How Does It Work?

The Accredited After School Program (AASP) recruits freshman students from Chelsea area public high schools and engages them in a year of academic after school programming using sailing and boat building as its medium.  Upon completion of each section of the program, students may earn credit in school. 

Students in the program progress through four programs over the course of their freshman academic year and following summer:

1.  Fall - The Math and Science Behind Sailing, Part I - Earn physical education credit
2.  Winter - The Science Behind Boat Building and Design - Earn science credit
3.  Spring - The Math and Science Behind Sailing, Part II - Earn math credit
4.  Summer - Internship Program - Job and leadership training

What Schools Are Involved?

The Accredited After School Program recruits 9th grade students from public high schools that are located close enough for students to get to HRCS easily.

1.  Landmark High School
2.  Legacy School for Integrated Studies
3.  Manhattan Business Academy
4.  NYC Lab School of Collaborative Studies
5.  NYC Museum School

Don't see your school listed?  Contact us at info@hudsonsailing.org about how to get your school involved.

When Does the Program Occur?

During the school year, students meet at the Pier 66 boat house twice a week (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday) from 4pm-7pm.   

The 2011-12 Program Dates are:

Fall - The Math and Science Behind Sailing, Part I - September 26 - November 10

Winter - The Science Behind Boat Building and Design - November 14 - March 29

Spring -  The Math and Science Behind Sailing, Part II -  April 2 - June 14

Fall: The Math and Science Behind Sailing, Part I

The Fall portion of the AASP introduces students to the exciting sport of sailing and teaches them everything from basic boat handling to advanced racing tactics. The basis for the program is that students have to know and love sailing before they can learn anything from it.  This initial portion also begins to break down the various ways math and science are involved in sailing including mechanical advantage, the physics of a sail, and measuring boat speed. This program is the first step for students to become immersed in our year-long Accredited After School Program.

• 7 weeks in duration
• learn the sport of sailing and the basic math and science principles behind sailing
• develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills
• provides a constructive, safe, after school activity
• graduates earn a much needed physical education credit towards their high school graduation

Winter: The Science Behind Boat Building and Design

The second portion of the AASP continues to engage students through the art and science of building a wooden sailboat. Students build an Optimist Dinghy and discover concepts like material strength, buoyancy, stability, and hydrodynamics that go into designing and building a boat.  Upon successful completion, students earn a science credit.  Our partnership with Brooklyn Boat Works has enabled HRCS to make this opportunity a reality for our partner schools.  Students also receive academic tutoring from Columbia University Sailing Team volunteers as well as get exposed to new careers through Career Days. 

• Duration: 16 week course
• Credit: graduates earn a much-needed science credit towards their high school graduation
• Skills: students learn fundamentals of wood craft construction, tool handling, technical design interpretation, and engineering skills
• Topics Covered: Reading a technical diagram, Converting metric to imperial, Buoyancy/Archimedes principle, Stability of a boat, Strength of materials – plywood vs. hardwood, Forces on a mast – what keeps it up?, Chemistry of epoxy, Hydrostatics, Principles of Resistance
• Tutoring: students receive two hours of academic tutoring and standardized test preparation a week from HRCS staff and volunteers from the Columbia University Sailing Team. Interested in volunteering with the program? Email info@hudsonsailing.org.
• Career Days: in order to expose students to new and exciting careers, HRCS invites its friends and members to speak to the students once a week about their careers, how they got into their line of work, and what they like and don't like  about their work.  Career Days has featured employees from Lexis-Nexis, Google, Columbia University, the United Nations, Milberg LLP, Doctors Without Borders, the Metropolitan Opera, Brookhaven Labs, Del Posto, New York State Court, HSBC, and many others.

Spring: The Math and Science Behind Sailing, Part II

The spring program builds on the knowledge gained in the fall and winter programs.  The curriculum is based on the methodology of experiential learning; math is taught through concrete sailing and navigational situations.  The skill areas covered include algebra, trigonometry and geometry. The syllabus, course book, and tests are designed to cover the skill areas deemed most necessary by our partner DOE math teachers.

• 10 weeks learning the mathematics behind sailing and navigation
• picking up where they left off in the fall, on their sail training
• graduates earn a much needed math credit towards their high school graduation
• our math curriculum is the educational template for the National Sailing Hall of Fame’s Education Programs

Summer: Junior Educator Program

Graduates of our Accredited After School Program are eligible to apply for one of eight summer junior educator positions.  The junior educator program begins the summer after the freshman year.  It is in the junior educator program where graduates from our Accredited After School Program transform into young leaders and begin serving as role models to their peers.

• shadow HRCS instructors
• instruct peers in the summer City Sail program
• earn valuable and quantifiable job skills
• develop confidence and leadership abilities
• compete in weekly regattas
• be assisted in finding employment in the sailing industry
• receive physical education and community service credit for high school

Session 1: June 27 - July 29

Session 2: August 1 - September 2

Sophomore Year: First Mate Program

Once students have successfully completed the first year of the Accredited After School Program, they become eligible to join the ranks of our First Mates.

• be eligible for extra academic credit, community service hours, and more opportunities to get out on the water
• receive more science, math, and technology education relating to sailing
• serve as year-round HRCS mentors in the after school program
• offered individualized weekly tutoring in all academic subjects, including test preparation for the Regent’s exams and the standardized PSAT and SAT
• receive extensive parent outreach
• be offered on-the job training, interacting with the adult membership during sailing events and regattas
• participate in job placement for the summer months

To learn more about the First Mate program on the First Mate page, click here!