START EM YOUNG

[Luke]

I'm keen to get my 6 and 8 year olds beyond thinking my yacht is a floating caravan and into sailing. Can anyone can recommend a good dinghy sailing school that takes them that young - either the South Coast or London area?

Thanks

 

[Guest]

look on the rya site or for your closest pool with a sailing club.

 

[steve_cronin]

Tow a Topper (backwards)

There is an RYA school at Rockley Sands - top of Poole Harbour which uses Optimists called "Rockley Point Sailing School" if my memory serves me well.

Otherwise get a topper dinghy which tows backwards suberbly causing negligible drag & carry the spars lashed to a shroud. It's great fun for yourself also around the anchorages (& nipping ashore in Newtown for a paper/pint!

Ours served well but as the boys are both now at university and our current boat is in Greece the Topper has become redundant. don't suppose you'd like to buy one?

Steve CRonin

 

[Guest]

May be a little out of your way, but try the Island Cruising Club at Salcombe - http://www.icc-salcombe.co.uk/iccmain.html - which teaches people of all ages, according to its website.

I went dinghy sailing in Wayfarers there a few years ago and found it pretty good. They do residential stuff where you stay abord an ex-Mersey ferry called Egremont, moored in the estuary, roughly equivalent to a youth hostel in accommodation, although you do get shared rooms rather than dormitories as far as I can recall. You can also just take the day option.



"El manana es nuestro, companero..."

 

[PhilipStapleton]

A thousand years ago I had my first dinghy experience with PGL - and they're still going strong!!

http://www.pgl.co.uk/online/

They take kids from 6 for adventure-type holidays and that could be a better starting point than a club as they'd get tuition (and a lot of fun)

 

[Luke]

Thanks for this. Poole is more convenient than Salcombe - but I'll try them both.

Luke

 

[Guest]

I had a friend who was a sailing instructor with PGL - from what I can remember of what he told me, they probably would be ideal for residential stuff for youngsters.

"El manana es nuestro, companero..."