Juniors
Our active Junior section provides a wide range of sailing opportunities for juniors at all levels, from our youngest sailors venturing out for the first time on the millpond, through to aspiring national racers. Our intention is for our juniors to enjoy the fun and challenge of sailing, make friends, and enjoy our beautiful harbour. Older juniors help encourage the younger sailors using the skills they have gained at the Club, led by our Junior Captains.
The Junior programme is structured around the following main activities;
- Training events: A programme of RYA courses and winter coaching
- Children's sailing events: Events to build confidence and have fun, including our famous COW week every summer
- ESC Junior racing events: racing events through the year at the club for our juniors
- Club racing: many of the Club racing events are suitable for and welcome younger participants and novice racers
Training
The Club offers a comprehensive junior training programme, covering the full range of RYA courses. Training uses the RYA syllabus with Club-appointed RYA-qualified instructors. Juniors start on the millpond (Martlets) and work their way up to sailing in the harbour, combining formal training with practice time on the water, fun with their friends, race coaching and club racing. Juniors can progress to becoming RYA dinghy instructors themselves.
Providing every opportunity to enjoy time on the water is at the heart of our junior sailing at ESC.
COW week
The aim of Children on Water (COW) week is to bring our junior sailors of all ages together to consolidate sailing skills and boost confidence, whilst having fun on the water and exploring the harbour. Older juniors, using the skills that they have gained at the Club, help to encourage the younger sailors. It is a week which we hope will be enjoyed by all juniors and their parents, whilst enhancing our juniors' sailing skills and building friendships. Parents are expected to be present and to provide shore and patrol boat cover (PB2 qualification required) during the week. COW week is hugely popular and is therefore only open to ESC members.
Time on the Tide
A series of events over the course of the year, aimed at those juniors who are at least Stage 3 competent, who want to improve their skills and have fun on the water, but who are not ready for, or interested in, racing.
In addition to the programmed events, we may also hold an annual down-harbour trip to East Head, a watersports day and a swimming regatta - please keep an eye on the Weekly Roundup and online programme.
Junior racing
All juniors are welcome to join Club races subject to individual race rules. There are different series of racing to suit all abilities for those with RYA Youth Stage 2 onwards, introducing juniors to racing in the harbour around fixed marks and laid inflatable marks. There will be experienced support for these events, but parents are also expected to volunteer for shore and patrol boat cover.
The Will Acres Trophy is aimed at juniors wanting to get more racing experience. The series will feature several short back-to-back races. Racing will start from a committee boat, and race around inflatable laid marks. There will be fleet starts, though the Race Officer may vary this depending on numbers. The aim is to improve racing and handling skills over short courses.
The Club has an annual Junior Regatta run alternately by ESC and ESSC, as well as Junior Race Week along with three Junior Championship weeks during the season.
Relevant Club racing events
Our older and more experienced juniors participate in the full range of Club races. In addition, a number of the Club racing series are particularly appropriate to and welcoming of junior participation:
Short Harbour - these races are run on the same day as the main Club races, on a much shorter course that is closer to the Club. A great opportunity for developing juniors to start getting an experience of racing.
Blois Johnson - these Club races are held on summer evenings and as theye tend to be shorter than the normal Club races, they can be more suitable for juniors.
The Aldora Vase - this Emsworth Cup has had many guises over the decades, and is currently run as short racing in front of the Club around inflatable marks, designed as an introduction to racing.
The Coronation Cup and Coronation Mug - these races are open to families racing in the same boat.
The Emsworth Oyster - the only qualification for this race is that the total age of the crew in the boat must exceed 100 years!
Our Junior events are all included on the online programme and can be filtered by junior events.
If you would like any advice on what might be the best activities for your child, or if you would like advice on how to get started, please be in touch.
The Junior programme at ESC is run entirely by our Junior Working Group, made up of parents of children at the Club. We always welcome more help in organising and running our programme of events, including manning patrol boats: all help is greatly welcome.
Event updates are provided on the Weekly Roundup.
British Sailing Pathway Club
Emsworth Sailing Club is also proud to have been recognised as a British Sailing Pathway Club, a testament to our commitment to supporting young sailors and their racing endeavours. Created by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the British Youth and Junior Sailing Pathway is a foundation for success for aspiring sailors. The Pathway Club programme underpins the Pathway's "Racing for Life" initiative, aiming to make racing fun, develop strong sailing fundamentals, and foster a lifelong love of the sport.
It's a nationwide initiative aimed at identifying and developing clubs across the UK to become centres of excellence for junior racing, offering affordable, high-quality sailing and coaching close to home for junior racers. More information and to see RYA Pathway resources please click here
Downloads
