High School Sailing Teams in New Jersey …Who Knew

Long before football stadium lights, marching bands, and Friday night rivalries, a quieter competition was taking shape along New Jersey’s bays, rivers, and coastlines. Students were racing sailboats.

Today, high school sailing is an established part of the athletic landscape for a growing number of New Jersey schools. Teams from Monmouth County to Ocean County compete in organized regattas, travel to championships, and race nimble two-person dinghies like the Flying Junior, known as the FJ, and the Club 420, or C420. Yet unlike football fields or baseball diamonds, high school sailing in New Jersey did not begin with schools building facilities or buying fleets of boats. Its roots grew from yacht clubs, volunteer coaches, determined parents, and students who wanted to keep racing under their school colors.

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ALL-TIME STATE CHAMPIONS: 2009 – Rumson-Fair Haven; 2010 – Rumson-Fair Haven; 2011 – Toms River South; 2012 – Toms River South; 2013 – Red Bank Regional; 2014 – Rumson-Fair Haven; 2015 – Christian Brothers Academy; 2016 – Christian Brothers Academy; 2017 – Ranney School; 2018 – Ranney School; 2019 – Rumson-Fair Haven; 2020 – No Regatta; 2021 – Toms River North; 2022 – Southern Regional; 2023 – Donovan Catholic; 2024 – Christian Brothers Academy; 2025 – Christian Brothers Academy; 2026 – Christian Brothers Academy

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The story of scholastic sailing in America reaches back nearly a century. Organized interscholastic sailing began nationally in 1930 with the formation of what would become the Interscholastic Sailing Association. Elite prep schools in New England helped pioneer the concept, proving that competitive sailing could be structured much like any other school sport. But in New Jersey, the path was different.

For decades, most young New Jersey sailors learned their craft not through schools, but through junior programs at yacht clubs and community sailing organizations. Places like Toms River Yacht Club, Monmouth Boat Club, and other shore-based programs trained generations of young sailors who often moved directly into college sailing without ever representing a high school team.

By the late 1990s, High School Sailing Started Growing

A handful of pioneering schools started experimenting with organized sailing teams. Among the earliest and most influential was Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft. The school established a sailing club around 2000, at a time when New Jersey reportedly had fewer than a dozen organized high school programs. CBA quickly developed into a competitive force, qualifying for national competition and helping demonstrate that high school sailing could thrive in New Jersey.

Another early leader emerged in Ocean County. Monsignor Donovan High School, today known as Donovan Catholic, built one of the state’s strongest early programs. By the mid-2000s, the Toms River school was already capturing state titles and helping to shape the identity of competitive scholastic sailing in New Jersey.

These early programs shared a common formula. Students often arrived with sailing experience gained through summer yacht club programs. Parents and volunteer coaches organized teams. Schools offered club recognition and, in some cases, varsity status. Boats were borrowed, shared, or supplied through partnerships with host yacht clubs and sailing centers. In many ways, New Jersey high school sailing was built not from the top down, but from the docks up.

The movement gained greater structure with the formation of the New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association (NJISA), formally organized in 2010 as part of the Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Association (MASSA). The league provided a statewide framework for regattas, rankings, championships, and qualification pathways to regional and national competition.

Today, New Jersey high school sailors race in tactical, fast-paced contests that demand teamwork, strategy, and split-second decision-making. Most teams compete in double-handed boats such as the FJ and C420. The races may lack roaring crowds or packed bleachers, but on the starting line, the intensity is every bit as real.

Who was truly first? The answer is not entirely settled. Christian Brothers Academy and Donovan Catholic stand among the strongest candidates for New Jersey’s earliest modern high school sailing pioneers. Yet the deeper history may stretch further back, hidden in yacht club archives, school yearbooks, and forgotten regatta results waiting to be rediscovered.

Like so much of New Jersey history, the story of high school sailing was shaped by geography, community, and a willingness to build something new, not on a playing field, but on the water.

Famous New Jersey High School Sailors

High school sailing has helped launch some remarkable careers, producing sailors who would go on to compete in the Olympics, the America’s Cup, and at the highest levels of the sport. New Jersey’s own Gary Jobson stands as perhaps the best-known example.

A graduate of Toms River High School, Jobson rose from the state’s growing scholastic and Barnegat Bay sailing scene to become an America’s Cup winner aboard Ted Turner’s Courageous, a longtime NBC Olympic commentator, former President of US Sailing, and one of the most recognizable voices in American sailing.

Another New Jersey connection is Carl Van Duyne of The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, whose sailing journey carried him from scholastic competition to Princeton University and ultimately the 1968 Olympic Games.

Beyond New Jersey, high school sailing pathways have also helped shape champions such as Olympic medalists Jonathan and Charlie McKee from the Pacific Northwest and world champion Augie Diaz from Florida. Their stories reflect the unique power of scholastic sailing, where teenagers learn not only how to race boats, but how to lead crews, make split-second tactical decisions, and build the skills that can carry them to the very pinnacle of international sailing competition.

MLH’s Hometown Sailing Team – The RHS Ridge Red Devils

Ridge High School’s sailing program is one of New Jersey’s newer scholastic sailing success stories. Ridge High School’s sailing program took shape in 2022 through the efforts of Basking Ridge resident Dr. Philip Leopold and his son Matthew, then a Ridge student and competitive sailor. Seeking to create new opportunities for student athletes, the father and son worked to establish a scholastic sailing team at the inland Somerset County school. Their proposal won approval from the Bernards Township Board of Education in April 2022, formally launching Ridge sailing as one of New Jersey’s newest high school programs.

Unlike shore-based programs with nearby marinas and sailing culture, Ridge had to build its team from the ground up. The school partnered with the historic Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, where students practice and compete on the waters of Raritan Bay and the Arthur Kill. The program joined the New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association as a varsity sport, racing the same FJ and C420 boats used throughout scholastic sailing.

Then came a potential turning point. As Ridge’s roster grew, so did the challenges of running a young sailing program that depended on shared boats at Raritan Yacht Club. In early 2025, a grandparent of a Ridge sailor stepped forward with an unusually generous offer: a donation of sailboats, sails, rudders, and dollies that could give the team access to its own equipment. For a program only a few years old, the gift represented far more than gear. It offered the possibility of greater independence, more time on the water, and an important next step in Ridge’s evolution from startup team to established program.

Today, Ridge has grown into a thriving coed program welcoming both beginners and experienced racers. The team competes in fall and spring seasons, travels regularly to New Jersey regattas, and has expanded from a startup effort into a roster of more than 20 sailors. In 2025, the program explored acquiring its own boats to support its continued growth and reduce reliance on shared club fleets.

Ridge’s story reflects the modern model of New Jersey high school sailing: community-driven, club-supported, and proving that students do not need to attend a coastal school to race competitively under their school colors. For the 2026 season, Ridge High School’s sailing team is coached by Gary and Ann Myer, with James McCarthy and Jack Schlenker serving as team captains.

High School Sailing Seasons

“Unlike football, baseball, or basketball, high school sailing does not fit neatly into a single athletic season. In New Jersey, scholastic sailors often compete twice a year, with a fall campaign running from September into October and a spring season stretching from March through May. The spring calendar typically carries the highest stakes, culminating in state, regional, and even national championship opportunities. Between seasons, sailors rarely sit idle. Winter clinics, rules sessions, and off-season training keep teams preparing for the next start line.”

Season	Timeframe	What Happens
Fall Season	Early September to late October / early November	Fall regattas, league racing, invitationals, fleet development
Winter	November to February	Off-season, clinics, rules training, fitness, indoor strategy sessions
Spring Season	March to late May / early June	Main championship season, state qualifiers, district, and national qualification events
Summer	June to August	Junior sailing programs, yacht club racing, clinics, training camps

High school sailing is unusual because it is generally a 2 season sport. In New Jersey and most of the country, the high school sailing calendar runs in both the fall and spring, unlike traditional school sports, which play only 1 season.

The spring season is generally considered the “big” championship season in New Jersey scholastic sailing. The calendar often begins with March “Icebreaker” regattas, weekly Wednesday series racing, spring invitationals, girls’ championships, fleet championships, state championships, and then district and national events through May and early June.

The fall season is shorter and tends to focus on league racing, team development, and invitational regattas. Many schools treat fall as both a competitive season and a training ground for newer sailors before the heavier championship push in spring.

Can High School Sailing Help with College Recruiting?
Absolutely

While scholastic sailing does not attract the massive recruiting spotlight of football or basketball, it can play an important role for students interested in sailing at the collegiate level. Strong performances in high school regattas, regional championships, and national events help sailors build resumes, gain visibility, and demonstrate competitive experience to college coaches.

That said, college sailing recruiting often looks beyond just a school team. Coaches typically evaluate a sailor’s entire body of experience, including high school sailing, yacht club racing, junior programs, national regattas, and class competition in boats such as the C420, ILCA, 29er, or Opti.

In New Jersey, many successful college recruits come from a combination of high school teams and strong junior sailing backgrounds. For students hoping to sail in college, high school sailing can provide valuable racing experience, leadership opportunities, and exposure, while also serving as a pathway to collegiate programs at schools such as Georgetown University, Tufts University, Boston College, Roger Williams University, and the United States Naval Academy.

Team Costs and Travel

Unlike many sports, high school sailing usually does not require students to own a boat. Most New Jersey teams race in boats supplied by host yacht clubs, sailing centers, or regatta organizers using a shared fleet system.

Typical participation costs in New Jersey can range from about $150 to $1,000+ per season, depending on the program. Expenses may include team dues, league fees, coaching, uniforms, and personal gear such as life jackets, sailing gloves, waterproof clothing, and boots. Traveling with heavy or highly competitive teams can be more expensive.

Getting to practice is also different from traditional school sports. Since few schools have waterfront facilities, students usually travel to a host venue such as a yacht club or sailing center. Transportation often relies on parent carpools, volunteer coaches, school vans, or occasional buses. For New Jersey high school sailors, getting to the water is simply part of the sport.

New Jersey High School Sailboat Classes

The Flying Junior, or FJ, was introduced in 1956 as a training boat for the Olympic Flying Dutchman class, while the Club 420, or C420, emerged in North America during the 1970s as a rugged adaptation of the International 420, originally designed in 1959. These 2 boats became the standard for high school and college sailing because they offered the right combination of durability, affordability, and competitive performance. Schools needed boats that could withstand heavy use, frequent boat swapping, and sailors of varying skill levels.

The FJ is lighter and simpler, emphasizing tactics, teamwork, and boat handling without a spinnaker or trapeze, making it ideal for scholastic racing. The C420 is slightly larger and more forgiving, while still teaching advanced double-handed sailing skills. Today, both boats are sailed widely in high school and collegiate leagues across the United States, including New Jersey, as well as at yacht clubs, junior programs, and youth championship regattas.

Category	C420 (Club 420)	FJ (Flying Junior)
Builder	Zim Sailing (USA)	Zim Sailing (USA)
Designer	Spencer/Hunt Associates	Uffa Fox
Length	13 ft 10 in (4.22 m)	13 ft 2 in (4.04 m)
Beam	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Hull Weight	~230 lb	~200 lb
Crew	2 sailors	2 sailors
Sail Area	~110 sq ft main + jib	~100 sq ft main + jib
Spinnaker	Yes (symmetrical)	No
Trapeze	Optional / commonly used in some racing	No
Hull Material	Fiberglass	Fiberglass
New Boat Cost	~$12,500 to $14,500	~$11,000 to $13,500
Used Boat Cost	~$2,500 to $7,500	~$1,500 to $6,000
Race Ready Used	~$5,000 to $10,000	~$3,500 to $8,000
New Sails (Main + Jib)	~$1,200 to $2,000	~$1,000 to $1,800
Spinnaker Cost	~$400 to $700	Not applicable
Trailer / Dolly	~$1,000 to $3,000	~$1,000 to $3,000
Annual Maintenance	~$300 to $1,500	~$300 to $1,200
Typical 10 Boat Fleet Cost	~$125,000+	~$110,000+

New Jersey High School Sailing Programs

Unlike traditional school sports that compete on campus, New Jersey high school sailing programs depend on host yacht clubs that serve as their home waters, practice facilities, and regatta bases. These clubs provide access to boats, docks, launching areas, coaching support, and race management, making scholastic sailing possible for inland and shore-based schools alike.

The New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association League (NJISA) consists of 18 high school teams from New Jersey.

MID-ATLANTIC INTERSCHOLASTIC SAILING ASSOCIATION (MASSA)

While NJISA events are held at a variety of venues across the state, 3 yacht clubs stand out as the primary home clubs for many programs: Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club in Oceanport, and Toms River Yacht Club in Toms River. Raritan Yacht Club supports several North and Central Jersey teams on Raritan Bay, offering shared fleets and training facilities for schools without nearby sailing infrastructure.

Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club serves as a key Monmouth County hub, is the home base for Trinity Hall, hosts scholastic regattas, and maintains on-site FJ fleets. (SSYC) Toms River Yacht Club anchors much of New Jersey’s shore-based scholastic sailing scene, with multiple high school teams using its sailing center for practices, weekly competition, and major NJISA and MASSA regattas throughout the season. (Toms River Yacht Club) Together, these clubs form the backbone of New Jersey high school sailing, connecting schools to the water and creating the infrastructure that allows the sport to thrive statewide.

School/Mascot	Town	Host Club / Facility	County
Academy of Saint Elizabeth Panthers	Convent Station, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Morris
Chatham High School Cougars	Chatham, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Morris
Christian Brothers Academy Colts	Lincroft, NJ	Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club, Oceanport, NJ	Monmouth
Delbarton School Green Wave	Morristown, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Morris
Donovan Catholic High School Griffins	Toms River, NJ	Toms River Yacht Club, Toms River, NJ	Ocean
Ocean City High School Red Raiders (Burgee Simulated)	Ocean City, NJ	Ocean City Yacht Club, Ocean City, NJ	Cape May
Point Pleasant Beach High School Garnet Gulls	Point Pleasant Beach, NJ	Toms River Yacht Club / BBYRA, Toms River, NJ	Ocean
Ranney School Panthers	Tinton Falls, NJ	Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club, Oceanport, NJ	Monmouth
Ridge High School Red Devils	Basking Ridge, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Somerset
Rumson-Fair Haven Sailing Bulldogs (Burgee Simulated)	Rumson, NJ	Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club, Oceanport, NJ	Monmouth
Seton Hall Preparatory School Pirates	West Orange, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Essex
Southern Regional High School Rams	Manahawkin, NJ	Barnegat Bay Sailing Network / Toms River region facilities	Ocean
Summit High School Hilltoppers	Summit, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club / NJISA Perth Amboy facilities	Union
The Pingry School Big Blue	Basking Ridge, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Somerset
Toms River North	Toms River, NJ	Membership Pending	Ocean
Toms River South Indians	Toms River, NJ	Toms River Yacht Club, Toms River, NJ	Ocean
Trinity Hall Monarchs	Tinton Falls, NJ	Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club, Oceanport, NJ	Monmouth
Westfield High School Blue Devils	Westfield, NJ	Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ	Union

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About the Author

Brooks Betz, the author, grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, sailing first in the Pocono Mountains, then competing at Hunterdon Sailing Club in Clinton, NJ, and at the Shore Acres Yacht Club on Kettle Creek and Barnegat Bay. His parents were in the business, and we were members of the Lake Naomi Sailing Club, Hunterdon Sailing Club, Shore Acres Yacht Club, and the New York Yacht Club. A New Jersey Sunfish Class champion, Brooks was also heavily involved in competitive windsurfing across the United States and, as a researcher, has written about some of his experiences for the Mr. Local History Project. He’s a big fan of New Jersey sailing.

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