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Join the crew, learn the lines, raise the sails, stand watches, fill in the log book, and help in the galley. Plan route and departure times by understanding tide and current information. Navigate by taking sights off points of land. Use the radar to identify traffic, landmarks and to plot our position. Work as part of the team as we sail Alcyone. Discover what makes her sail along. Learn when and how to set, strike and reef sails. Practice sailing and rowing on Alcyone's dories and sailing skiff. Discover what makes a good anchorage, how to set the anchor and, as night falls, hoist the anchor light. Student crew sailing aboard the Alcyone are exposed to all this as well as swimming, exploring, a memorable adventure, and the opportunity to make life-long friends. |
What is Sail Training? It's reducing your possessions to the contents of a duffle bag and embarking for adventure! |
Alcyone offers: 6-day youth sail training trips to the San Juan Islands. The San Juan Islands are located just across the straits from Port Townsend. An ideal area for exploring and learning. These unique islands provide plentiful cruising in a compact area. Many of the islands are designated state parks or have state parks on them, providing some great hiking and exploring. We would be at anchor every night. 12-day trips to Desolation Sound, located 150 miles north of Port Townsend, about halfway up on the inside of Vancouver Island. This trip provides the opportunity to plan a tirp; looking at and understanding the tides and curents, checking the charts and cruising books for the best route. The crew also stands watches; taking a turn at the helm, then filling out the log and ploting a current position. The end destination is a cruising area with spetacular scenery that has the added treat of warm water lakes and bays for swimming and playing. 12-day trips to Barkley Sound located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This trip would be for the more expereinced sailor. We can have an overnight passage and a taste of some blue-water sailing on our way to this spectacular area rich in Native American culture, which has a special feel of the exposed open coast. We have done this trip as a sail-training trip three times; they have always been great trips, but these great trips have included thick fog, back to back frontal systems, ocean swells, and once beating to weather for three days to get out of the Straits. Mother Nature plays a much bigger part on the West Coast. |