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About the Team... 

We are thrilled to start the Spring 2023 season with a roster of 12 sailors.   We are sailing out of Sachem's Head Yacht Club, thank you SHYC for your generosity to our team!  The team had a very successful inaugural Fall 2021 season at Guilford Yacht Club and we moved our home base to Browns Boatyard for the Spring 2022 Season.   

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  • Is Guilford Sailing Team a Club or a Varsity Sport?

    • At this time, Guilford Sailing is a Club not an official GHS Sports Team.

    • Some sailors at the high school will consider being on the sailing team their “primary sport”, while other participants may think about their participation in sailing as an “extra circular club” activity - either option is a great option!

    • GHS students that are in the Sailing Club may also play a sport at GHS at the same time/season, however there may be frequent practice/game schedule conflicts.  Sailors wishing to play a GHS sport in the same season as sailing may prefer to be part of the GHS Sailing Team “Alternates” program (see below).

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  • Who can join?​

    • The Guilford Sailing Team is currently open to Guilford residents in grades 8-12.​

    • We offer clinics in the Fall & Spring that are open to 7-12 graders and a great way to try out the team!

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  • Location & what boats are used?

    • Sachems Head Yacht Club

    • Club 420s 

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  • What do I need to be on the Guilford Sailing Team?

    • Intermediate/Advanced Sailing experience 

    • US Coast Guard Approved life jacket

    • Sailing shoes or boots

    • Sailing gloves

    • Spray top sailing jacket

    • Warmer layers (fleece shirt, long sleeve tech shirts, hat, etc.)

    • Drysuit is required for Spring Season

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  • Cost to join the Guilford Sailing Team for the 2022 Fall Season?

    • $450, which includes 3 coached practices per week, use of leased 420s, team performance shirt, trucker hat, and pot-luck team dinners

    • Regattas and scrimmages to be determined and scheduled as the season progresses

    • Scrimmages and meets against other schools are typically on weekdays

    • Regattas and Qualifiers are typically held on the weekends (optional events)

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  • Is there a JV Team?  What if I can’t commit to 3 days of practice?  

    • We do not have a JV team but we are very accomodating to those who play other sports or have other activities and mayb not be able to attend practice 3 days a week.  

    • 8th Graders cannot officially race in sanctioned NESSA events but they can participate in all non-sanctioned regattas, practices & scrimmages.

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  • Guilford Sailing is Fall & Spring - Can sailors do both or just one season?

    • High School sailing is both a Fall and Spring sport nationally, and for our Guilford sailors too!

    • Sailors can sail both seasons, or just Fall or just Spring

    • There will be a fee charged for each Season of sailing 

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  • Who is the Guilford Sailing Team Coach?

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Haley Brown grew up sailing on the Connecticut shoreline. From 2011-2015, she skippered for the Branford High School Sailing Team out of Yale Corinthian Yacht Club.  At the University of Vermont, she spent her fall and spring race seasons on beautiful Lake Champlain. As a women’s skipper and co-ed crew, Haley sailed all over the country competing and training for the UVM team. When not traveling for the UVM team, Haley sailed a CC99 and a J30 on the lake. She spent her summers directing the Yale Summer Sailing Program in Branford. After graduating from UVM in 2019, she spent the fall season coaching the Hamden Hall Sailing Team and sailing a J105 at various regattas all over New England.  For the Summers of 2020 and 2021, Haley was the Sachems Head Junior Sailing Program Director for August. Now working on her Masters Degree, Haley coaches the Yale University Sailing Team on the weekends at various NEISA events. She is looking forward to spending weekdays coaching the Guilford High School Sailing Team. 

 

Haley strives to not only be a sailor, but to be a steward of the sea and the marine environment. In her many years of coaching junior sailing, she works to include themes of shoreline stewardship and environmental importance in her lessons. Her goal is not only to coach confident racers, but to create lifelong, passionate sailors who love and protect the water they sail on.   When she’s not on the water, Haley spends her time painting, trail running, and working on her masters research in archaeology. 

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  • What is the parent's involvement?  ​

    • Parents may also be needed for transportation to Regattas and Scrimmages

    • Parents will be needed to help with the Pot-Luck Dinners

    • Parents may also be needed to help organize other aspects of the team.

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  • What is the affiliation of the Guilford Sailing Club & Guilford Public School

    • The Guilford Board of Education approved the formation of the Guilford Sailing Club in January 2020.  At the time of approval, the Guilford Board of Education said the Sailing Club needed to be independently operated, run, and funded.  However the Sailing Club is endorsed by the Guilford High School and the sailors on the team can compete under the Guilford High School flag when racing in local, regional, and national competitions. 

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  • What is the affiliation with the Guilford Sailing Team and Guilford Sailing Foundation (GSF)?

    • Please see the section for GSF to read more.

    • The Guilford Sailing Team is just one opportunity that GSF is supporting in their efforts to promote and support sailing in the shoreline community.    

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