Learn to Sail

Our Yachting NZ Club Instructors are fully qualified to teach the Learn to Sail Programme:

Contact Vivienne (09 425 9401) to enquire about our next Learn to Sail Programme. The next programme will start on Sunday 14th February. Arrive 9am to rig and be ready to start at 9.30am.

Families are welcome to come, with no charge for two club days, to see if it is the sport for them. We teach sailing to children from the age of 9. A beginner Optimist ranges in price from $400 to $1000. It is best to buy a boat as soon as possible, so your child can have maximum time on the water. The boats are constantly being re-sold and we will try to help you find one. We encourage the use of Optimist dinghies in the Learn to Sail programme but understand that this may be a problem for larger children or if you already have access to another type of boat.

The training system consists of a series of tasks, to be completed to the satisfaction of the coach, for the sailors to be awarded a final certificate. Some of these tasks are undertaken on shore (such as boat rigging and safety) others are achieved on the water with patrol craft in attendance for safety. There is a lesson plan booklet included which covers the content of the training, a valuable tool for parents and young sailors.

When sailors are confident they progress to racing which is an important part of learning to sail, because to be a competent sailor you have to be able to sail in any direction, in heavy and very light conditions.

The club day runs all day on Sunday with practising in the morning, come ashore for lunch and then racing in the afternoon. Bring your lunch and picnic on the beach. When the weather is too rough to sail, we use those club days to catch up on onshore training such as knots, rules, and safety lessons.

Life jackets must be worn in all yachts by all ages. In rescue boats, children must also wear life jackets and the adults are expected to set a good example. Please bring a life jacket, a hat, sunscreen, togs, wetsuit, or a light parka that can be worn in the water, towel, lunch and drink.