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The Eau Gallie Yacht Club Sailing Program is a competitive dinghy-racing program designed for members and guests. Kids are not required to have prior sailing experience to join our team. Our sailing program is divided into boat classes based on skill level, size, and age. We usually sail Optimists and Club 420s, yet we also have a J24 and Rhoades 19, which are larger sailboats for adults. 
 
The Optimist is a single-person boat sailing all over the globe. This class is the biggest and one of the most competitive fleets in the world with sailors from 7 to 15 years old.  This boat allows our youth sailors to develop all the fundamentals to compete and get comfortable in the water, allowing these skills to translate to other sailing vessels. In the US, the majority of the children transition from Optis to the C420 class, which is one of the boats sailed in High School and Collegiate events.
 
The Club 420 is a 2 person boat, consisting of a mainsail, jib sail, trapeze, and spinnaker. This fleet is very competitive worldwide, mostly consisting of adolescent sailors. The introduction of two sails and a spinnaker allows our youth sailors to integrate, working together as a team with coordination, balance, and technique. Having this boat in our program provides our sailors with the confidence to be better watermen and waterwomen. The 420 also opens a path to understanding how bigger boats are sailed, since they are a down-scale of some of the most competitive monohulls out there.
 
The J24 boat is usually sailed between 4-5 people and consists of a mainsail, jib sail, and spinnaker. This class of boat has been around for many years and is considered to be one of the most popular and competitive classes in the world among adults. The J24 is also one of the few selected boats that are sailed at the Central America and Caribbean Games as well as the Pan-American Games. 
 
Finally, the Rhodes 19 is a boat that has existed as a daysailer and one design class for more than 60 years and is still sailed competitively today. Despite its competitive heritage and background, we still believe it is the most comfortable boat we have in our fleet for a sunset cruise with your significant others. 
 
Here at Eau Gallie Yacht Club, we are lucky to have all these boats for all ages and experiences with absolutely no limit on how far our sailing program can take us.  Whether it is a regatta or a sunset cruise on the Rhodes, we are fortunate to be able to spend more time on the water exploring our skills as sailors.
 

 

For Whom?

For potential new members of our program who do not have prior sailing experience, participation in the summer camp or private lessons will be necessary before being admitted to the racing program. Like any sport, our kids are expected to attend practices on time, prepared with the necessary gear and attitude to learn and improve their skills. We travel to multiple regattas each season, so parents should be prepared for some road travel when their kids are at a level ready to compete.
 

Why Sail?

Any parent from our program will tell you the following: Sailing will change your kids’ life. The sport of sailing helps children develop critical thinking skills, responsibility, confidence, and even a better understanding of weather and physics. Sailors who commit to our program should expect a greater opportunity to land themselves at any of the more than 200 universities around the country with competitive sailing teams—including nearly all of the top academic schools in the nation.

Name

Brett Snyder

Title

Harbormaster

Brett Snyder, Harbormaster/Waterfront Director, has a long history in the hospitality and marine industries. He was sole proprietor of Admiralty Yacht Services for 12 years before getting into the Facility & Environmental Services business, most notably with Victoria Landing, a high-end assisted living community. While running Admiralty Yacht Services, Brett took care of many Eau Gallie Yacht Club member vessels, and earned a great reputation with his professionalism and attention to detail.

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Name

Fernando Monllor

Title

Sailing Instructor

Born and raised in the rough waters of Ponce, Puerto Rico has been sailing since the age of 6. He has been part of the PUR national sailing team since 2005 and has represented his country in multiple disciplines, including Optimist, Snipe and Windsurfing at a professional level. In 2008 he was part of the PUR team that won North and South American Team Racing and the triple crown in the Optimist Worlds in Turkey. After this feat, he continued his snipe and windsurfing career competing in multiple world championships and Olympic games, placing 3rd in Windsurfing Worlds (T 293 Open Class) in 2010. He began coaching in high school sharing his passion for windsurfing with others, and has been coaching Optimist, windsurfing, and 420 race teams in Maine and Martha’s Vineyard for the past 10 years.

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