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Sailing
Whitlingham Outdoor Education Centre is an RYA accredited centre. RYA-The Royal Yachting Association is the national governing body for all sailing activities. All our sailing activities are run under the guidance of RYA qualified Instructors.
Whitlingham OEC offers a number of opportunities to take part in sailing together with the following nationally recognised RYA training.
RYA Youth Sailing Scheme - for all young people, beginner to advanced, aged up to 16.
RYA National Sailing Scheme - for all people aged 16+ from beginner to advanced.
Whether it's your first time afloat on one of our introductory sessions or you are progressing through the national schemes, we have something for everyone.
Sailing is also included as part of some Multi-Activity courses. For details of Sail coaching courses, please see the Coaching Courses page.
Beginners = complete novice, no previous experience required.
Improvers = RYA YSS Stage 2 assumes RYA YSS Stage 1 ability or equivalent experience; able to rig, launch, come alongside, reef, sail with purpose and recover with assistance and RYA YSS Stage 3 assumes RYA YSS Stage 2 together with able to recover unaided and supported by personal sailing experience.
RYA Youth Sailing Scheme (Age 8 - 16)
The Youth Sailing Scheme has been revised and updated to mirror that of the adult (National) scheme
The scheme is a comprehensive introduction and progression through all aspects of the sport of sailing specifically for young people aged up to 16. The scheme now consists of four stages:
Start Sailing Stages 1-3
The aim of these awards is to provide an introduction to the sport of dinghy sailing in three easy steps. When you have completed all three stages, you will be safety conscious and be able to sail a dinghy confidently in light winds.
Stage 4
Stage 4 Develops skills in double handed boats and includes crewing and helming. Completion of Stage 4 is taken as an entry point for the Advanced Modules of the National Scheme.
The new scheme is also designed so that the syllabus for each level, including Advanced Modules can be covered in 2 full days or the equivalent in shorter sessions. However whether the skills covered in the later stages can be developed sufficiently within this time will depend on the students progression and practice between courses.
NB: Advanced Awards are coaching awards rather than teaching awards. They assume candidates will have the competence to sail independently, based on holding appropriate RYA stages and additional sailing experience. Although there are no guarantees of the award being achieved, the courses are structured to work towards the advanced stages. As the level of courses becomes more advanced, and whilst tuition is geared towards successful achievement of the award, it must be recognised that students will need to have independent experience between courses to be fully prepared to work towards and achieve higher awards.
RYA National Sailing Scheme - Aimed at people 16+
The RYA National Sailing Scheme has been developed to help you get the most from your sport, whatever your level of ability. Like any activity, greater enjoyment of sailing comes from greater competence. Good tuition and sound advice mean that you will learn quickly and enjoy the sport more.
The scheme was revised and updated in 2002 to provide a simple, versatile and easy to understand learning framework for small boat sailing in all its forms. Having completed a level 2 course you can then decide where you wish to pursue the sport and take the next step that suits you.
RYA Start Sailing - L1 - getting afloat
RYA Basic Skills - L2 - the foundations of the course
RYA Seamanship Skills - sail independently
RYA Day Sailing - go cruising
RYA Sailing with Spinnakers - kites course
RYA Start Racing - go club racing
RYA Performance Sailing - get coached and sail better and faster!
Beginners Courses - complete novice, no previous experience required.
Improvers Courses - Assumes RYA L2 ability or equivalent experience; able to rig, launch, come alongside, reef, sail with purpose and recover unaided.
