From anywhere on California’s 840-mile coast, there’s usually one thing visible on the horizon when staring out at the Pacific Ocean: the triangular silhouettes of sailboats.

An Olympic sport that most have heard of but far fewer have actually tried, sailing is something kids as young as 6 can do. Just a bit of coaching, and they can be ready to compete in local youth regattas, or an organized series of races. Competitive sailing then expands to a national level, with regattas of higher importance — and bigger, shinier trophies — drawing sailors and yacht clubs from all over the country throughout the year.

However, in order to actually sail, students need to have a boat, whether it be bought for several thousand, or rented for just a little less. On top of that, with sailing being such a strategic and tactical sport, if one wants to really compete and understand the rules, they need access to coaching, which is another few thousand dollars. Evidently, no aspect of this sport is particularly cheap.

The structure of competitive youth sailing is similar to that of Formula 1 racing, but instead of individual drivers racing under brands like Ferrari and Mercedes, kids compete under the flag of the yacht club they sail for.

In sports like baseball, basketball or soccer, a player’s athleticism and raw traits can often be enough for them to dominate. But in sailing, every sailor navigates the same race course in the same kind of boat. The differences in skill come from a combination of tactics and boat handling, as opposed to physical gifts. This is why training and practice is so important.

Also like Formula 1, the same clubs often consistently produce sailors who place at the top of national regattas. Clubs in California and Florida, like the San Francisco Yacht Club and Coral Reef Yacht Club, consistently train the most award-winning sailors.

In the 2022 U.S. Optimist National Championship, the biggest national Optimist regatta in the country, of the sailors finishing in the top five, one hailed from California and two were from Florida. Of the top 30, seven were from California and 10 were from Florida. This is pretty standard every year, but why exactly is that the case?

Abby Featherstone, youth sailing director at the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, just north of the city across the Golden Gate Bridge, says it’s the warm weather that plays a huge role in the disparities by state.

“I mean, it's a little cold in San Francisco, but it's not snowing,” she said. “In New England and the Midwest, they don't necessarily have the weather that's conducive for sailing all year round. California we do. You might need a wetsuit for a few months, but it’s manageable.”

Compare coastal California and Florida’s average winter Fahrenheit temperatures — nothing approaching 32 degrees — to those of the rest of the country, and it starts to make sense. Sailors in these two states get to practice throughout the entire year.

The wealth factor

But it isn’t just warmer weather that goes into the formation of these youth sailing hotspots. Sailing is an expensive sport to get into, and there is a wealth factor that goes into who the best youth sailors are, and who's even able to sail at all.

Yacht clubs, particularly the well-funded ones, tend to be located in higher-income areas, naturally making the sport more accessible to families that live there. The top-performing yacht clubs (in terms of youth sailing) are consistently found in areas made up of almost exclusively white-collar workers. Some examples include Belvedere, Calif., where white-collar workers make up 99.39% of the working population; Marina Del Rey, Calif. (97.8%); and South Beach, Fla. (93.94%).

The boat recognized worldwide as the best class for young newcomers is the Optimist. Roughly eight feet long with a width of three feet, eight inches, this dinghy is sailed in some 113 different countries in the world. Its small sail area and simplified controls make it a great boat to learn on for those small enough to effectively sail it. Kids generally grow and age out of Optimists by the time they’re 15, and move up to larger dinghies.

The body, or “hull” of an Optimist is frequently compared to a bathtub. But despite its small size, the price of a brand new hull is usually over $4,000. Pre-owned is less expensive, but usually costs more than $2,000.

As for coaching, San Francisco Yacht Club charges a yearly fee of $6,300 for nonmembers of the yacht club, and $4,700 for members to join the Optimist race team and have access to weekly practices — that’s pretty standard pricing for the sport.

Even the entry fee for regattas is often $500-$1,000. Usually families in wealthier areas who live near a yacht club are the only ones who can consistently afford these costs.

Year over year, clubs including the California Yacht Club, Del Rey Yacht Club, and SFYC produce the best Optimist sailors. In Florida, it includes Lauderdale Yacht Club, Coral Reef Yacht Club, and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The common thread with these clubs is that they’re all located in areas with higher incomes — all are at least four times the national average.

(Data courtesy of Point2 Homes)

Breaking the barriers

Youth sailing is an expensive sport to get into, which makes it unattainable for many kids who could benefit from the lessons it has to offer, even in non-competitive environments.

“That first class that we attended, I was doubting myself because they gave me this long list of things that you needed,” said Alex Arguello, a mother from Menlo Park, Calif. who signed her son up for sailing during the pandemic. “Like you need a life jacket, you need a splash guard, you need the pants, you need the shoes, you need the helmet…. that's like a splurge for us, you know?”

Winston Bumpus is the treasurer for the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation, a nonprofit organization in the Bay Area, which teaches sailing to kids regardless of ability to pay. Bumpus, who works 20-30 hours per week, free of charge, believes sailing is a sport all kids can benefit from.

“It's so multifaceted,” he said. “It's about building good humans. It's about teamwork. It's about self-reliance.”

Bumpus is in charge of PYSF’s scholarship fund, which is in place to help cover some or all of the costs of youth sailing for families unable to afford the program’s fees.

“[Sailing] is such a great sport in so many ways, it’s just that cost is a big deal,” he said. “We understand that it’s tough times out there.”

There’s an online Google form for families to fill out to apply for scholarships. The form goes into questions about financial situation and other relevant details. Bumpus and others review the applications before deciding whether to award the scholarship.

“I would say 99.99%, we award them,” he said.

According to Bumpus, PYSF’s entire budget comes from private donations and class fees, which cover coaching, boats, sails and any other equipment needed. In other words, they aren’t exactly swimming in cash. But regardless, they award most scholarships so kids who want to sail are able to.

“We're just trying to move forward and support as many kids as we can,” he said. “That’s why we do it.”

Arguello is among the parents who have been helped by PYSF’s scholarship program. She signed her son up for sailing during the pandemic — something she says she never would have even considered had it not been for the scholarship.

“I went on their website to check it out and I saw that they have scholarships,” she said. “And I thought, you know what? Why not? It’s outside, it’s on the water, he’s gonna learn something new.”

She says the sport has benefitted her son Ethan in more ways than she can even describe.

“It gave him a new identity,” she said. “It gave him material to write about. He rose through the ranks of [boy scouts] because he knew how to tie knots. Last summer he invited two of his friends to join one of the camps, and he was just teaching them all about the boats and sailing, like he was a captain.”

“It’s built [me] up so much,” said Ethan. “I trust myself when I have to take leadership…. It’s just so fun to be out on the water, and just to be in control of your environment.”

Living in the Bay Area, the Arguellos are constantly surrounded by privilege, but it’s programs like PYSF, Alexandra says, that help to even the opportunities.

“What they did to share that scholarship with us…. I’m so grateful to them,” she said.