Youth Sailing at Middle Harbour Yacht Club
by Al Copley 5 Dec 2017 22:40 PST
6 December 2017
Safe environment for fun and learning at MHYC © Greg Butchart
Another Term of Youth Sailing has come and gone and activity on the beach busy on nearly all days with a variety of school groups, racers, Tackers and Learn to Sail kids enjoying everything MHYC has to offer. A bumper program of activity including the introduction of our unique Little Tackers Program for 5-7 years olds kept the future of sailing strong. Approx 15 Little Tackers had fun on the beach during a 7 week – 30min introductory session with Parental Involvement also included.
During the program the 'Little Tackers' had the ability to try sailing off the beach and learn to the basics of sailing at our wonderful club. The final week involved a fun race in the marina with parents and kids together racing for ultimate glory.
Summer Holidays means Holiday Camps and with a sold out program for the 18 – 21st December, an additional two-day fun camp has been added next Monday and Tuesday. Post-Christmas we will see weekly Holiday Camps, however these are filling up quickly, so don't delay, as these are a great way for kids to get more 'time on water', which is the key to their development in sailing. For more go to www.mhyc.com.au.
The racing program has also been occurring every week with the lead up to the busy Summer Regatta period with Sail Sydney happening next week. MHYC hosting a course on both days and we do have a couple of spots left for volunteering to assist with race management and also get to see your kids sail from the water!. A strong core of Optis, 420's and Cadets joined some weeks by the 29ers' enjoyed the variety of racing each Sunday afternoon. With the new Yardstick rule we even had a Flying Ant join in the fun. While racing at MHYC takes a break over the School Holiday period, many of the sailors are heading north and south to a variety of regattas so keep an eye out for the MHYC Centreboard sailors representing our club.
With over 300 kids actively sailing at MHYC weekly during Terms 4 and 1, our awesome instructors and coaches and admin staff are available to assist with getting your children into sailing. The Youth Sailing Committee is keen to develop the racing program and support parents and kids in being more active in sailing. We will be holding a training program for parents in early February with a few weeks of training on Mark Laying, Safety boat handling and Committee Boat roles to assist out volunteers in becoming more hands on in the racing. We have also introduced an App for communication and updates on racing at MHYC Centreboard called Team Snap – Let the Sailing Office know if you want to get updates via the app. Also keep an eye out for Adventure club which we are looking to revive in 2018 for kids not keen on racing but still wanting to sail.
Have a wonderful, safe and merry Christmas.