Youth Sailing
Sailing is a brilliant sport for children and teenagers, starting with fun, developing skills and with no limits for ambitious young sailors. Why not aim for the Team GBR Olympics Squad or become an Instructor and sailing leader.
Our motto: "be safe, have fun, make friends, learn!".
We welcome young members from age 8. All our youth sailing activities - Tasters training,
courses, sailing for fun are run to the international standards and guidelines of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and under the watchful eye of an RYA qualified Senior Instructor. Welsh Harp Sailing Club is an RYA Recognised Training Centre.
Dinghy Sailing
With a focus on building confidence and learning skills in a fun and sociable environment, we offer both regular weekly training sessions as well as RYA courses during the school holidays.
All sessions are run by RYA qualified instructors and overseen by a Senior Instructor with RYA qualified safety boat cover. The club has a great range of youth boats to try out - Oppies, Teras, Toppers, Picos and Fevas - and your instructor will suggest a suitable boat and help you rig it at the start of sessions. Regular attendance can be signed off by the instructors for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
Junior Weekly training
Our weekly training sessions are on Thursday evenings (from 6.30pm) and Saturday mornings (from 9.30am) and open to ages 8-16. As we are a volunteer-run club, parents or guardians are responsible for their children at all times and one of them must be present when their child/ren are at the Club.
If your child/ren would like to experience sailing to see what they think of it, one of our Thursday evening taster sessions is perfect for them. Open to non-members, they will get out on the water under the supervision of an RYA qualified instructor and start to get a feel of what sailing is about. You can book up to two sessions at a cost of £10 each, then if they join the club membership, we will refund you the cost of the two sessions.
Thursday evening Junior non-member tasters sessions run from May to the end of June. You can book their place here.
Junior members can attend our weekly Thursday night sessions. Led by RYA qualified instructors, these relaxed sessions are all about building confidence in sailing basics in a fun environment through games, self exploration and teaching.
Thursday evening Junior member sessions sessions run from mid- April to the start of September. You can book their place here
Saturday Juniors AM
Weekly training sessions 9:30 to 12:00 - 4 sessions. See our booking system for pricing here.
Beginners Group
is aimed at those who are new to sailing. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn the basics of sailing whilst having lots of fun on the water. We are running weekly sessions aimed at the complete beginner. Breaking up the essentials into weekly sessions allows the student to experience different wind conditions. At the end of the 4 sessions students will have developed a clear understanding of the basics required to sail and be encouraged to join the improvers session. Saturday members only. You can book their place here.
Improvers Group
on Saturday morning training offers more advanced sessions for those members who want to commit to a weekly group. Our improver group offers junior members the chance to improve their sailing skill in a safe and fun environment. The qualified instructors will run a combination of development sessions and a weekly junior race to improve your confidence and sailing skills. We ask you to commit to 4 sessions in a block to allow for weekly development. Saturday members only. You can book their place here.
Saturday Juniors PM
Weekly training sessions 13:30 to 16:30 (Lucy Daniels SI) - See our booking system for pricing here.
Youth Race Coaching is for working towards regional Championships and places should be offered to members who are interested in those events first.
These sessions are designed for junior improvers interested in double and single hander & racing, committed to developing and improving their sailing skills (6 participants max).
Start Date 6th of May- 10th June (6 weeks in total)
Saturday members only. You can book their place here.
Junior Holiday Courses
Junior Holiday courses are back for 2023. We offer a selection of courses over Easter, May half term and the summer holidays. We are offering members a priority booking window before releasing them to non members. Easter courses will go on general sale on 6 March, May half term courses on 3 April and Summer Holiday courses on 1 May. The dates are:
Easter Holidays - Mon 13 to Fri 14 April - RYA Stage 1 & 2
May Half term - Mon 29 May to Fri 2 June - RYA Stage 1 & 2 or 3 & 4
Summer Holidays -
Members can book all courses now using the links above and their log-in details.
For Non-Members the link will take you to the booking page for available courses from the dates indicated above.
Windsurfing
The Windsurfing Training and Taster sessions are open to Juniors aged from 16 years who can windsurf with a parent/guardian.
As a Club run by volunteers we are, unfortunately, unable to meet the high ratio of instructors needed to teach Windsurfing to Juniors under the age of 16 years. However, attendance of Juniors under 16 years with windsurfing experience will be considered at the discretion of a Senior Instructor and they must have a Windsurfing parent or guardian with them at all times and themselves be able to windsurf already. To discuss this further please email windsurfing@welshharpsailingclub.org
Our friends at Phoenix Canoe and Outdoor Centre further along the Welsh Harp offer excellent introductions to sailing and water sports. Then you can then come and join the club and take part in our windsurfing programme.