This is your first stop as you start your sailing education. As a U.S. Sailing Accredited Keelboat Sailing School, we host a multi-day course teaching students skills to skipper and crew a keelboat. We teach on our fleet of Sonar 23 sailboats, a safe and stable platform for learning.

No prior sailing experience is necessary.

Now that you know the basics, this class will help advance your sailing skills. It is held Thursday evenings for six weeks. It’s your first opportunity to experience the fun of racing!

Topics include:
Sail shape, symmetrical spinnaker, racing rules, starting tactics, upwind performance, downwind performance, how to adjust for wind velocity and sea state

This class offers hands-on training so you learn how to safely operate a small motorboat and improve boat-handling skills. Instruction is in the classroom and on the Chicago Yacht Club's fleet of 17' rigid hull inflatables. The skills you learn on these boats are transferable to all boats.

There are no prerequisites for enrolling, but students must be 18 years of age or older.

From April until May, and again from October through November, the Club offers Frostbite sailing out of Belmont Station. Once we are back on the dock, sailors relax over hot beverages and soup. Belmont Station also offers a limited lunch menu and bar service throughout the Frostbite season.

This seven-week program starts in May and ends in June. Members of the Chicago Yacht Club lead this class, offering their boats and knowledge. You’ll learn skills to crew on a boat. The classes are held Tuesday nights, and many students practice racing offshore boats during Wednesday night racing.

Join Chicago Yacht Club's Women on the Water group for a series focused on sailing with other women. Participants use Chicago Yacht Club's fleet of Sonars. After an evening of sailing, members head back to the Club for dinner!

This is a social sail, not a "learn to" type of class.

Young sailors between the ages of five and 17 are encouraged to sign up for these classes. Sail Cubes, Optimists, E420s and C420 boats are used to teach kids interested in learning to sail the basics and beyond. Parents register their children for sessions. Coast Guard-approved life vests are required.

CYC is home to one of the country’s premier yacht club racing programs for junior sailors. The teams travel locally, regionally and nationally to compete in some of North America’s most competitive regattas. Acceptance onto any of the racing teams is based on sailing experience and coach evaluation.

CYC hosts one of the largest high school sailing programs in the Midwest. Utilizing Belmont Station, the program has grown to include more than 130 sailors. The spring season starts in early March and runs through May. The fall season starts in late August and runs through mid-November. The program is comprised of six high school teams: New Trier High School, Walter Payton College Prep, St. Ignatius College Prep, Latin School of Chicago, DePaul College Prep and Rickover Academy.