The Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization, has been offering scholarships for the club’s Junior Sailing and Tennis program for the last 10 years.

The focus of the sailing program is to encourage sailors to be comfortable with the basics of sailing a small boat and promote continued interest in those who have had prior sailing experience. The curriculum was developed and modeled according to the US Sailing Program guidelines. A strong emphasis is placed on sportsmanship as well as learning how to sail and have fun on the water. There is an excellent racing component to the program for those that enjoy competitive racing. There are also new two-week programs; one dedicated to keel boat instruction and another that will involve designing and building a remote operated sailboat. The sailing program is available to youngsters ages 8 to 17.

The tennis program also offers scholarship assistance. The purpose is to have fun on the court, get basic tennis instruction, build hand and eye coordination skills, and learn the fundamentals of the game. For the 6-to-17-year-old, there are three tennis groups – junior beginners, masters’ beginners and masters’ advanced. There are also intra-club matches for those that enjoy competition.

In addition to the summer scholarships, the foundation also supports the BHYC spring and fall high school sailing team, and purchases necessary boats and equipment for both programs.

The Junior Program Foundation is supported by the generous donations of club members and members of the public.

Scholarship applications are available on the club’s website, www.bhyc.net