Birmingham Schools Regatta – Youngsters get onboard

by RYA on 15 Jul 2015 Hollywood Primary School from South Birmingham won the overall Primary School Shield as Edgbaston Reservoir hosted its annual RYA OnBoard Birmingham Schools Sailing Association Regatta.

Fifteen youngsters, all aged 12 and under, making up four teams from three local primary and secondary school groups competed in a series of fun beginner or improver races having learned to sail through OnBoard at the city centre based Edgbaston Watersports.

Racing in Optimist dinghies, all sailors did two races against everyone else in their group - beginner or improver.

The beginners had to race from the side to the red buoy twice. There was hardly any wind, so the second race was adjusted from the side to the red buoy once. The beginners had to work very hard to catch the wind in the sail to keep the boat moving forwards.

For the improvers' race, a triangle course was set. This was harder because the sailors had to sail upwind, downwind and across the wind. On the first race, they went around the triangle course once and on the second race it was twice. There was more wind on the improvers' races than the beginners race that made them race faster.

So far this year, Edgbaston Watersports has seen over 200 youngsters complete OnBoard sessions at the centre, with almost all of these completing 10 sessions and/or becoming members of the club.

The winning school. Hollywood Primary, who made up two of the four teams at the event, are Edgbaston regulars with Year 5 pupils completing RYA Stage one over five afternoons and those in year six doing their RYA Stage two over another five afternoons.

Year five pupil Gemma said: 'We all had a good time and we look forward to next year’s regatta and hope for some new Hollywood pupils to join us.'

The other competing groups were St Edmund Campion Catholic School from Erdington and the Birmingham Home Ed Group.