If gas prices have you questioning your vacation plans, look no further than our Youth Programs at the Onset Bay Center in Wareham. And because we want everyone to enjoy the bay, scholarships are available for qualified families.  All vacations should be this fun!  The Coalition works hard to keep the bay healthy and clean so that it’s possible for your family to be out on the bay for summertime activities.  To give you a head start, we have a lot of activities planned for young people that will make you want to stay close to home this summer.

The week-long Onset Bay Explorers program is filled with kayaking, swimming, sailing, paddling, and exploring Onset Bay. Designed for 8-13 year old participants, this full-day, week-long session offers the best of what the Onset Bay Center has to offer. The Onset Bay Explorers program allows for discovery, learning, and play in an outdoor setting. View our programs and sign up here.

The Onset Bay Center’s Beginner Sailing Program is a weekday, morning program for 8-12 year olds. It includes formal group sailing lessons aboard our fleet of Opti dinghies, RS Quests, RS Feva and Drascombe Gig. This session is designed for children with minimal or no previous sailing experience, with the goal of helping all participants become comfortable and knowledgeable while sailing. Instruction includes basic sailing skills, parts of the boat, rigging, capsize recovery, basic navigation, and knots.

Teen Sailing is a weekday afternoon program for 13-17 year olds. The program is designed to provide teenagers formal sailing instruction on our RS Quests. In addition to teaching sailing skills, the program encourages teenage participants to develop and display characteristics such as leadership, critical decision making, and responsibility through activities on and off the water. The sailing level is flexible given the participants. Prior sailing experience is not required.

Scholarships are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scholarships will cover up to two sessions in the 2022 season. All scholarship application forms are kept strictly confidential. You can view our scholarship application here.