This is Knot Your Typical Youth Summer Sailing Camp!
Youth summer sailing is now in Newport News! We partnered with our nonprofit organization, Coastal Shores Inc., to offer youth summer sailing camps in Hampton Roads. Our camp is open to the public and is for ages 5 to 13. No matter if a child has never seen a boat or has spent some time on the water, this summer camp is where your child can learn and have fun to promote lifelong sailing skills.
Your child will experience the James River like never before! Classes run from 8:30am to 3:30pm. We will break for lunch, typically around noon. You may pack your sailor a lunch or pre-purchase a Snack Pack from our Ship Store for just $5/day (we will try to accommodate every food allergy, but please speak to the General Manager first). We even offer scholarships for our program!
Break out your pirate gear and your best pirate talk for Pirate Days on Wednesdays! We will even have Parent Day on Friday so parents can come to take pictures of their kids while they show off their new sailing skills! Check out the Sumer Camp Handbook below for complete details about these exciting days!
Our sailing instructors are US Sailing Instructor Level 1, CPR and First Aid, and US Center SafeSport certified. Our General Manager is US Sailing Coaching Level 3, CPR and First Aid certified, and US Center SafeSport certified.
Forms
Registration
If you use a credit card, there will be a 3% processing fee. If you are paying by cash or check, please note we will only hold your spot for 7 days. Your slot will be forfeited if we do not receive a payment within those 7 days. If you register but do not pay by April 30th, then you will be immediately charged the normal registration fee, not the early bird fee.
Also, if you register more than one child, you must complete separate registration forms for multiple children.
Registering 3 or more children or registering for 3 or more classes and receive 10% off total! Please email adarrow@deepcreeklanding.com to receive discount code if you have 3 or more children. The discount appears automatically if you register for 3 or more classes.
Classes
River Guppies: Ages 5 – 7
River Otters: Ages 8 – 13
River Ospreys: Ages 8 – 13
Times
8:30am – 3:30pm
Prices
Early Bird Registration
(Ends April 29th at Midnight): $295
Regular Registration: $315
(Scholarships Available, See Below for More Info)
Kids are never too young to start sailing, especially at our summer camp! River Guppies are for 5 to 7 year olds and is an introductory class for soon-to-be sailors. The primary focus is fun while gaining confidence on the water. Sailors will be sailing on our Optimists. You may sign up for just one week or multiple weeks. Class minimum of 3 sailors in order to host the class.
Sessions:
Week 2: June 22 – 26, 2026
Week 4: July 13 – 17, 2026
Week 6: July 27 – 31, 2026
River Ospreys are for 9 to 13 year olds and is an intermediate class that introduces sailors to more advanced sailing skills. This summer camp class teaches sailors the more advanced rigging fundamentals, seamanship, water safety, and more advance sailing techniques like learning to sail upwind. Sailors will be sailing on our Optimists. You may sign up for just one week or multiple weeks. Class minimum of 3 sailors in order to host the class.
Sailor MUST have taken River Otters twice or get prior approval from Arielle Darrow, General Manager, to register.
Sessions:
Week 3: July 6 – 10, 2026
Week 7: August 3 – 7, 2026
The nonprofit organization, Coastal Shores Inc., & Deep Creek Landing are proud to sponsor a scholarship, RCA Scholarship, to allow children (ages 5-13) to participate in our summer camp.
Please review the application below, we would like all applications in by May 15th, 2026. If you have any questions please call (757) 877-9555 or email dcl@deepcreeklanding.com. Please note we only have a certain amount of scholarship spots each year.
Swim Test: All sailors must pass a 50 yard swim test and 3 minute water tread. Test will be conducted with a life jacket on.
Items Needed for Camp: sunscreen and sunscreen stick, reusable water bottle, US Coast Guard approved life jacket with a whistle, closed-toe shoes (Crocs acceptable), bathing suit and clothing for outdoors, a towel, and a lunch (if not pre-purchasing from the Ship Store). A long sleeve rash top is preferred to help deter sunburn.
Arielle Darrow – Sailing Director
Arielle has been working for the marina for four years and helped started the summer sailing program here. She has been a sailing instructor and Sailing Director for nonprofits and yacht clubs all over the East Coach. She has coached various college’s varsity sailing teams and was a semipro sailor. She is excited to continue manage and coach our summer sailing program!
Nico Bielewicz – Head Sailing Instructor
Nico just graduated Hampton Roads Academy where he was awarded All-State every year and he plans to continue sailing in college. He has years of competitive experience in dinghy racing by sailing in both team and fleet racing. Nico really enjoys the strategy and boat handling that make the sport challenging. Along with racing, he likes helping new sailors build confidence on the water and improve their fundamentals. Nico is excited to coach this summer and share his experience while keeping sailing fun and safe for everyone.
Megan Sargent – Head Educator
Megan is graduating this year from Old Dominion University with a major in Early Childhood Education. She has been an employee at Deep Creek Landing Marina for over six years now and also works for a preschool in her spare time. She has been working with our summer camp since the beginning in 2021 and we are so lucky to have her back again this summer.
Daphne Ambrosino – Sailing Instructor
Daphne is a high school varsity sailor who competes in fleet and team racing. In the summer she’s trained and competed in C420s and Lasers. Her sailing career began in Opti summer camps, igniting a love for the sport. As a junior sailing instructor, she aims to foster excitement for sailing through skill development and fun. Pirate day was always her favorite Opti camp activity.
Cancellation Policy
Course fees are refundable by no later than June 5. No refunds will be made for missed days or dismissal from the program for disciplinary reasons. If you find someone to take your slot before the start of camp, you will receive a refund minus a $50 processing fee.
