Please see below for updated 2026 Class Registration.
Overview
Every year, the demand for our classes far surpasses our ability to meet it. As a result, we use a Pre-Registration period for previous students and a general lottery for those looking to join and take their first sailing classes with us.
Goals:
Prioritize previous students and allow them to complete our Learn-to-Sail curriculum.
Make general registration as transparent and fair as possible.
Key Dates
March 30 - All Courses will be published on my.sailchicago.org
April 1 - Lottery Registration Opens - Lottery Signup! - (Not accepting entries until the 1st)
April 1 - Group 1 Pre-Registration Beings (Former First Mate Students)
April 5 - Group 2 Pre-Registration Begins (Former Crew Students)
April 10 - Lottery Registration Closes
April 14 - Lottery Results Communicated
April 15 - Group 3 Registration Opens
April 16 - Group 4 Registration Opens
This will continue in 24-hour increments until all courses are filled.
May 1 - Any remaining classes are open to the general public
Pre-Registration
(Students who took classes with us in 2025)
For those who have recently taken a course with us, you will be offered the chance to register first for your remaining classes.
Group 1 - Those who have completed the First Mate course will be given the first opportunity to register for Skipper Prep classes.
Group 2 - Those who have completed the Crew course can register for the First Mate and the remaining Skipper Prep classes.
General Lottery
Click Me! For the Lottery Signup - (Not Accepting entries until the 1st)
Every year, the demand for our courses is far beyond our ability to meet it. For reference, last year we had approximately 80 Crew seats available across 20 courses. By the end of the season, there were nearly 450 people on our waiting list.
General Lottery Registration will open April 1. The lottery will stay open for 10 days and closes at 11:59:59 pm on April 10. On April 14, the lottery will be drawn and preople who signed up for the lottery will be sorted into groups of 10. You will be contacted at the e-mail you registered with and it will contain your group number and registration date.
On April 15, Group 3 (the first lottery group) will have the opportunity to register for any open classes. 24 Hours later, the next Group will be granted access to register. This will continue group by group until all classes are filled.
On May 1 - all remaining classes will be open for registration without restriction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does having a membership increase my odds in the lottery?
No. Having a membership does not increase your odds nor does having been a member in previous seasons.
Wait, I only have 24 hours to register for a class?
No. You can register any time after registration opens up for your group.
The class I wanted wasn’t available. Should I just sign up for the next one?
Please see our Class Registration and Cancellation Policy under the heading “Selecting the Appropriate Course”
I took class X last year and want to retake it. How do I fit in?
Requests to retake a course will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Similar to last season, there will be a form (to be linked once it’s created) for these requests.
I have prior experience, I want to skip Crew and take an advanced course.
If you have not taken a class with us before, you will need to go through the General Lottery or wait until classes have opened to everyone. Last season there were still a handful of seats left in the Skipper Prep classes.
I’m in Group X and none of the available classes fit my schedule!
Unfortunately, that’s the way things go sometimes. Our lottery grants the chance to Register for a course, not for the course itself.
I want to take a class with my partner!
With the way the lottery runs, we can’t guarantee you’ll be able to get into the same session.
What about Cruising Courses?
This plan only pertains to our Learn-To-Sail Curriculum (Crew, First Mate, Skipper Prep). Cruising courses will be announced and rolled out separately.