Cadets

Overview

Training_Group_2015

Felpham sailing club has a thriving Cadet section with over 90 members enjoying and participating in this excellent and healthy activity.

The aim of the Cadet section is twofold; firstly to enable children and young people to experience the thrill and fun of sailing in a safe and friendly environment and secondly to develop talent and bring on a competitive racing fleet.

The Cadets range from 8 to 18 and we expect our older Cadets to take some responsibility for and look after the younger ones.

You will find the club has a very friendly, community feel. We have young people from many of the local schools and from much further afield.

These sessions predominantly take part on Friday evenings from 4:45-9.00pm, followed by a hot meal and some social time. We actively encourage parent participation.

We also provide specific RYA and localised training to further develop Sailing and Racing.

Helping Cadet Sailing

The following guide has been produced to assist parents and helpers whilst cadet sailing/training sessions are taking place.

Guide to helping at Cadet Sailing (PDF)

Friday Sessions

Friday sessions include the RYA OnBoard scheme and are split into two groups;

The Training Group

This group focusses on learning the sport of Sailing under the guidance of RYA Instructors and Senior Instructors. Some of these Instructors are the older Cadets themselves who have qualified to take groups on the water. The ability of this group ranges from complete beginners to quite experienced sailors who want to focus on developing their skills or want to progress to Instructor level.

Club boats are usually available to use and the cadets will be carefully grouped to ensure they are safe and have fun.

These sessions comprise of skill based activities, free sailing and mini games and races.

The Racing Group

performance_2015

This group comprises of the more experienced sailors and these follow a carefully designed race program throughout the season. They are overseen by an experienced group of keen adult racers who pass on tips and techniques throughout the sessions. Many of these sailors have come through the training group and now are very skilled and competitive racers.

Many of the training group join in the racing when the conditions are fine.

The club has an excellent racing record and we have been winners of the West Sussex Schools Sailing trophy for four out of the last five years.

Many of these sailors regularly race at the weekends with the adults and do very well.

Felpham Youth Regatta

Felpham Youth Regatta is held annually and acts as a celebration of youth sailing and racing. The event is scheduled during a low tide week in the summer holidays, making it accessible and enjoyable for young sailors. Family involvement is highly encouraged throughout the Regatta, as the participation of volunteers is essential to supervise around sixty young sailors and to prepare hot lunches for everyone involved.

The Regatta is designed to be both enjoyable and educational, with a wide range of training activities taking place. Skills covered include RYA Start Sailing, Seamanship, and Race Coaching. As part of the event, it is common for more than one hundred RYA certificates to be awarded, recognising the achievements and progress made by participants.

A highlight of the Regatta is the racing for the Cadet Cup, which is fiercely contested within both Silver and Gold Fleets. The competition usually consists of an eight race series, providing a challenging and rewarding experience for all involved.

Other opportunities open to Cadets

During the season the club has a range of opportunities including Monday Race Training and Sprint Racing, Saturday Squad as well as the following:

Felpham Sailing Club Performance Squad

LaserEPS_2015

This is open by invitation to our youth sailors who have been identified as having the potential to progress towards a high skill level. This squad has allocated training days run by RYA coaches and organised fleet sailing events throughout the South of England.

Development Saturdays

The club offers more sailing on Saturdays for all the family. These sessions are designed to encourage family social sailing. These sessions are open to all full sailing members, and take place at low tide.

In addition to this some sessions on Saturdays are open to social members and non members.

For example the Discover Sailing Sessions are offered to encourage people to experience sailing in a safe environment.

Safety

Sailing on the sea can be hazardous, and accidents do happen. We perform Risk Assessments and employ mitigation strategies to minimise exposure to hazardous situations.

Whenever there is Training, a Senior Instructor is responsible for the activity and ensures that it is Safe and Fun. Sometimes the Senior Instructor will make a decision that an individual feels limits their enjoyment; the Senior Instructor’s decision is final – they have the responsibility to assure safety.

To help training activities run safely we require some assistance from Participants, and Young Sailors together with their Parents/Guardians, specifically:

  • Participants must be able to swim at least 50m
  • Participants must wear a buoyancy aid
  • Participants must respect guidance and direction from Instructors
  • Participants are required to sign in at the start of training, declaring relevant health conditions and providing home contacts.
  • Participants are expected to sign out at the end of training. Young Sailors are expected to be collected, unless other arrangements have been agreed.
  • Young Sailors unfamiliar with the sea must be accompanied by a Parent who can look after their child on the shore should the child become cold, seasick, frightened etc.
  • Young Sailors are trained and encouraged to develop their own judgements about reefing, launching, sailing, racing and recovery. Their decisions may be questioned and overridden by the Senior Instructor (or the Officer of the Day) in the interests of their own safety.
  • Young Sailors must remain within the boundaries (both on the sea and on shore) defined by the Senior Instructor. No Young Sailor may go outside those defined boundaries without permission from the Senior Instructor.

The Training Team’s desire is to ensure that our activities are Safe and Fun. If a Participant, Young Sailor or Parent feels that the activity falls short of this goal, then the first recourse is to the Senior Instructor in charge of the activity. The Training Principal may be contacted if the complaint is not addressed satisfactorily.

In the unfortunate event of bullying or inappropriate behaviour, the primary and alternate contacts for Safeguarding are: