Six OnBoard for Saturday sailing (From Dorset Echo)
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Six OnBoard for Saturday sailing
8:38am Friday 10th February 2012 in Afloat News By Laura Kitching
SUPER SIX: Braving the big freeze at the SailLaser sessions
SIX hardy youngsters braved icy conditions to get out on the water for their first OnBoard session of the year.
The group of children, from across Dorset, gathered at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy.
After a classroom session with SailLaser sailing school they got out in dinghies in Portland Harbour.
Instructor Jack Baker said: “We had six children from the local area taking part in our first OnBoard morning session.
“It was very cold, we did some interesting stuff in the classroom and then got out on the water to play a game of ‘follow-my-leader.’ “It was a refresher for the guys who will be back again this weekend.
“We’re holding the OnBoard club on Saturdays for the next seven weeks then we’ll move to Tuesday evenings as the evenings get lighter.”
He added: “OnBoard is just about having fun with your mates, splashing around in the water.
“As the OnBoard members progress they’ll get the chance to move up into our Race club.”
SailLaser is holding its first session of the year for disabled youngsters tomorrow.
The Aiming Higher disability sailing morning will be taking place between 10am and noon, and 1pm and 3pm. There are still places available for youngsters aged eight and upwards.
SailLaser is also gearing up to host its Sail for £5 sessions, with the help of charity funding. The scheme, which enables schoolchildren to sail for a fiver, has already given 900 youngsters a taste of the sport over the past few years.
It will begin again on May 1 and after letters went out to every school, sessions are filling up fast.
SailLaser spokesman Kerry Knight said: “Sail for £5 has been very successful this year and I have taken bookings for nearly every date.
“We have been funded to sail around 1,000 local children this spring.
“Our funding this year has come from the sailing academy courtesy of John Tweed.
“In the past we have been funded by The Chesil Trust.”
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