Junior Sailing at SYC
SYC’s Junior Section is a thriving part of the Club for all, whether a complete beginner or a keen racer competing at national level. With a focus on fun and friendship, the long-standing Junior Section continues to go from strength to strength.
As an RYA-accredited OnBoard club, SYC is also an RYA Accredited Training Centre and runs highly successful Friday training sessions through the summer for Juniors from age 8.
2021 saw the first annual four-day Junior regatta, and programme of Winter Race Training, both of which had fleets for experienced competitive racers as well as coached fleets for those newer to racing. Juniors regularly race in the Sunday club races.
The Club’s Friday evening Junior training sessions are led by qualified Instructors, Senior Instructors and RYA Level 2 Race Coaches, all of whom are parents and Club member volunteers, and there are regularly between 50 and 100 young sailors on the water on a Friday evening. In 2021, even through Covid, there were 50 Juniors sailing every Friday, with well-structured sessions all working within Covid guidelines.
As well as structured training sessions, Friday evenings include Topper mast-climbing, BBQs several times a year, and lots of fun both on and off the water.
SYC Junior sailors have gone on to compete at national and international level, with previous Juniors competing in the Athens Olympics, winning the Topper Nationals, and competing at Zone and National level.
But the Junior nights aren't just about success or getting you somewhere. Junior nights are about having fun, meeting new people, and making new friends doing one of the greatest sports ever invented. Juniors caters for all, whether complete beginners wanting to learn in a club Oppie, keen racers who are competing at National level, or sailors who just enjoy being on the water with their friends. It is a fun, sociable part of the Club for children and parents alike, as well as developing a lifelong love of being on the water….