RYA Youth Training Week (Easter)

RYA Stage 4 – on the harbour in double-hander boats

Boats: Feva or similar double-hander, own boat required or Club boats available to hire online, on a first come first served basis.

Assumed knowledge: Up to and including Stage 2

Course content: Rigging, launching and recovery, sailing techniques, capsize recovery, sailing theory

Ability after the course: Able to launch & sail a double-hander dinghy around a triangle in moderate conditions independently

RYA Sailing with Spinnakers – on the harbour in double-hander boats

Boats: Feva or similar double-hander with spinnaker, own boat required or Club boats available to hire online, on a first come first served basis.

Assumed knowledge: Up to and including Stage 3 with double hander experience

The Spinnaker Course is designed to help you easily understand the skills needed to fly a Spinnaker. We will introduce flying, launching, and recovering the spinnaker, as well as rigging and spinnaker capsize recovery.

The main aim of this course is for you to gain confidence in the third sail on a boat and understand how it can help you get to your destinations quicker. It’s a fun course, and you will gain a lot out of it.

RYA Seamanship

Boats: Double-hander, own boat required or Club boats available to hire online, on a first come first served basis.

Assumed knowledge: Up to and including Stage 3 with double hander experience

The RYA Seamanship Skills course is built to get you ready for more independent sailing. We will introduce skills to cope with the unexpected and hone your boat handling to a higher level. We will run this course in double-handed dinghies.

The main aim of this course is to increase your independence and decision-making to help you become safer on the water. We will look at your boat handling, sailing in adverse conditions, and becoming more seamanlike.
The course includes sailing without a rudder, how to anchor, coming alongside and landing in different winds

RYA Start Racing

Boats: Own boat required (Optimist or Tera) or Club boats available to hire online, on a first come first served basis.

Assumed knowledge: Up to and including Stage 3

The RYA Start Racing course is designed to get you onto the race course and join in fun social club racing. We will give you the toolkit to understand racing, how to compete, and how to develop your racing in your own time.

On our RYA Start Racing Course, you will learn all about racing in a practical setting. It’s a fun two-day course that will cover how a race is run, including starts, basic tactics, strategy, and rules.

The main aim of this course is to give you the confidence to get on the water and get involved with racing at the club. You won’t be winning overnight; as with all sports, mastery takes time, but we will give you the building blocks to start you on your journey.

Entry Requirements: Minimum Age : School Year 2 (ie for this course will be 7 before 31/8).
No previous sailing experience required.
What you will need: Your own optimist with a short dagger board for use on the Millpond. You will also need a buoyancy aid and sailing clothing including suitable footwear.

This beginners course is designed to teach youngsters who have not sailed before how to launch and recover, sail across the wind, turn around, steer, know basic parts of the boat and to understand the basic principles of sailing. We will work towards completing the RYA Stage 1 syllabus.

Entry Requirements: Minimum age School Year 2 (7 before 31/08/2025) with sailing ability to a minimum of RYA Stage 1 is required.

The course will be held on the Millpond and own boat is required (with short dagger board). Club boats are available to hire on a first come, first served basis.

This beginner/intermediate course will develop the skills needed to sail effectively and understand the basic principles needed to become a confident sailor. The focus is on developing sailing skills on all points of sail, tacking, gybing, improving boat and speed control, ropework and collision avoidance. We will work towards completing the RYA Stage 2 syllabus.

At the end of the course, successful sailors will be able to launch and sail a dinghy under supervision, both upwind and downwind, have a range of sailing skills and knowledge and be well on the way to becoming a confident and capable sailor.

Entry Requirements: Minimum age School Year 2 (7 before 31/08/2026) with sailing ability to a minimum of RYA Stage 2 is required. Please note there is a big step in expected skill between Stage 2 and Stage 3

RYA Stage 3 – on the harbour

Boats: Tera or Optimist, own boat required or Club boats available to hire online, on a first come first served basis.

Assumed knowledge: Up to and including Stage 2

Working towards Stage 3 the course covers: Rigging, launching and recovery, sailing techniques, capsize recovery, sailing theory

At the end of the course the successful sailors will be able to launch & sail a dinghy around a triangle in moderate conditions