Club Culture
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We enjoy sailing while learning and sharing knowledge.
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We’re friendly, open, welcoming, inclusive of all, and respectful of each other.
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If there is room on the boat, no member who wants to go sailing is left behind at the dock.
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We treat boats, equipment and club facilities with care – like they’re our own.
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If it really needs doing for the club, then we find a way to do it.
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We enjoy making new friends and HAVING FUN.
Club Programs
Humber Bay Sailing Club offers a variety of programs for all levels of sailors:
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Structured mentoring where new sailors can develop their skills while being coached by more experienced sailors.
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On-water clinics during the summer months and in-classroom seminars in the winter months on sail trim, spinnaker handling, anchoring, docking, navigation, boat systems, chartering and even boat buying.
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Weeknight racing to develop sail trim and boat handling skills in a friendly, yet competitive environment.
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Weekly sessions where members can participate and learn the basics of boat maintenance and repair.
New members are always welcome!
Club Membership
To register for Club Membership, please click the link below. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask either by email or phone (416-252-4272)Register for Club Membership HERE! (opens in a new tab)
Membership Discount for Basic Keelboat Students
If you are new to sailing and planning to take the Sail Canada Basic Keelboat Cruising course, the best value to maximize your sailing experience is to take advantage of the 10% discount off of the Annual Club Membership fee. This is a full year of club membership and all its benefits for $2695.50
– Available for the season in which the Basic Keelboat Cruising Course is taken.
– Full access to sailing, weekend clinics, dinner cruises and our extensive mentoring program.
For more details on the Basic Keelboat Discount, please contact education@hbsailing.com
| SAILING CLUB REGISTRATION (opens in a new tab) |
The Mentoring program formalizes your learning as you sail with experienced Club skippers to work on specific skills you wish to develop. Specific evenings and boats are set aside for mentoring sails.
In addition to mentoring, we offer a number of on-water clinics during the sailing season that focus on specific skills, such as crew overboard procedures, docking and maneuvering under power, and anchoring.
During the off-season, we have an extensive schedule of classroom seminars that help you retain and improve upon what you learned during the sailing season. Seminars are offered virtually, in-person or a hybrid of both. (See the Winter/Off Season Activities for more details)
Our goal is to develop you to as a safe sailor and Club Skipper A or Skipper B level, if that is your objective
(Link to our Skipper Development Process) (opens in a new tab)
For the 2025 Season, the Mentoring program includes:
Mentoring – Crew Development
This is a general skills development program for for new members to learn the ropes and newer skippers to take the helm in a less structured, relaxed evening From the skipper’s perspective, this is an ideal opportunity to take out new club members and just have a good time and at the same time share your experience and knowledge with others. One guest per boat is allowed on these nights. (space permitting)
Mentoring – Skipper Development
This is a skipper mentoring program focused the Skipper Checklist to assist members in a more structured environment and reviewing specific skills on the checklist. Typically, these members want to become skippers! Mentees will progress through the program as per the mentoring sheets until they have reached the level of competence required to be a Humber skipper. No guests are permitted on these nights.
(Example Skipper Skills Checklist) (opens in a new tab)
Final CheckOut to be a Qualified Club Skipper
To become a Qualified Club Skipper, you need to Pass a ‘CheckOut’ with one of our Sail Canada Instructors.
As you progress through the mentoring process, Senior Mentors will agree that you are ready for a checkout. (of course you need to agree you feel you are ready as well!!)
You will organize your own crew, from club members, and Skipper the boat with the Instructor. You will have a list of items they will check you out on and questions to answer during and after your sail for them to give a final decision on your ability to be incharge (Skipper) a boat and crew at the club.
This proof of competency is important for the satisfaction of the safety of our club members and to satisfy our Insurance company.
Note: If you are joining the club as a an experienced Skipper already (i.e. previous boat owner) the Checkout Process can be Fast Tracked with first sailing with a Senior Mentor on a mentoring night for them to then possibly recommend you for an Skipper CheckOut with an instructor.
At Humber Bay Sailing Club, in addition to casual sailing and mentoring sessions, many members want to experience destination cruising. Throughout the season we offer dinner cruises to local clubs and flotilla weekend cruises to clubs beyond the GTA such as Niagara-on-the-Lake or Whitby.
Dinner cruises depart HBSC at 1800 hours for a local club where members enjoy a few hours of dining and socializing and then return to HBSC at approximately midnight. Whether we sail or motor depends on weather and wind, but it is always in the dark so a harness and tether are mandatory.
Flotillas begin the day before departure provisioning and preparing the boat for the overnight adventure. Skippers and crews work together to ensure a departure the following day at 0900 hours. Flotillas usually return to HBSC by 1700 hours the next day to allow time to return the boat to club sailing condition.
Our Member Login Portal has a Sailing Reservations page. Reservations can be made 7 days in advance of the time slot.
Our 6 boats each have 4 timeslots a day to sign up on. 6am-9am; 9am-1:00pm; 1:30pm-5:30pm; 6:00pm- 9:00pm or Dusk (whichever is first)
Boats hold 4-5 Sailors, depending on their size.
Boats must have 1 Qualified Skipper (See Mentoring) and minimum 1 Qualified Crew (Sail Canada trained) to be able to go out for a sail.
Each members qualifications Crew, Skipper A, B or C are listed when they sign up for a boat.
Basically, IF a boat name is ‘Green’, it is available to sign up on! Click! Sign up! Go Sailing!
Note that the time slot schedule may list boats as available for specific events: Crew Training; Skipper Mentoring; Racing; Dinner Cruise
Sign up as you like!
Of course, sometimes a boat may be out of service for Maintenance and there are club rules regarding No Sailing due to current or expected poor weather conditions.
Our racing program is an active one! Whether you’re new to the sport or an experienced sailor you’ll find friendly people eager to go out for a friendly race.
We have our own racing program for our members where we race our club J24 sailboats (opens in a new tab). Depending on conditions we will either do timed races or drop some markers for a more conventional race.
We also participate in local races such as the AHMEN. AHMEN RACING is fun sailing with purpose. Seven day-long races in August, September and early October that start and finish in Humber Bay. Free to newbies and old salts. Join your friends from clubs all around and feel the fun. Racing as it ought to be! AHMEN (opens in a new tab)
Through sailing, members are meeting new people on a continual basis and finding that they often have more in common than just the love of sailing.
Throughout the summer season there are a number of social events to participate in, including our season Open House, BBQs on our deck, evening dinner cruises and weekend flotillas to nearby clubs.
We wrap up the season each year with a semi formal dinner dance and in the off season we stay in touch with organized monthly pub nights, and impromptu pub visits after our weekly Tuesday night seminars.
For those wanting to head south during the winter there is an opportunity to charter with fellow members sharing in costs, knowledge and fun.
All of our events and seminars are publicized in both our Members’ website and Newsletter.
Tuesday Evening Seminars
In person and via Zoom we have 2-3 hour Seminars on various Sailing Topics.
These are free to non-members and $30 for the General Public << Great Value.
For 2024-2025 some of our seminars included:
- Chartering Basics
- Introduction to Navigation (Parts 1 and 2)
- Introduction to Diesel Engines
- Introduction to Boat Systems
- Introduction to Boat Designs
- Maneuvering under Sail
- Maneuvering under Power
- Great Lakes Weather
- Introduction to Racing
- Risk Management
- Introduction to Sail Trim
- Introduction to PDFs and Sailors Gear
- Boating Regulations and the Law
- Introduction to Rigging
- Introduction to Electronic Navigation
Social Events
To keep in touch over the season we also have regular Pub Nights at a local pub to get together and catch up with friends.
Often, members/Friends will organize Charters together to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or where ever they might like.