Please note: minor memberships require extra effort from parents compared to adult memberships.  Please read the instructions below very carefully; if you can't follow them, you shouldn't be signing your child up for a membership at Cal Sailing Club.  Please don't ask for help from club members who have plenty to do already.

Parents and guardians can purchase a membership for their child under 18 years old for $90. If their child agrees to show up four times to help with lessons on weekends, the membership is discounted to $1, which we do not usually collect, thus it is free.  Please don't abuse this discount by failing to read the instructions.

We don't encourage parents and guardians to consider this option if they haven't already been members themselves.  Someone who's never been in the Cal Sailing Club may have a hard time judging if it's right for their child, and will not know how to get their child lessons and other benefits of CSC membership.. 

We offer this option because many current members would like their offspring to be able to use club equipment or take lessons, and those current members can provide their children all the help they'll need to sign up, get lessons, pass ratings, etc.

Due to the challenging nature of dinghy sailing in the Bay, we have age minimums on our dinghy sailing lessons. Please note that even if your child clears that minimum, an instructor may choose not to take a youth under 18 out. We are an adult-sailing club and do our best to support youth members within our all-volunteer run model. CSC lessons are taught by adults at an adult level and cannot be tailored for younger students. Our boats are also not suitable for most children under 14 due to the boat and sail size and difficulty righting it after a capsize. Please see some other wonderful dedicated youth-sailing programs around the Bay! Like our neighbors Cal Adventures. 

• Under 12: sorry we can’t offer regular club lessons to children under 12. 
• 12 and up: must have own membership and take lesson with parent (also with membership). One child per guardian, please, unless given special Excomm approval. 
• 14 and up: may take lesson with other members (likely adults) at parent’s discretion. 
• 16 and up: may take regular lessons and sign up for a fast-track week 
• 18 and up: can become a junior without restrictions

If you do want to sign up your child, then before you come in, please

1.  Print and fill out liability and medical forms for each of your children who is under 18.  Please review the parent/guardian's release of liability form carefully, and sign it if you agree, at the bottom of the second page.  Please print your name, address, and email address on the liability release.  Do this at home, not in the clubhouse, which has very limited space.

2.  Sign up (click on Membership, then Join) your child for a regular membership by filling out the name, email (please use a similar email for your child as you use for yourself, adding a plus sign and your child's first initial, e.g. jdo@e.com for yourself, then jdo+k@e.com for your child Karen), username, and password, and clicking Sign Up.  On the next page, click on the text beginning with "Cancel payment" to cancel out of the payment process.  This gives your child an account on the website, which will give them a user ID once their membership is activated.

3.  Note: once you do the above, you won't be able to log in to the account until the membership is activated.

4.  File the printed and filled out medical and liability forms for all family members under 18 in the minor waivers binder (there's a 3 hole punch in the dayleader desk.) 

5.  You must email Treasurer@cal-sailing.org with a message including your child's name and stating it's a youth membership. Your child's membership won't be valid until the Treasurer has manually activated it.  Once that has happened, you'll be able to log into your child's account in order for them to take written tests, submit work hours for approval, etc.

Before you decide on a membership for your child, consider that your child does not need a membership to go out on a boat that is signed out by another member.  You do need a membership to sign out a boat or windsurfer, or to go out on a lesson.

Updates from our 2026 programs

Open House

Ever wonder about those dazzling sails buzzing around on the Bay? The Cal Sailing Club monthly Open House/Introductory Sail gives you a chance to find out! 

2026 Open Houses have concluded!

• Sunday, April 5 - 217 rides given!
• Saturday, May 2 (Berkeley Bay Fest) - 273 rides given!
• Sunday, May 31 - 346 rides given! 
• Sunday, June 28 - 432 rides given!
• Sunday, August 2 - 336 rides given!
• Sunday, August 30 - 430 rides given!
• Sunday, October 4 - 310 rides given!

More details on Open House are here. Check back in January for 2027 dates!

General Membership Meeting (GMM)

Merchandise for sale

You've seen members wearing Cal Sailing garb and wanted to get some for yourself. Lots of Club merch is now available here.

Dinghy sailing

• How do I start sailing at the Cal Sailing Club?
• Looking to get the Novice or Junior rating? Check the guide on getting these ratings. 
• How to get a Dinghy Test read this.
• Checklist for taking a dinghy on the water.
• Click here for the dates and for more info about Fast Track.
• New manual for the new 420s here
• New videos on rigging and sailing a JY-15, a Toura, and a Venture. Check them out on the Sailing Videos page.
• Dinghy Racing
  Sail fast, have fun!
  Race dinghies this summer nearly every Sunday. No prior racing experience needed. See here for details. Contact the Racing Chair with any questions.
• Advanced Dinghy
  Senior dinghy skills. Every Monday evening except for Fast Track weeks and holidays from early May through the end of August. More details here.

Windsurfing

• How do I start windsurfing at the Cal Sailing Club? Novice lessons start on Saturday, April 18, 2026 and will usually be held on Saturdays and Sundays unless tides and open houses conflict. See schedule here.
• How do I report damage or make other requests?  Use this link to contact our Windsurfing team (you must be logged in to use this link).
• Will Spargur, former Rear Commodore for Windsurf Instruction, has produced a set of videos on learning windsurfing.
• New Tutorial on Windsurf Board Repair.
• Detailed description of the windsurfing rating requirements is available. We have also started something to help you get your Senior rating.

Keelboats

• Keelboat lessons are offered year round, often on Wednesday evenings, but also at other times. They are announced on Slack and the Announcements list. You must be a Junior Skipper to take keelboat lessons. Basic keelboat instruction outline is here, and this progression will prepare you for the advanced training necessary for the keelboat senior rating.
• Berkeley Reef. Sheldon Coad took these photos with the help of Bobby Arthurs, and the club skiff. They circled the Reef and took photos in several directions. Pretty impressive when you see it, and pretty dangerous when you can't.
• Consult the new manual on keelboat outboard motors.

Kayak and SUPs

A limited number of sit-on-top kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) are now available for member use. No rating is required, but Day Leader approval is. This is a lower-wind activity, so the Day Leader may restrict use to the Novice Area or not allow it at all.

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