Sail Chicago has established the following policy to ensure all our students and instructors have a safe, fun, and equitable experience learning through our sailing classes each season. Each student is asked to review and agree to these guidelines as a participant in Sail Chicago classes.

Selecting the Appropriate Course

Sail Chicago’s Basic Keelboat curriculum is separated into three 4-session courses of progressing difficulty known as “Crew”, “First Mate” and “Skipper”. Additional information on which topics and skills are covered in each level can be found in the Sail Chicago Course Outlines. Students should select the most appropriate course based on their experience and the guidance below.

For those with limited experience sailing (most students), it is recommended to begin with “Crew” to establish a firm foundation in the fundamentals of sailing before progressing to more advanced courses. Students with previous sailing experience outside of Sail Chicago who are seeking a more advanced course may opt to begin with “First Mate”. It is recommended that all students – regardless of experience – complete at least the “First Mate” course before enrolling in “Skipper”. Students wishing to repeat a course are welcome to register for a course they have previously taken.

Students should not register for advanced classes simply to complete the curriculum more quickly or due to limited class availability. To ensure a safe and positive experience for all students, Sail Chicago reserves the right to drop a student from a class without a refund if they are found to not have the appropriate skills for their selected course.

Any student struggling to determine the appropriate class to register for should contact the Sail Chicago Instruction program at learning@sailchicago.org before registering.

Class Pre-Work / Prerequisites

All students enrolled in any Sail Chicago course must meet the following prior to the first class.

— Have completed the Sail Chicago Pre-Sail Orientation (PSO) online course

— Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of sailing and sailing terminology by providing documentation of one of the following:

• Having completed the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Online course and passed the online test. Students can request access to this course after they register for a Sail Chicago class.

• Having a US Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification.

• Having obtained advanced maritime training/licensure (e.g., USCG OUPV license).

More information about these requirements is found on Sail Chicago’s Instruction webpage. Students who do not complete the necessary pre-work prior to the first class will be dropped from the class without a refund.

Pacing Courses Appropriately

Students are meant to advance through each course in order — Crew, First Mate, Skipper — as their skills progress through time spent practicing on the water. Students wishing to progress through the courses more quickly may register for multiple courses in the same season. However, students should not register for two classes with overlapping class dates (i.e. multiple active courses at a time). Sail Chicago reserves the right to drop a student from a class if they have scheduled themselves for a class inappropriately.

Dropping a Course

To ensure the best use of our limited class seats, students are encouraged to make every effort to avoid dropping a course, especially close to the class dates. Students may request to drop a class by completing the Drop Class Form. If the Drop Class Form is received one month or more before the start of the class, the student will receive a full refund less a $50 administration fee. If the Drop Class Form is received less than one month before the start of the class, the student will not be entitled to a refund.

Students cannot offer or sell their seat in a course to someone else. All dropped seats will first be offered to those on the course waitlist and then to the public.

Weather-Related Cancellations, Make-up Classes, and Refunds

Any class session will be canceled if the instructor determines at the time of the class that it would be unsafe or against Sail Chicago rules to sail under current weather conditions — regardless of the impact on course scheduling or the number of previous cancellations.

To minimize the impact of class cancellations, the schedule for each course will include four class dates and one additional date held as a tentative make-up session. The fifth make-up class will be held only if one of the other four classes is canceled. No additional make-up classes will be scheduled.

Any course that competes at least three out of the five scheduled class dates is considered a completed class and will not be eligible for any refund. A full refund (less the $50 administrative fee) will be issued for any course with fewer than three class sessions completed due to weather-related cancellations.