[Introduction]
[Junior/Youth]
[Sailing]
[Racing]
[First Aid]
[Safety Boat]
[Race Officer]

Junior and Youth Training at Blithfield

Our May Day Bank Holiday course starts the training season, providing training to all levels in the RYA Young Sailor Scheme from start sailing (level 1) to racing red and white badge groups. Our objective is to introduce our young sailors to the enjoyment of sailing and lead them on, when they are ready, and if they want to, to racing skills. This is followed by half day junior training sessions, which are not formal training courses but allow the young sailors to practice their skills under supervision. They may be able to get some parts of their RYA scheme logbooks signed off at these sessions.

Specific junior training sessions are set aside for new starters to ensure that on these occasions they have the supervision they need.

All our junior training is available in the first instance to children of our members as demand is such that we can only rarely find space for non members. In all cases an adult who must act in loco parentis on behalf of the child must accompany young sailors throughout the session. This is because the sessions operate on a self help basis, there is always something to do, no matter what skills you possess and instructors or helpers do not supervise children when they are not taking part in an activity. Also this is necessary to comply with the requirements of the “Activity Centres (Young Persons’ Safety) Act 1995”.

Children do not need to be swimmers but they must be confident in the water. We start children at age six but at this age parents must be prepared to accept that they may only be on the water for relatively short periods of time or, in poor weather, not at all. We do want all our sailors to enjoy their experience with us and not be frightened by it!