Youth beginners' courses
The certificates within our Youth Sailing Scheme are a significant achievement. Instructors sign off each skill as you complete it and, once completed, your certificate can be of use in other areas of your study or activities such as PE at school, or the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
The RYA runs a programme called Onboard, which enables children to start sailing and windsurfing through their school's PE activities.
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- Youth beginners' courses
Youth beginners' courses
The Youth Scheme is usually completed in small dinghies suitable for your size. However, it can also be completed in keelboats and multihulls.
To make the most of our courses, ensure you are confident with the skills of one course before moving on to the next course. Most courses are a minimum of two days long (or an equivalent number of short sessions). They may be run over a longer period, especially if you haven't sailed since your last course. Sailing is a sport which gets better with practice, and you should try to sail between courses whenever you can. Practice makes perfect!
See our online brochure by clicking here.
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Stage 1
A basic understanding of how a boat sailing, with some experience of steering and handling the boat |
Stage 2
A range of sailing skills and knowledge to help in becoming a confident sailor |
Stage 3
Rigging, launching and sailing in any direction. Equivalent to Level 2 in the National Sailing Scheme |
Stage 4
Sail a double handed boat as crew or helm, and solve a variety of problems afloat. (optional if Stage 3 was taken in a double hander |
| Assumed knowledge |
None |
Stage 1, unless you are doing a combined Stage 1 and 2 course. Basic knowledge and steering ability |
Up to and including the Stage 2 course |
Up to and including Stage 3 |
| Minimum duration |
2 days |
2 days |
2 days |
2 days |
| Minimum age |
None, but training centres often take children from the age of 8 |
None, but training centres often take children from the age of 8 |
None, but training centres often take children from the age of 8 |
None, but training centres often take children from the age of 8 |
| Course content |
Launching and recovery, steering, parts of the boat, basic sailing |
Basic sailing skills, ropework, collision avoidance |
Rigging, launching and recovery, sailing techniques, capsize recovery, sailing theory |
Rigging, launching and recovery, sailing techniques and manoeuvres in crewed boats, recovering a man overboard |
| Ability after course |
Able to steer and understand basic principles |
Able to tack and control boat speed, and understand basic principles |
Able to launch and sail a dinghy around a triangle in moderate conditions |
Can launch and return to a beach, jetty or mooring, and sail a crewed dinghy around a triangle in moderate conditions |