Neptune Sailing - Youth Groups 2024
.jpg)
Photograph courtesy of Anthony Cullen
Free sessions available
To encourage children to try sailing, we are offering the first two sessions of our season for free. We aim to get children to try sailing first, and then decide to continue, or not, after gaining some experience. There are up to 12 spaces on each evening, with just 6 sailors needed to form a group. We have kept our fees at an affordable level to help parents.
If you are an experienced sailor, and want to train as an Assistant Instructor, you can register for this through the Tueday group. As you will be assisting the group there will be no course fee.
Tuesday group (Beginners) - group running - very limited spaces
Children will need to be at least in Year 6 (10 years of age) to join this group. The age range is likely to be in the 10 to 12 years age range, though older children are very welcome to join the group.
We will aim to cover the RYA Stages 1 & 2 syllabuses. The Stage awarded will be dependent on the skills gained over the 12 weeks of the sessions.
Initial sessions will use our Wayfarer dinghies, with an instructor aboard. This enables us to develop children’s confidence on the water, and to build the good habits needed for single-handed dinghies. We will move on to use Topper dinghies, with reduced sail sizes, as the course progresses. Children will need to be of a size which enables them to handle the dinghy, either alone, or with a partner in the early stages.
Wednesday group (Improvers) - still spaces available
Initial sessions are likely to involve Wayfarer dinghies, but the group should progress to Topper dinghies at an early stage. Some members of the group will move on to more challenging RS Zest dinghies for later sessions, dependent on their physical size and skills. These dinghies will be required to progress to Stage 4.
Fees
The fee for the 10 sessions will be £95, which may be paid in two half-season amounts. Any children joining at a later stage may be offered a reduced fee, based on the number of sessions remaining.
About the Youth Groups
Neptune Youth Group is run by volunteers with the aim of developing members' skills and improving their understanding of sailing.
Young people often join us with little or no experience of sailing and frequently stay with us for a number of years. We have two different groups, aimed at Beginner and Improver of the RYA schemes.
Those with some experience are encouraged to join the group working towards their current personal level (eg. those holding inland Stage 1/2 should join the Improver group). This enables them to adjust to the demands of sailing on tidal waters.
We actively encourage members' parents to get involved by offering parents' training sessions for those interested in sailing. Many have trained as support boat drivers.