Sport Sailing
Left, Tonbridge School take to the waves, below, summer fun and smiles
pupils, the Jolie Brise won the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race last year, as well as in 2006 and 2000. Each summer, they race with the
Tall Ships fleet round the west coast of Ireland, through to Orkney and the Shetlands and then on to Norway and the Baltic. Sixth formers, or gap year students, also sail the Jolie Brise across the Atlantic. Toby Maris, Dauntsey’s Head of
Sailing is keen that every pupil gets a chance to sail. “When they are 14, every child spends 24 hours on board, even if they’ve never sailed before,” he says. “After that, they can sign up to join one of our cruises in the school holidays.” Children are also encouraged to help maintain and look after the boat at weekends. Jonathan Roberts, 18, has been sailing for three years and has even crossed the Atlantic on the Jolie Brise. “It’s a fantastic chance to go
They discover they love it. It fills a real niche.” St John’s have six dinghies at the Queen Mary
Reservoir, an RYA certified training centre in Middlesex. There, pupils can follow the RYA dinghy sailing scheme, acquiring different levels of qualifications. “It is very technically difficult, there are a lot of skills to master and it requires a lot of concentration. Important things to learn are gybeing and tacking, as well as thinking about wind speed and navigation,” says Ward. “Pupils get a huge sense of satisfaction and when they’re skilled, they can really fly – it’s a tremendous adrenalin rush. When you’ve got your tiller in your hand, the master sheet in the other, it’s quite a thrilling experience. But most of all it is good fun – especially if you get dunked in the water.” Sailing is also a good team sport, with schools competing at team racing in dinghies. Each team usually includes three boats, each with a two-person crew. The goal is to make sure all three boats finish well, rather than one racing off for the finish line, so they have to work together, and help each other get into the best positions and see off the competition. “Team sailing is very tactical, like a game of
chess,” says Lancing’s Chris Foster. “It needs good teamwork. Boys and girls can compete equally, there’s no physical disadvantage.” And it is mixed teams that take to the tiller at
sea at Dauntsey’s School in Wiltshire. They may be completely landlocked but they are the only school in the country to own a historic tall ship. Jolie Brise, a pilot cutter built in 1913, is docked at Hamble near Southampton. Crewed by
42 FirstEleven Summer 2012
www.firstelevenmagazine.co.uk Sailing is technically difficult, there are concentration
a lot of skills to master and it requires a lot of
to places you wouldn’t normally. I love the sensation of being off shore, not seeing any land. You spend a lot of time steering the boat and navigating, but I enjoy knowing your contribution can make a real difference, even with the cooking and cleaning on board.”
While those learning to sail at school may not be quite ready to compete at this year’s Olympics, it could be just a matter of time. In the meantime, perhaps a gold medal or two at Weymouth or Portland will encourage even more schools to take to the tiller.
Find out more
British Schools Dinghy Racing Association
www.bsdra.org.uk Royal Yachting Association RYA
www.rya.org.uk National School Sailing Association
www.nssa.org.uk Ocean Youth Trust
www.oyc.org.uk
Queen Mary Sailing Club
www.queenmary.org.uk Seafarer Sailing
www.seafarersailing.co.uk Nonsuch Bay
www.nonsuchbayresort.com The East Coast Sail Trust Ltd
www.thalatta.org.uk Cosmos Yachting
www.cosmosyachting.com
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