FOR THE KIDS / SAILING : Little Salts : Children as young as 5 can learn to tell their jib from their spinnaker in ‘peewee’ classes at Marina Park.

If you think kids as young as 5 years old are too little to learn how to sail, don’t tell Leo Robbins.

Robbins, who founded the city of Ventura’s sailing program 20 years ago, says children are some of his best pupils.

“They learn faster,” said Robbins, 72. “They’re fearless.”

Robbins is so impressed with the ability of children to learn the ropes that he is running a pilot “peewee” program next month for children 5 to 8 years old.

They’ll meet at the dock at Marina Park in Ventura, where all the city classes are held. There, they’ll learn the different parts of the boat and sail. Robbins will teach them the ins and outs of tying knots and how to rig the boats.

They won’t sail alone, though. They’ll be in a boat with an instructor. And they’ll wear city-supplied life jackets.

Classes will start in mid-July (the date hasn’t been finalized) and will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. for three weeks. Cost is $35.

Robbins and his crew of nine part-time instructors have taught more than 5,000 kids and adults how to sail during the last two decades. The program, run by the Department of Parks and Recreation with assistance from the nonprofit organization Sail Ventura, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an open house Sunday at the Marina Park dock from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Robbins will be there to give free sailboat rides, answer questions about the various sailing classes for kids and adults, and show off the city’s sailing fleet.

He knows from experience that very young children can grasp the fundamentals of sailing. He was once urged to teach a 6-year-old boy whose family insisted he was old enough to sail and avidly interested in the sport.

Although Robbins was teaching kids older than 8 at the time, he took on the 6-year-old, who soon showed talent. The boy, Kevin Hall, grew up to become a world-champion racer in the Laser class.

His other star students include Garrett Baum and Jeff Thorpe, who participated in the Olympic trials in May but failed to make the team.

Robbins, originally from Newport Beach, has been sailing since he was 12. He worked for Southern California Gas Co. for 25 years before taking an early retirement.

He has owned and raced boats in the past, but teaching and helping the city get its sailing program going now takes up most of his time.

“When we started in 1972, the city bought five eight-foot sailboats,” Robbins said. Known as Sabots, the little boats are good for beginners because they have only one sail and can be handled easily by one person.

Then the city bought a 14-foot Omega sloop with a mainsail and a jib. Since 1986, Sail Ventura has been helping the city by donating sailboats.

Now more than half of the city’s fleet has been donated. The lineup includes 10 Sabots, eight Omegas, one 16-foot Newport sloop, two new 27-foot Soling racing sloops and one 26-foot Pearson cruising sloop.

Beginners start out in the Sabots and sail by themselves close to docks during the first lesson. Before they go out, they learn how to tie knots and rig the sailboats. Each class has 10 to 12 students.

“People are surprised they can sail and bring it into the dock,” Robbins said.

Of course, it isn’t always smooth sailing. Students make all kinds of mistakes, like bumping into rocks.

“About 10% of each class capsizes,” Robbins said.

And if the water is too rough, Robbins doesn’t let them out in the boats.

Eventually, the beginners learn to follow the leader or they navigate around buoys. During the final lesson, they sail to the Ventura harbor.

Youngsters 9 to 14 years old can participate in a weeklong clinic for beginning sailors, July 27 to 31. Classes are 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $60.

Another set of beginner classes for anyone 12 and older runs for six weeks on Saturdays or Sundays, beginning the weekend of July 11 and 12. Classes are 2 1/2 hours long and cost $75.

Once sailors 15 and older have taken beginning sailing, they can go on to the intermediate level. In classes of five students, they sail one of the larger boats out into the ocean. They learn how to pick up a person overboard, how to do racing starts and how to operate the spinnaker sail.

These classes run 2 1/2 hours on six consecutive Saturdays beginning July 11. Cost is $95. For the same price, students 15 and older can take an intermediate racing class on Saturdays for six weeks.

After an intermediate class, they can go on to more challenging sailing. A three-hour advanced class for those 15 and older will be offered on Sundays beginning July 12 for $115. They learn navigation--how to use a compass, take bearings, plot a chart and lay out a course.

Robbins also teaches students 16 and older how to sail to the islands during a one-day cruise to Santa Cruz Island. In an evening setting, Robbins teaches a navigation class.

* WHERE AND WHEN

The Ventura Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting an open house with Sail Ventura on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Marina Park dock in Ventura. For more information, call 658-4735.