The fourth step to becoming a confident young sailor. A two-day sailing course for kids 8+, taught by our highly-qualified instructors in the beautiful surroundings of New Quay bay.
We run this course to suit the sailors, so please get in touch to organise dates. Minimum 2 kids required to run the course.
Build your confidence and develop the theoretical and practical skills needed to sail in different directions in moderate conditions.
More detail:
Successful students can now progress to adult RYA courses: seamanship, spinnakers etc. and in this course should achieve the following:
- Can rig, launch and recover in any wind direction
- Can set up a boat according to weather conditions using sail and rig controls, mast rake and reefing
- Can tie, figure of eight, round turn and two half hitches, reef knot, bowline, clove hitch, rolling hitch, sheet bend
- Communicate effectively as helm and crew
- Effective use of the 5 essentials by helm and crew afloat including use of tell-tales
- Recovering a man overboard
- Returning to a beach, jetty or mooring safely in any wind direction
- Has knowledge of
- IRPCS
- Beaufort Scale
- Synoptic charts
- Tidal ebb and flow
- Spring and neap tides
- Knows how to recover from total inversion
- Can apply practical sailing techniques and manoeuvres on tidal waters.
- Can apply the IRPCS afloat
- Has basic knowledge of IALA buoyage, how to use tide tables and how to find the direction of tidal streams
The boats we use will depend on the conditions on the dates; you can see our dinghy fleet here.
We have wetsuits you can hire for £5. You’ll also need to bring lunch or buy it nearby. Bring a towel and swimsuit, and wetsuit boots/old trainers. We provide buoyancy aids.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How old do I need to be?
Minimum age 8.
- What is the upper age limit?
If you aren’t sure about the upper age limit, it’s about 14, but depends on maturity and size! You can give us a call to suss it out.
- Will you teach levels and stages in the same group?
We cannot teach Levels and Stages in the same group, as they have different syllabi.
- Do I need to be a good swimmer?
You need a basic level of water confidence.
- Can I use my own boat?
Please note we use our own boats and cannot use yours (but can advise!)
- What happens if there are no suitable dates for me?
If there are no dates that suit you, please contact us.
- How large is the group in each session?
We can take a max of six students to one instructor.
- Is there a minimum number of people for the course to run?
Minimum two students for the course to run.
- Are activities at a set time every day?
We may have to adjust preferred timings to allow for the tide.
- Do the parents have to stick around to watch the kids?
Kids will be under our authority except for lunch hour, so parents can enjoy most of the day off!
- Where to stay, park, eat etc?
Please see our main FAQs page for information on Where to stay, park, eat etc.