Corporate Programs
There are 2 ways your company can get involved in sailing in the harbor.
These are:
- One Design Racing
- One Day Corporate Regatta
If you have something special in mind which is not covered here, please call the club at 212-786-3323.
One-Design Racing
One Design Racing is when identical boats race against each other. In New York Harbor, your company can race on a J/24 owned by the Manhattan Sailing Club.
There are 3 racing programs: Tuesday Evening, Wednesday Evening and Saturday Afternoon. Your company can enter a team in one of these programs.
Each season is split into 3 series, spring, summer and fall.
MSC races feature one-design racing. In one-design competition, all teams start together and your position is determined by the order in which you cross the finish line. Only club J/24s can participate. These boats are all identical and have the same rigging and sails. Because the speed of the boats is the same, teams win with better tactics, crew work and boat handling. One-design competition is very intense. Racing will drive you and your team to excel.
Manhattan Sailing Club owns a fleet of J/24 sailboats. 17 of these boats are docked at North Cove in Battery Park City in Manhattan. More are docked at Liberty Harbor Marina on the north side of Morris Canal in Jersey City. Corporations are invited to race on these boats.
You can sign up to race on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. Races start at 6:30 p.m. and teams usually leave the dock by 6:15 p.m. The sailing season is split into 3 series: spring, summer and fall. The entry fee is $3,800 per series and includes the boat charter. To sign up, please complete and return the attached entry form.
The Boats
Corporate teams race on J/24 sailboats provided by the Manhattan Sailing Club. You do not need a boat to enter the racing program.
J/24s are great boats for racing in the harbor. They are fast and responsive and handle many wind speeds and wave conditions with ease. J/24s are the most popular keelboats in the world. It was introduced in 1976 and immediately revolutionized racing.
The J/24 measures 24 feet in length and has an 8’11” beam. It displaces 3,100 lbs and has a lead fin keel which draws 4 feet. The J/24 is a fractional-rigged sloop powered by a high aspect mainsail, choice of 150% genoa or 100% jib and a spinnaker.
When you sign up for a series, you are assigned a specific boat which you race every week. Although boats are uniform, teams usually grow comfortable with their boat and race the same one year after year.
The club provides a mainsail, genoa and jib with all boats. Teams provide their own spinnaker. Most corporate teams use a spinnaker emblazoned with their corporate logo. When you round the windward mark, up pops the spinnaker showing your corporate identity. You can have any sail loft make your spinnaker to J/24 class rules.
Your Crew
J/24s normally race with a crew of five. You need the weight for sailing upwind and the extra hands are helpful when raising and lowering the spinnaker. The three main crew positions are helmsman, genoa trimmer and foredeck. Two more crew help to balance the boat, hoist the spinnaker and watch for puffs and tactics. New corporate teams usually need a few races to get up to speed. This is because of the challenging and unique local conditions such as the current.
The ScheduleTeams race one evening per week. You can enter the Tuesday or Wednesday series. On that day, your team should arrive at the Manhattan Sailing Club docks around 6 p.m. Teams usually depart the docks by 6:15 p.m. and the first starting sequence begins at 6:30 p.m.
The sailing season is split into three series, Spring, Summer and Fall. Each series runs for 7 weeks. The exact schedule is posted in the Sailing Instructions.
Your Competition
Lining up against you on the starting line will be a variety of corporate and private membership racing teams. Many teams have been racing at Manhattan Sailing Club for many years.
Courses One race is held each evening. The races are run around government marks designated by the MYC Course Sheet. The course each evening will depend on wind, weather and current conditions. Courses are signaled by the race committee after the warning gun of each class.
Trophies
At the end of each race, teams gather at the Manhattan Sailing Club clubhouse for refreshments and socializing. After all teams have arrived, the top teams of the day are recognized and presented with daily prizes. Results are also compiled into series standings. Trophies are awarded to the winners at the Manhattan Sailing Club Annual Dinner in December.
Entry Fee The entry fee for corporate teams is $3,800 per series. This includes the charter of the J/24 for 7 weeks of racing plus the opportunity to occasionally use the boat at no additional charge for practice, client entertainment or just pleasure.Corporations have 2 options about how to pay the entry fee. These are:
Option 1: $3,800 (plus NYS Sales Tax) to Manhattan Sailing Club
Option 2: $2,800 (plus NYS Sales Tax) to Manhattan Sailing Club plus a $1,000 donation to
Project City Kids
Project City Kids
Project City Kids is a non-profit charity which provides free sailing opportunities to inner-city kids. Project City Kids is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information on Project City Kids, please call the Manhattan Sailing Club office at (212) 786-3323.
Learning to Sail
If employees at your company are interested in learning to sail, please direct them to the Manhattan Sailing School (212) 786-0400. Manhattan Sailing School is the largest school in the harbor and offers basic through advanced courses. Manhattan Sailing School is the teaching affiliate of the Manhattan Sailing Club.
To Enter
To enter a corporate team, please complete this entry form.