sailing camp week eight

This was the last week of the camp and by far the hottest. The group this week wasn't as in to sailing as some of the previous groups so a couple times we broke off into two groups so those that could go sailing could which worked out well. We got in some good matches of capture the flag and base tag at gasworks parks. Thanks for Amanda and Colin for helping out throughout the week. Enjoy the pictures and video!

This has been the best year of sailing camp yet. The exciting thing about working here is that every year camp keeps on getting better and grows in size. Thank you everyone for coming and making this a great summer for Ian and I. Hope to see you all next year. Stay in touch and let me know what you are up to. My email is kielj@lclark.edu

Week Seven

Week seven was a week of sun and wind. Amanda helped out this week so we had three counselors which I think everyone benefited from. At the beginning of the summer I was always worried because at the end of the day it looked like we were running out of things to do, this week however we always were running out of time. Monday we successfully made it to The Center For Wooden Boats and were able to sail around Lake Union. And on Thursday we made it to Madison Beach, although we barely made it back as it was upwind sailing for most of the return trip. Everyone did a great job and was a pleasure to have at camp. At the start of the week I felt like we were a very scattered bunch of kids but by the end we had become a connected group. Thanks everyone for making the week so much fun. Enjoy the pictures and movie.

Week Six

What a fun week! For week six we had all high schools which created a great dynamic and I felt like by the end we were a great group. I felt like I could trust anyone in that group which is really great to have. Everyone was a pleasure and very enjoyable to have at camp. The Blue Angels were flying this week which made things extra exciting. Monday we spent the day sailing around Lake Union. Tuesday the weather was rainy so we spent the morning indoors but got to go sailing in the afternoon. On wednesday we got a chance to tour the University Bridge. The whole summer we always go under this bridge and it is interesting getting to meet the people who are in charge of it. On Thursday we went to the Arboretum and got to check out MOHI. I got water on the digital camera but by the end of the day it had dried off. Friday we had our treasure hunt and went to Agua Verde. The afternoon was without a doubt the strongest and gustiest wind we have had this summer. Thank you everyone for making this week one of the highlights of the summer for both Ian and I.

Week Five!

Week five turned out to be one of the most interesting but fun weeks of the summer. It started out a little awkwardly with just Zach and Ian and I on monday morning but thankfully Philip and on tuesday Anselm joined us. It was pretty cloudy most of the week but this meant we had some great wind and were able to get in some of the best sailing of the summer. Regretfully we also forgot the camera and ran out of batteries on some of our most exciting adventures which was to bad but we were still able to get some great shots in. On monday we sailed all the way to the Center for Wooden Boats which was a first for the camp. We got to check out their newly remodeled park and facility. They even had a little pond where you could race model wooden sail boats. Sailing in Lake Union is very amazing because there is the seattle sky line and also some of the best wind in the city which comes off the sound, however you just have to be careful because of all the sea planes landing and taking off which at times seemed pretty constant. The highlight of the week for me would definitely be when Zach and I took the lasers out and just sailed around Lake Union for the afternoon. We had around 8-10 knot wind and had to hike out for most of it. We got to bug the ride the duck people and they always loved taking pictures of us. We also got some good racing in. By the end my arm was pretty sore from having to hold the main sheet for so long against so much wind. At the beginning of the week we were a little worried that camp would suffer from not having enough kids but it turned out to be a great week and we were able to split up and do what everyone wanted to do which I think made the camp better for everyone. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did. Enjoy the movie and pictures and hope to see you all soon.

Week Four

The end of week four means that camp is half way over. It is always sad to say good-bye after spending a week with a group of kids. You just grow used to seeing the same people every morning. Ian and I have been fortunate enough that Andrew decided to join us for three weeks (a camp record!). But the end of this week marks the last time he will be at camp. He will be missed.

The big highlight for both Ian and I from this week was the trip to the harbor patrol. Usually a visit to the harbor patrol just means getting a tour of the police station but this year they took us all out in one of their patrol boats and we got to use their huge water cannon. There are lots of pictures from the tour included this week and looking at them all I think I may have gone a little overboard in taking photos.

This week we had some good weather earlier in the week however on Wednesday the mornings started getting a little muggy, but they always turned sunny by lunch time. We had some exciting sailboat races this week and everyone got into playing "laser ball" a sailing game where we play tag with a tennis ball.

This entire summer I have been impressed with everyone's sailing skills. I think a lot of it has to do with having returning students in the class and that we have been fortunate enough to have some good wind which has allowed us to do more sailing. Everyone has shown some good sailing and people seem to really be improving by the end of the week.

The boat building race at the end of the week also was exciting. With a three way tie going into the final round between Sydney, Hank, and Sophie. However Hank and his very cool milk carton boat pulled ahead at the end. Thanks everyone for coming. This week I made the photo slideshow a little smaller so hopefully it will be easier to load. Let me know if you have any problems.

Week Three!

Both Ian and I agreed that while every week of camp is fun this week was the most fun. The weather could not have been more perfect and both of us as counselors found our "groove" it was also great to have such an enthusiastic bunch of kids who were excited about going sailing. It was a pleasure waking up each morning to do camp. Everyone improved at sailing and I would trust all the campers to take me out sailing now. On Monday we started by sailing over to Lake Union. Usually Ian and I are both in a sailboat during the first day but since we had so many experienced sailors I used the motor boat while the Ian went out in an Fj and we were also able to bring along another Fj and a Laser. Lake Union is the most beautiful place to sail and it really makes you think about how lucky we are to live in Seattle, expect all the boat traffic. On Tuesday we Kayaked over to the Aurboretum for some great games of capture the flag, Ian ran into a bush and cut his face leaving a nasty piraty gash for the rest of the week. On Wednesday we had some great wind so we decided to sail over to Madison Beach, besides trouble towing all the boats with my 8 horsepower engine everything went great. Madison Beach days are the most stressful for me because it is a long way and we have to go through all the boat traffic in Garbage Bay. I only wish that we had left earlier so we could have spent some more time at Madison Beach. Wes got crazy for ice cream and we all had to help in providing an intervention. On the sail back he hit the ice cream blues big time. We were about 30 minutes late which I am still very sorry for. Towing back always takes longer then expected even though we left Madison Beach at 1:00. On Thursday we went over to gasworks park and played some base tag. Also I added a new rule that whenever we saw a ride the duck car we had to stick out our tongues at them everyone also went up to the lonely man selling snacks at gasworks and told him a joke to lighten up his day. On Friday we finished the Goonies, which is the perfect movie for camp I decided, and then went on our treasure hunt. After that we raced our model boat and then sailed over to Agua Verde which was pretty crowded but I ran into an old high school friend which was nice. Overall I could not have asked for a better week and I thank everyone for coming. Be sure to check out the video because some of the shots are pretty amazing.

Week Two

Week two was a shorter week because of The Fourth of July but we still managed to do plenty of fun stuff. We had some returning campers and it was great to see them again. Thursday we had thunder and lightening which made for a very realistic treasure hunt. Afterwards we were forced to take shelter because of the weather and watched probably the worst movie I have ever seen, The Cat in the Hat. Later it clear up and we managed to sail over to Agua Verde once the weather cleared up which we all agreed was a much better place to eat than Ivars. On Wednesday we should have sailed up to Madison Beach but I didn't think the wind would last so we went kayaking to the Arboretum. This trip turned out to be a little long but we all had a great time playing capture the flag. It was nice not to be competing with the Seattle Yacht Club for space this week and besides all the motor boat traffic were able to get in some good sailing. Hope everyone had a great 4th and if you were lucky got to spend it on the water somewhere. 

slideshow of week 2 pictures

video from second week

First week of camp

Our first week of camp has just ended. In the two years of doing this camp this week was one of the most pleasant and enjoyable to be a part of. The reason for this was the great group of kids we had who were excited to be at camp. We got some great sailing in and by the end of the week everyone was a much better sailor than when we started. Some of my highlights from the first week were: getting to sail in the FJ's, capture the flag at the Arboretum, being mobbed by ducks during lunch, talking about Dave Matthews, watching sea planes take off at Gasworks Park, pushing people around in shopping carts, easy sailing, sunny skies, seeing hawks fishing, Carter in the spinning thing at Madison Beach, singing, walking around the Montlake Community Center dressed as pirates and almost being refused entrance because of our outfits. I'm sure there are lots of memories I'm missing and I'd like to hear from any of the campers about what things they liked. Here are the videos and pictures from last week.

slideshow of week one pictures

carter and fiona get dizzy video
collection of camp videos

Welcome to the new Queen City Junior Boating webpage!

On here you will find pictures and registration information.

Once camp starts I'll be making weekly summaries of the week with pictures and videos of the week.


Registration has begun and there are still spots available for every week but they won't last for long.