Classes & ratings

First rating path on Tech Dinghies: rigging, tacking, gybing, crew-overboard prep, and Charles River traffic patterns with coach boats alongside.

Accelerated checkout for sailors who already know points of sail but need a Charles River orientation, capsize recovery, and fleet rules of the road.

Single-weekend immersion: morning chalk talks, afternoon drills, and a supervised short passage plan with debrief.

Beach starts, harness line basics, steering on all points, and self-rescue on a stable board rig; small-group coaching in protected water.

Board sailing checkoff for sailors who can rig beginner equipment, tack, and sail upwind in light to medium wind conditions.

Advanced board sailing checkoff for shaped sails, harness use, tacking, jibing, upwind sailing, and strong-wind conditions.

Starting sequences, laylines, basic rules scenarios (port/starboard, windward mark), and short-course drills in single-handed boats.

Sail trim for power and height, crew choreography, roll tacks, and starting-line time-on-distance in a double-handed dinghy.

Communication, boathandling under pressure, MOB drills from a crewed boat, and docking-style maneuvers in tight river conditions.

Shift tracking, fleet positioning, mark traps, and team debriefs using video and GPS tracks from practice races.

Self-study and staff checkoff for safe Lynx Catboat and Laser handling on the Charles River, including basic maneuvers, rigging, safety precautions, rules of the road, and dock procedures.

Self-study path for the Crew Rating, covering nautical terminology, seamanship, knots, splices, and the general knowledge expected of MIT sailors.

Strong-wind Flying Junior checkoff focused on solo upwind sailing, hiking technique, tiller extension use, controlled gybes, and man-overboard recovery.

On-boat Lynx Catboat instruction and checkoff covering the gaff rig, mooring work, tacking, gybing, docking, reefing, and safe operation for moonlight sails and harbor-trip preparation.

Laser rigging and boat-handling checkoff for sailors who are comfortable with capsize recovery, tiller extension use, sail controls, and upwind and downwind trim.

Club 420 checkoff for sailors ready for double-handed racing boat handling, spinnaker and trapeze preparation, and advanced Charles River sessions.