There’s one thing the Irish sailing instructors spending the summer at the Beverly Yacht Club don’t have to worry about: their students getting too cold.

In Ireland, “we have hypothermia we have to look out for,” said Rachel Hodgins, one of three Irish college students spending the summer in Marion. “The kids can jump in whenever.”

Along with Amy MacWilliam and Ryan Sinnott, the three are the first Irish instructors to work in the BYC’s summer program for kids.

“When I got appointed sailing director, we were short on staff,” said Kate Hill of the BYC.

Her mother once ran Nantucket Community Sailing’s program and had employed Irish instructors through the J1 visa program, which allows for cultural and educational exchanges.

The three Dublin-based students, who have competed with and against each other through their university teams, applied for the job and arrived in early June.

All three have years of experience in sailing and in instructing the sport.

A University College Dublin student from County Tipperary, Hodgins began sailing on a lake near her home when she was 8 and started racing a few years later. As a teenager she became a junior instructor and has competed along the way.

MacWilliam, a student in Dublin Institute of Technology, said her dad taught her how to sail when she was 7, and she stuck with it, racing “on and off in big boats and little boats.”

Her fellow teammate Sinnott also started young with a sailing course before he was even 10 years old.

“I really liked it and ended up going back,” he said. “I got my granddad to help me buy a boat. From there, I just got into racing and stayed on racing.”

All three have worked as instructors before and are excited to spend the summer sailing in Marion.

A month in, Hill said they’re good with their young students.

“The kids love them,” she said.

Hodgins said some things are different about teaching in the States.

“The kids want to get out on the water here,” she said, rather than spending time inside learning about sailing with a chalkboard in a classroom. “Of course, in Ireland sometimes it’s cold and wet and they’d prefer to be at the board.”

The club members have also taken to the three, especially when it comes to the evening races.

“All of the members want them to crew on their boats. They’re in high demand,” she said.

Of course, the Irish instructors, who are staying with local families, also plan to travel. In September, they will be finished at the BYC and want to see the country.

Until then, they’re making a positive mark on the club. Everyone from the kids to the kitchen staff is learning a little something, and also getting a taste of Irish culture, literally.

When MacWilliam first ordered a “toastie” she said, “They all burst out laughing.”

Now, toasties, aka grilled cheese sandwiches, have taken their place on the menu (at least verbally) and, as a matter of fact, so have the Irish instructors.