You might titter at being told to “swab the poop deck”, but sailing is a great
activity for children to do solo, or with all the family. If you’ve never
set foot on a boat before, you can get a feel for it through dinghy sailing,
which will teach you the basics.
While many sailing clubs require membership, the following all offer an
opportunity to try it out first – some offer taster days, others four to
five-day courses.
And don’t worry about splashing out on the safety equipment such as
lifejackets, all these venues either provide it along with the lesson or
hire it out for a nominal fee.
Some places featured allow toddlers to get a taste of the sea from parents’
laps, but this sport is best suited to those aged 8 and older.
ISLE OF DOGS, LONDON
Although sailing past skyscrapers and office blocks might not be everyone’s
idea of the perfect sailing location, you can’t grumble about the Docklands
Sailing and Watersports Centre’s low prices: you’ll pay less than a bus fare
for an hour-long session for the children. On Wednesday evenings, from July
24, it offers twilight sailing sessions from 6pm, for adults, where for £20
a head you can help yourself to the barbecue and listen to live music. There
is one rule: “no colliding”.
Where Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, 225 Westferry Road,
Millwall Dock
Suitable for 8 years plus
Costs One-hour sessions start at £1.50 for Tower Hamlets residents; £2
for out of borough students.
Contact 020-7537 2626; www.dswc.org
LISKEARD, CORNWALL
If you’ve always thought it would be “a glorious thing to be a pirate king”,
head to Cornwall; Gilbert and Sullivan waxed lyrical about the seafaring
folk of Penzance (unfortunately the Penzance Sailing Club is members only),
but at the Siblyback Watersports Centre, just north of Liskeard, you can dip
your toes in with a two-hour taster session in a dinghy.
Where Siblyback Lake, Common Moor,
Suitable for 8+
Costs Taster sessions cost £28 per person for a two-hour session.
Contact 01579 346522
WHITSTABLE, KENT
Give yourself a nod of green satisfaction as you float past the vast wind
farms in the Thames estuary, knowing that your sport is not polluting the
water. Established by Commodore Ian Wild in 1996, Whitstable sailing school
provides each student with a dinghy and instructor. Taster courses are three
hours, but there are two-day courses that can get you to do all the sailing
manoeuvres, such as gybing and tacking, in the blink of an eye.
Where Whitstable Yacht Club, Seawall
Suitable for The club’s youngest sailors are 8 and there are special
youth weeks, July 23-27 July and August 13-17
Costs Taster lessons cost roughly £50 per person, depending on the type
of vessel you choose. Weekend sessions start at £145.
Contact Melanie Rodgers 01227 272942; www.wyc.org.uk
WINSCAR RESERVOIR, SOUTH YORKSHIRE
Situated on the edge of Windscar reservoir in landlocked Barnsley, the Pennine
Sailing Club has exclusive use of the reservoir that extends over 120 acres.
The lake gets a good steady breeze that will fill your sails.
The club often holds free taster days, which are on its website, and has a
good choice of dinghies to learn to sail in, including Optimists for smaller
children. If you can’t find a taster day that suits, the club a session for
you and your family.
Casting off: find your sea legs in an Optimist dinghy
Where Pennine Sailing Club, Winscar Reservoir
Suitable for Children as young as 6
Costs Free taster lessons; if you decide to take the sport farther,
lessons cost £3, with £105 annual membership
Contact Membership secretary David Craik on 01484 689665; www.pennine-sc.co.uk
ABERSOCH, NORTH WALES
This family-run sailing school offers a 30-minute dinghy “Joy Rides” for the
wee ones (4 and up) and dinghy lessons paced for older children, too.
Parents can sign up for hour-long piloting classes that cover topics such as
launching boats, coming ashore and the unfortunately necessary capsize
procedure.
Where Abersoch Sailing School, Main Beach
Suitable for Age 4 and up
Costs Kids’ Joy Rides cost £20 each, children’s and adults’ lessons
cost £40 for an hour. All lessons must be paid in advance
Contact Mike or Lynne Maylor on 01758 712963 or 07917 525540; www.abersochsailingschool.com
CASTLE DOUGLAS, SCOTLAND
On the edge of a man-made loch – once a scar in the landscape, carved by a
hydroelectric scheme – the Galloway Sailing Centre offers lessons beside a
protected nature reserve where you can glimpse endangered species of red
squirrels and red deer as you sail by. Once you have mastered the basics of
sailing in the classroom, you can choose from 11 types of sailboat including
the “Challenger”, which is designed specifically for the disabled, to
practise what you have just learnt. Dinghy sailing is offered as part of a
half-day package where you can also choose from a range of aquatic
activities and add onshore activities such as wall climbing and mountain
biking.
Where Galloway Sailing Centre, Loch Ken
Suitable for Everyone, as there are plenty of onshore “dry” activities
as well
Costs Half-day package courses, which include dinghy sailing,
windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing and a multi-activity combo, cost £42 for
adults, £34 for children. There is a special discount of £25 per person in
groups of four or more
Contact 01644 420626; www.lochken.co.uk
MAIDENHEAD, BERKSHIRE
Situated near Windsor, Bray Lake offers nononsense dinghy sailing instruction.
It’s ideal for families with older children as group lessons of up to six
are restricted to those aged 15 and over. There is a fleet of specially
designed dinghies that are easy for those aged 8+ to handle. A five-day
Royal Yachting Association course is on offer that uses games and challenges
to teach safety and skills to younger seafarers.
Where Bray Lake Watersports, Monkey Island Lane, Windsor Road
Suitable for 8+ Costs £85 per person for a four-hour taster
course; £40 for one-hour private lessons. Five-and-a-half day children’s
course, £130
Contact 01628 638860; www.braylake.com
BISHAM, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
The wind in your hair, the open waters; it’s not hard to understand why some
sea folk find it a near-religious experience. Bisham Abbey Sailing and
Navigation School, named after the abbey that used to stand near where the
sports centre is based, is for the saintly sailor. One of the club’s
instructors is Tom Sowerby, who won the Royal Yacht Association Inland
Waterways instructor of the year for 2007.
Where Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, just after Temple Lane
Suitable for 8+
Costs £175 per person for a one-day course; £310 for a four-day course
Contact 01628 474960; www.bishamabbeysailing.co.uk
CHAPEL, SOUTHAMPTON
Southampton’s historic marina is a haven for aquatic sports. First, try a
starter dinghy sailing class, when you team up one-on-one with an
instructor, then move on to classes in first aid, navigation theory and even
sea survival.
Where Southampton Water Activities Centre, Floating Bridge Road
Suitable for 6+; children must be able to swim 50m (54 yards)
Costs Taster courses cost £25 for adults; £15 for children
Contact 023-8091 5753; www.swac.co.uk
All the centres are approved by the Royal Yacht Association, www.rya.org.uk
Plymouth Sound is one of the best sailing areas in Britain. Hosting events like the Artemis Transat and home to the likes of Conrad Humphries, Plymouth has an active yacht racing scene with yachts like Bare Knuckles the Plymouth based Prima 38, Apollo the J133, Waterjet the A35 making up the fleet.
Nigel Mashembo, Plymouth, UK
Sailing is a great way to stay active and enjoy the great outdoors, very sociable and a sport for all ages.
<a href=http://www.sailracer.co.uk>www.sailracer.co.uk</a> is a great site for those interested in the racing side, with the world's largest searchable database of results and other useful sailing resources.
Simon Lovesey, southampton,
How about reviewing the NATIONAL SAILING ACADEMY?!!!! Weymouth and Portland is overlooked by you for EVERY list item...be it 'best for sand' 'best for children' etc.....yet there is a resident sand sculptor here year round who is high in the in ternational league! Even the BBC sent reporters down for a quality of sand competition! You have also overlooked this area when pricing best beach homes!! Yet is common knowledge that it is in the top 3 best investments for beachside!
Dee HIlliard, Weymouth, Dorset