full or partial scholarship for Whatcom Sailing fees, please fill out this scholarship request: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuUEQ_0m5KXttSPMyB3Kso0yyRR_X3IcezpGeOXaQhPlvGEA/viewform?usp=header 

Tryouts practice will be 3:45pm-6:30pm on Tuesday (tomorrow!), September 1st. We will plan to meet at the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing dock, our normal practice location. 

In the case of severe inclement weather that requires us to move indoors, we will send out a message via Remind to alert everyone that we will be moving inside to the Bellingham Yacht Club. Please make sure you are on the Whatcom Sailing Remind by texting @sailboats to 81010 or by entering @sailboats on the Remind app.

Tryout week practice schedule- Tuesday 9/1, Wednesday 9/2, and Thursday 9/3

3:45pm Practice starts. Students should be at the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing dock in the clothing they plan to sail in by this time.

We will begin practice with introductions, then talk about safety decisions and our plan before getting on the water. Students will work together to rig all boats.

Between 4:15pm and 4:45pm Launch boats and start sailing. Our goal is to be on the water as soon as possible, but in the beginning of the season it takes more time.

Once on the water, we will do races and easy sailing drills, with new students rotating in from the safety boat so they have a chance to both watch and sail.

~6:00pm Return to the dock

Students derig boats, put sails away, and rinse equipment. Then, we review practice on the chalkboard and talk through what we may not have been able to say on the water. Sailors change out of wet clothes if they have time, or change at the end of practice.

6:30pm Practice ends at Zuanich Point Park*

*If we had to move to Bellingham Yacht Club for inclement weather (in which case, that would be sent out on Remind), students end the day there instead.

********After this week of tryouts, Thursdays will start 1 hour earlier at 2:45pm due to early release. We will only meet every other Wednesday for dry land practice.*********

 

Please review our website for what to wear and what to expect at practice. We will have spare PFDs (aka lifejackets) and wetsuits available for students to borrow for the week or the season. If you or your student needs to borrow a PFD or wetsuit, please let us know ASAP and include a shirt size so we can make sure to have enough of the correct sizes tomorrow.

If you have any other questions, please let us know. See you tomorrow!

Best,

Anna

Swim Test Tonight, Practice Next Week

Hi everyone, 

We are excited for the fall season to start! 

Thank you to the new parents and sailors who were able to make the info meeting on Monday. For those that could not, the Info Meeting Slides are attached to this email.

Swim Test is tonight, August 26 at 7PM at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center.

Anna will be in the front room, please check in with her before entering. The swim test is relatively short, we are squeezing in between swim practice ending and lap swim starting so expect to be there and ready to swim or swimming for only 10-15 minutes, plus time to change on either end. If you cannot make it, please let us know.

Registration for Whatcom Sailing Fall 2026 is Now Open!

BHS, SHS, and SQHS students make sure you are also cleared in Final Forms.  

https://www.whatcomsailing.com/registration

Scholarship requests here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuUEQ_0m5KXttSPMyB3Kso0yyRR_X3IcezpGeOXaQhPlvGEA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

NWISA (Northwest Interscholastic Sailing) Eligibility Form

All students must complete this form by September 9th in order to be eligible to compete. This form requires your name, graduation year, and school name all in one photo. Once completed and approved, students are good for the school year.

For homeschooled and Options High School or other Alternative Learning (ALE) students, there is an additional form that must be submitted by September 2nd. Once completed and approved, students are good indefinitely- as long as they complete the NWISA Eligibility form annually!

Schedule Changes 

Regattas are now confirmed and updated on the website:

September 19-20 WINB Quals Olympia* 

September 26-27 Laser Quals Seattle

October 3-4 North Regional Bellingham*

October 3-4 Keelboat Quals Bainbridge

October 10-11 Cascadia Cup Seattle  

October 17-18 PCISA WINB San Diego 

October 24-25 Fall Champs Oak Harbor

October 1 - November 1 Trick or Treat Team Race Seattle 

*Please note that WINB quals and North Regionals have switched weekends

Tryouts

Tryouts are a time for new and returning sailors to see what the team is like. Sailors are trying out the team just as much as coaches are seeing if sailors will be a good fit for the team.

Tuesday, September 1st 3:45 - 6:30 at Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock

Wednesday, September 2nd 3:45 - 6:30 at Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock

Thursday, September 3rd 3:45 - 6:30 at Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock

What we do each day is dependent on the weather. We plan on covering the items below:

• Introductions
• High School Sailing overview
• Rigging (setting up sailboat)
• Sailing knowledge test
• Drills overview 
• Basic windward/leeward racing
• Lots of sailing 

Please bring the following items:

• Sailing gear (no cotton)
• Life Jacket (let us know if you need to borrow one)
• Wetsuit  (let us know if you need to borrow one)
• Towel
• Change of clothes

Please let us know if you have any questions! We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Best,

Coaches Cooper and Anna

 

New Parents / Sailors Meeting Tonight, 7pm

Bellingham Schools
via FinalForms

Good afternoon,

Our New Parents and Sailors Info Meeting is tonight, 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club (BYC). The yacht club is located at 2625 S Harbor Loop Dr, Bellingham, WA. The meeting will be downstairs in the BYC Ward Room. Please reach out if you have any questions or are a new parent or sailor unable to make tonight's meeting!

Returning students and parents do not need to attend this meeting- although they are welcome! We will have another meeting in February for spring sailing students and parents who are unable to make tonight's meeting.

Best,
Anna

Whatcom Sailing

whatcomsailing.com

Thank you,
Anna Morrow
Bellingham Schools Athletics

Click here to access FinalForms

Sailing Team Club Sport- Meeting Monday, August 24th

Bellingham Schools
via FinalForms

Good afternoon! 

We are excited to have your student join us for sailing this school year. Since sailing is a club sport that practices offsite, it works a little differently. We will be starting our season with a New Parents + New Sailors Info Meeting on Monday, August 24th, at 7:00pm in the basement of the Bellingham Yacht Club. This meeting is for both parents and students who plan to be on the team and may have questions. Students who have been on the team before are not expected to attend this meeting. Please encourage anyone interested to be there; the Whatcom Sailing team is open to all high school students in Whatcom County. Please reach out if you have questions or are a new parent or student unable to make this meeting. 

 

The Fall 2026 Sailing Schedule is posted on the website: https://www.whatcomsailing.com/schedule

The two most important upcoming dates are below:

Swim Test will be Wednesday, August 26th @ 7:00pm at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center. All students must be able to swim 50 yards and tread water for 3 minutes. 

 

First sailing practice is Tuesday, September 1st @ 3:45 at the Zuanich Point Park Youth Sailing Dock. All practices will meet either at Bellingham Yacht Club or Zuanich Point Park- they are a 5-10 minute walk apart from each other.

 

REGISTRATION & TEAM FEES

Bellingham Public Schools does not charge for high school sports, but the sailing team operates as a club sport and therefore charges dues. Dues are usually $400-450 per season to Whatcom Community Sailing, the nonprofit that runs high school sailing for all students in Whatcom County. This comes out to are $3.50 per student per hour, and is below what it costs to run our programs- but we do NOT want this cost to be a barrier for students; we have both partial and full scholarships available through Whatcom Sailing and another local nonprofit which together fundraise to support this cause. 

 

Fall Sailing registration through Whatcom Sailing will be available on the Whatcom Sailing website on August 24th. 

 

You are receiving this email because you or your student is registered for fall or spring sailing at their high school, but please make sure that all requirements are complete and school forms are signed, and that students are cleared to participate in sports through Final Forms.

 

A sports physical is required, so please get that scheduled ASAP if you do not have a current physical on file with your high school.  

 

Registration and school clearance is required before you can sail at our first day of tryouts on September 1st. For a list of everything that is required, see the Join Page of our website.  

 

Tryouts

The fall sailing team tryout period will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the first week of school, September 1-3. Tryouts are intended to be an introduction to the team and to sailing before we get into more competitive practices and higher expectations. It is an opportunity for students to see if they like the team as much as it is for coaches to see if it's a good fit. Students are not required to know how to sail in order to join the team, but must be ready to learn, move, get wet, and try a new sport! Students must complete registration and the swim test in order to participate in tryouts. We do not cut students unless we have more students than available spaces at tryouts. If cuts must be made, they will not necessarily be made on sailing skills but on attitude- so please bring your best! Sailors who do not remain on the team at the end of tryout week will be refunded their dues.

 

We will go over all this in more detail at the meeting next week, but feel free to contact us if you have questions.

 

Hope to see you and your sailor at the New Parents and Sailors Meeting on August 24th, 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club!

 

 

Best,

 

High School Sailing Coaches Anna and Cooper

Thank you,
Anna Morrow
Bellingham Schools Athletics

Click here to access FinalForms

Fall Sailing 2026!

Good afternoon,

Here is our schedule for fall 2026 of the sailing team! If you all have any friends or family you think would be interested, please send them our way. 

**For our graduated seniors**: please give us updated contact info if you would like to stay in touch for alumni events! We will soon be updating this mailing list to include only current sailors and parents.

Our New Parent/Sailor Interest meeting will be next Monday, August 24th, at 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club- NOT August 17th as was incorrectly on the website.

The Whatcom Sailing website is now updated with the Fall 2026 schedule:

Practice: Tuesdays & Thursdays*, 3:45-6:30pm

On land practice aka Team meetings every other Wednesday

Where: Zuanich Park Youth Sailing Dock (or Bellingham Yacht Club (BYC) basement in inclement weather, we will message on Remind if that is the case)

New Sailor/Parent Meeting - Monday, Aug 24, 7:00pm at Bellingham Yacht Club
Swim Test - Wednesday, Aug 26th at 7:00pm at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center
Tryouts: On Water and On Land Practice - Sep 1, 2, 3, 3:45pm-6:30pm each day ‍All Parents + Sailors Meeting - Monday, Sep 7th, 7:00pm at BYC basement
Normal Tues/Thurs Practice Schedule Starts Sep 8th
First Regatta - Sep 19 / 20
Last Regatta - Oct 31 / Nov 1Last Regatta - Oct 31 / Nov 1
Last Practice - Nov 5
End of Season Party - TBD, early November

*On high school early release Thursdays we may practice starting at 2:45pm- more details to follow at the new parent meeting and all parents and sailors meetings

Fall Registration through Whatcom Sailing website will go live on Monday, August 24th!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the time until then. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Best,

Anna

Summer ILCA (Laser) Racing

Hi everyone,

This summer, I'll be coaching an ILCA (Laser) Team out of CBC. ILCAs are performance single-handed boats that are sailed from learn-to-sail programs to the olympics. They are a very popular sailboat for youth sailing as they have multiple different sail sizes depending on size of sailor. They are highly tunable boats that push sailors both mentally and physically. 

We will be attending regattas in the Northwest Youth Racing Circuit (NWYRC) summer series. It is a series of big regattas with 150+ sailors across 5 different kinds of boats and is great competitive racing. The ILCA fleets are huge, usually with 20 to 25 boats at regattas.

The summer season runs from June 24th to August 28th. We have two practices and one race night each week. The team will attend four NWYRC regattas and two local smaller regattas. More info linked here.

Summer Sailing is different from High School sailing in a couple of ways. The biggest is there is no rotating at regattas. Each sailor will race all day and be supported by me on a coach boat. Food/water/coaching between each race. This allows for each sailor to get more on the water time and more racing! Because of this, the race team is limited to 10 sailors.

The Community Boating Center offers both full and partial scholarships for programs including the race team. We do not want cost to be a reason for not joining; If you are a sailor looking to improve and compete, let's get you on the water! Please fill out the online Scholarship form if needed. Let me know if you have any questions about scholarships. 

ILCAs are incredibly fun boats to sail in Bellingham breeze. Summer racing offers high level regattas with amazing weather. ILCA sailing is the best way to grow racing skills and confidence. I find that it transfers back to FJ sailing for high school racing. I recommend talking with seniors Avery or Bella about what the team is like from the sailor's perspective tomorrow at the end of season party. They are both captains on the high school team and raced ILCAs for multiple summers.

I know that summer is a busy time. If you are interested in summer racing but worried about it being too big of a commitment or missing practices or regattas, please let me know and we can discuss options. The goal is to get sailors on the water and racing at a high level, let's make it happen!

Let me know if you are interested in learning more. I'll be happy to discuss more at the end of season party tomorrow.

Thanks,

Cooper