Pentwater Junior Sailing Program
The PJ’s, officially known as the Pentwater Junior Sailing Program, is a 501 c3 instructional sailing program founded by Gene and Barb Davidson. Their dream was to start a sailing school that would provide an opportunity for all youth in the area to learn to sail. This organization serves the youth in the Pentwater community, those in surrounding areas and visitors. We also offer scholarship funding for students. Since our program was established with a 501 c3 status, all donations above the registration fee are tax deductible.
We have lessons for children from the ages eight to eighteen, and private lessons for adults. The beginners learn on one of our seven prams and the intermediates move on to the Sunfish sailboats with ride on instructors. When the student becomes proficient on the Sunfish they sail solo. We have added two Mutineer sailboats to our fleet. These boats have a main, jib and spinnaker. We plan to incorporate them into our Sunfish sailing group to allow for more advanced training. At times there will be some racing involved. We have approximately 150 children a year who partake in our sailing instruction program, and a staff consisting of one ASA (American Sailing Association) certified instructor and three assistant certified instructors.
The program is located on the beach area next to the Village launch ramp at 191 Lake Street. There is a pavilion for shade and a restroom. The beach provides a smooth launch and landing area for the new sailors. We also have a sailor scholarship program for any student that may need help with the cost. Our goal is to be sure all children have an opportunity to learn to sail. We also offer private lessons for adults and children under 8 years of age.
A special ‘Thank You’ to Charlies Marina, Mike Russell, Williams Web Consulting, and Patterson Marine for their generous support of the Junior Sailing Program!