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Posted:
1:15 p.m. December 18, 2021
The Royal Torbay Yacht Club has developed a program that helps make the fantastic sport of sailing an inclusive option, no matter where you are from.
Steve Huish is Director of Training at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club. He wanted to focus on ensuring that no one was left out of the fun of sailing the club’s junior section, Squadron 13, which caters to children ages 8-18 and has 50% female participation among members and instructors.
After watching the kids climb the ranks with the help of boat clubs, he thought he expected too much of parents to suggest they buy an expensive rubber dinghy to allow 15-17 year olds to advance in the races. from prominent clubs, potentially, to sailing in national events.
Instead, he proposed a small budget of £ 500 which could in many cases be achievable without putting too much strain on family resources, thus allowing those without sufficient financial means to use the boats of the club and without putting too much pressure on the children.
Steve said: “It didn’t take long to think of a boat at this price point that ticked all the boxes; lots of spare parts, easy to store, easy to assemble, a huge audience, extremely competitive, not to mention the Olympic races! A Laser!
“Get a £ 500 laser and the kids go racing. Interestingly, what we have noticed is that they race competitively against some really good club runners and despite their cheaper options they beat them – who would have thought ?!
“You don’t have to spend more than £ 5,000 and buy a shiny new boat to get on the water. We are inclusive – old or young, experienced or newcomer, we can all have cheap fun on the water.
If you want to know more about the Royal Torbay Yacht Club or if you want to involve the whole family in sailing and boating on the most beautiful waters of the South West, visit the club website https://rtyc.org/ or call 01803 292006 (office open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekdays).
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