Last year we saw some great sailing from all our Juniors. Congratulations to our Most Improved Junior.
Once again, our friendly team of voluntary OYC sailing instructors, parents and members have some exciting sailing planned for our Juniors for the 2023 season. As well as the regular Thursday evenings, the three popular Fun Days are back and we’ll be organising some social sailing for sailors from both our Junior group and adult membership to practise their skills on Friday evenings.
Dates for the diary – TBC
Junior Evenings are held every Thursday from 5.30pm to 8pm, from April to July. We welcome all children aged between 8 and 18 regardless of parental membership of the OYC. For those children who are not part of a Family membership, Cadet membership is currently £33 for the year. Please contact the club Secretary, via the website under “About Us”, “Join Us” or “Contact OYC” to request membership information.
For the safety and well-being of all we will continue to monitor and follow the Covid protocols as and when needed.
Once your space has been confirmed (email ), please complete the form found within the Members area (Username = oyc, Password is the complete top line on the back of your membership card – all 6 characters). Demand for training is high so for 2023 numbers will be capped to ensure we maintain sensible Instructor : Student ratios and we’re able to continue to provide sufficient safety cover afloat. The ‘Parent & Junior briefing’ in mid April will give you the chance to meet the team and find out all you need to know about how the training sessions run as well as a host of other exciting plans.
These sessions are run by voluntary OYC members with RYA instructor qualifications, assisted by instructors working towards their RYA qualifications, parents and grandparents. The aim is to encourage sailing and seamanship by:
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- The children learning through fun, games, mini races and spending time on the water, alongside informal training.
- Gaining experience at the child’s own pace in a safe environment.
- Providing an opportunity to meet other young sailors of a similar age for fun on the water.
Our objective is to attract new Juniors to the Club who in time will continue to enjoy sailing through into adulthood.
The details:
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- At least one parent/guardian is required to stay at the Club during the event and they are encouraged to help their Junior with rigging, launch and recovery.
- Safety boat cover will be provided.
- The Club dinghies will be available to use or the Juniors are welcome to use their own dinghies during these events. (Appropriate insurance must be held if using own boats). Currently there are nine Toppers, one Hartley 15, one Wayfarer and one Byte. The Hartley 15 and the Wayfarer are used for the beginners. The Toppers can be used independently by those (experienced) Juniors who can sail a triangular course and by new / inexperienced Juniors as long as they are accompanied in the boat by a competent sailor.
- Children must come with adequate clothing to keep them warm (bear in mind it’s colder on the water), including a buoyancy aid (buoyancy aids are available to borrow from the Club). For Topper sailors – a wetsuit is required with windproof over, and either old trainers or wetsuit boots/shoes. For the Wayfarer sailors – warm comfortable layers with windproof over, and either old trainers or wetsuit boots/shoes. On colder days thermal base layers, warm hats and gloves may be required.
- Please read the following with your child and sign the “Parental Consent Form” before taking part:
Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy Statement & Procedures
We hope that the children, and any new parent members to the OYC, enjoy the sailing through these sessions and become more confident and capable enough to want to move on to try some racing and other activities at the Club or within the local area. These could include:
OYC Fun Days, (4th June, 2nd July & 2nd September)
Three dates for the diary, join us for lots of fun, games and laughter, on and in the water! Fun for all the family – mini races (including the infamous Cork race), try a Topper or take a spin in the Rib.
RHYC Junior Week, (29th August – 1st September)
This race week is hosted every year by the Royal Harwich Yacht Club during the School Summer holidays and really is a well-run and fun week with racing every day and various fun activities ashore after the racing has finished. The OYC Rib attends and this year will be supported by Paul, Teresa and some other well-known faces from the Junior Team. It is hoped that there will be an OYC Juniors team present at this event this year (including team t-shirts). In order to be able to take part, competitors must be able to sail a triangular course and recover a capsize independently, most of the time. All these aspects will be covered in the Thursday evenings training.
Club Toppers can be borrowed, with permission, and there is an entry form and fee to pay RHYC, available on their website nearer to the date (www.royalharwichyachtclub.co.uk). Speak to Paul or John at the OYC Junior evenings for further information and to express your interest.
There is also a Regatta Optimist Fleet aimed at those children new to racing and so the emphasis is on fun, games, mini races, picnics and quality time on the water with some great coaching. There is a limited number of Optimist dinghies to rent at the RHYC – this is a very popular fleet. If you are interested please let Paul know asap.