Centreboard Division
Learn to Sail
Register Now for our Learn To Sail (LTS) Classes held at the SYC Algies Bay facilities
43 Gordon Craig Place, Algies Bay.
Enrolments for the 2025 Term 4 classes are now open. Please send your completed enrolment form or direct enquiries to office@sandspityachtclub.nz.
Courses
We offer 8 week x 3hr courses in Term 1 and Term 4 of the school year for sailors ages 9-16yrs.
Programmes we offer:
- LTS1 – ‘Start sailing’ – For beginners, teaches the basics to get you up and going.
- LTS2 – ‘Sailing fast’ – Builds on the basics increasing confidence and capabilities.
- LTS3 – ‘Go racing’ – Take your sailing to the next level with some racing.
LTS 1 classes are usually held each Sunday morning, 9am-12pm.
LTS 2 classes are usually held each Sunday afternoon 1-4pm.
LTS 3 classes are usually held each Monday afternoon 4-7pm.
We also plan to start ILCA (laser) classes and racing on a weekly basis one weekday evening this summer – details tbc. Send us an email if you’re interested (office@sandspityachtclub.nz).
2025/2026 Dates
2025 Term 4
Open Day and familiarisation – Sunday 5th October – come and meet the team, learn how to rig your dinghy and get signed off to drive the club tractor and RIBs if you’re interested in helping out.
LTS 1 & 2 – Starting Sunday 12th October to Sunday 7th December (eight weeks excluding Labour Weekend)
LTS 3 – Monday 13th October to Monday 8th December (eight weeks excluding Labour Weekend)
Race Day – 13th or 14th December – TBC
2026 Term 1
LTS 1 & 2 – Starting Sunday 25th January to Sunday 22nd March (eight weeks excluding Waitanigi Weekend)
LTS 3 – Monday 2nd February to Monday 23rd March (eight weeks excluding Auckland Anniversary Day)
Race Day – TBA
Big Boat Sailing – Sunday 29th March – a great chance for kids and parents to cruise in company on the club keelboats to Kawau
Cost
The package includes hire/use of a club sailing dinghy and 8 coaching sessions over the term by a qualified coach. Discounts apply for SYC members, bringing your own dinghy and for second and subsequent children within the same family. The club also offers free boat hire for your first term.
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Commitment
The Centreboard Division is run by volunteers, and parent participation is paramount. We need parents to help with launching sailing boats and patrol boats, retrieving them at the end of the class, washing down and putting them away. Whilst sailors are on the water we prefer that parents stay to keep an eye on the sailors from the beach or assist coaches on the water. Those running the programme are not baby-sitters, and like to feel that parents are sufficiently engaged to want to learn along-side their children. As the sailors grow in skill-set and confidence they are able to do more for themselves, less parent help is necessary so you will not have to stay for the 3hr duration. You will be able to gauge this as each week goes along.
We’re also always on the lookout for keen parents to help get involved in the running of the club.
Centreboard Sailing on Sundays
The mornings are dedicated to 3-hours tuition of the Learn to Sail (LTS 1) classes. Sailors arrive at 8.30am to get their boats and themselves ready for a prompt 9am on-the-water start. The class will usually finish by midday.
Sailors for the afternoon LTS 2 classes should arrive at 12:30pm to be ready to start at 1pm. The class will usually finish by 4pm.
After sailing, all the gear and boats are washed down and put away. Then we have a 5 minute de-brief followed by a sausage-sizzle.
We ask that sailors and parents assist with launching and retrieving the sailing boats and the RIBS/patrol boats, washing down all the boats and helping to store all gear before leaving for the day. We’ll put together a roster to help with this.
Our Boats
We encourage sailors to stay in Optis until they have outgrown them, rather than see the Bics as the next step up. Potential Bic sailors must demonstrate their skills before sailing in them for the season.
Bics are like skiffs; they require no bailing, are easy to rig; they are light and fast and a lot of fun. And the big appeal to parents of course, is that you don’t have to bring them home and store them. But! they don’t teach the fundamental skills that an Opti will. Lighter sailors can sail a Bic in light airs but simply don’t have the weight required to hike/stack out when the wind and waves get up; Hence, we use the Bics as the alternative to an Opti for novice sailors who are physically too big for an Opti; and as a stepping-stone to assist the undecided or uncommitted sailor or those not ready to commit to the purchase of a boat, so they can sail see the variance in sailing different boats and how much fun one can have.
A Note On Our Fees
Sailing is not a cheap sport, but we keep our fees at an absolute minimum in order to give as many children as possible the opportunity to join these classes.
The course fees above are for the term and cover:
- access to and use of our facilities in Algies Bay.
- contributions towards the costs of maintenance, administration and general running of the centreboard division assets.
- affiliation fees to YNZ, cost of a handbook, insurance
- coaching fees.
Members are kept regularly informed with emails/texts from the Centreboard Division and receive monthly newsletters from the main Sandspit Yacht Club encouraging the whole family to participate in activities put on by the greater club.
By keeping an eye on the fortnightly/monthly SYC newsletters, you’ll see when the SYC Sailing Division has races on and the opportunity is there to secure a spot on one of the ‘big’ boats and race regularly in the SYC Sailing Division races.
