Four categories of SailShare
membership allow for differing skill and experience levels.
The Mate-to-Captain training program facilitates advancing
through various stages to a point where you reach a competency
level sufficient to captain your SailShare yacht across
the lake on your own.
SailClub™ Mate
Persons with minimal sailing experience who want to gain
experience as crew while they complete basic on-the-water
sailing lessons and certification can sign on as SailClub
Mates.
SailClub™ Skipper
Sailors who have already been certified in a basic small
boat on-the-water sailing course or have the equivalent
skills and experience can become SailClub Skippers upon
completing orientation on our Catalina 27. Learn-to-Sail
programs in the Chicago area using a Rhodes 19, J22, or
Colgate 26 are ideal for this purpose. Orientation includes
familiarization skills such as inboard motor operation,
leaving and returning to your mooring, roller furling, and
VHF radio operation. In addition you will need to know basic
keelboat theory, rules of right of way, and emergency protocol.
You should be capable and comfortable handling the boat
in light to moderate winds.
SailShare™ Skipper
With our Mate-to-Captain sailing instruction program headed
by a licensed U.S. Coast Guard Captain and seasoned sailing
instructor, it’s easy to acquire the skills and sailing
experience needed to skipper our larger yachts. The program
will provide you skills including touch-and-go docking,
spring line tying, springing off a dock, docking in at least
15 knots of wind, chart reading, GPS positioning on a chart,
pumpout and refueling. In addition, you will have progressed
to the next level of sail theory and accumulated enough
sailing experience to handle the boat in high wind and wave
conditions.
SailShare™ Captain
By this stage you will have relatively extensive practical
sailing skills such as anchoring, docking, coastal navigation
and night sailing competency, as well as crew experience
on both day and overnight sails across the lake. Most people
take at least two seasons to achieve SailShare Captain
