Hello Sailors and Parents,
We had our pre-season meeting on Monday night- thank you to all who came! Here is a recap for everyone: (you can find all the forms and most of the information at
www.whatcomsailing.com )
EMAIL
Most all our communication is done via email, so please help us out by responding to emails quickly and make sure we have your current email address.
FORMS
All sailors must fill out the forms and checks outlined in the sailor packets attached. New Sailors must fill out all forms, Returning Sailors need only to fill out the new consent waiver and verify athletic eligibility with their schools. New sailors that did not participate in the fall also must pay the team fees: Make $150 check out to Whatcom Community Sailing and the $35 check out to WWUAA
As a club sport each sailor is required to comply with the schools athletic eligibility requirements. Sailors can pick up a packet from their schools athletic department. This includes a Physical Form. If you have not already scheduled a physical do so ASAP so you can practice next Tuesday.
Bring these forms with you to the first practice if you have not turned them in already. (or you won't be able to sail!) Athletic eligibility packet gets returned to your school AD secretary.
PRATICES
Our first practice is Tuesday Feb 26th. We will practice Tues/Thurs 3:15-6:30 till the end of May. We will be conducting a swim test for all new sailors at the first practice. Please bring a wetsuit, towel and warm clothes. PARENTS- Please help us by scheduling dentist and doctors appointments around our regular practices. Practices are held at Lakewood. If you need a carpool, please contact us and we will put you in touch with another sailor from your school.
We require all sailors to have a Type III Coastguard approved lifejacket, a whistle attached to the life jacket and a wetsuit. There will be days where we will require a wetsuit or you won't be able to sail. We strongly encourage proper gear, such as gloves, booties, and no cotton. On our gear page on the website, we suggest places to buy gear and what kind of gear to get. (Westcoast sailing offers high school students 15% off gear, and free shipping). Please ask us or your fellow sailors what gear we recommend if you have any questions.
8TH GRADERS
Please arrive at practice as soon as possible after school gets out. 8th graders can participate in all regattas on the schedule with the exception of district championships or national events if we qualify.
REGATTAS
Please see our website for a schedule of all regattas. We will be more strict this year about going to regattas (and practices). We won't be accepting 'I have homework' or 'I have a big test' as an excuse. You know all the regattas we plan on attending now, so plan accordingly.
REGATTA SIGN UP - Please fill out this regatta sign up form so we know which events you absolutely can not make. We expect you to attend all regattas, so if you can not make a regatta please come talk to us so we can discuss why.
PARENTS
We are excited to have your sailor on the team, and will be kept very busy organizing practices, regattas and teaching them how to become awesome racers! So, we will need your help! Regatta travel is usually based on parent drivers. We try to reimburse for gas, and food is usually free for parents or very cheap. Please take a look at the regatta schedule and make note on which regattas you would be able to drive.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us or visit our website for information. We are excited to be starting another season of sailing! See you on the water!
