Most of RYST’s work is focused on our Schools programme, in which, thanks to our generous supporters, we’re able to fund sailing lessons at RYA-approved watersports centres for children aged 9 to 15, at no cost to schools or parents.
But we also hear from parents of home-educated children who don’t want their children to miss out on the benefit of outdoor activities with others.
One such parent is Teresa Cox, who organised a group of six children aged 9 to 16 to receive five two-hour sailing lessons at Loe Beach Watersports Centre in Feock with a grant from RYST.
Some of the children lived quite far away, but parents were happy to car-share and ferry them back and forth from lessons.
The course was a great success. Teresa says: “My younger daughter has loved every minute of it and to see her confidence blossom has been amazing.”
But at first, it wasn’t plain sailing at all.
“At the start of their first session, four of the children stood on the beach sobbing, saying they were frightened. One child couldn’t summon the courage to get into a sailing boat, so he sat in the instructor’s power boat for the duration and the group disbanded as soon as possible following the session. I was worried that some of the children wouldn’t return for the remaining sessions, but they did!”
Happily, by the time they got to their fourth session, all that was well behind them.
“It was such a lovely day! They sailed in the morning, some of them single-handed, and covered some distance. There were excited reports of observing a deer with her fawn. The children stayed after the lesson and played in the water for four and a half hours. It was so nice to see new friendships forming amongst children who are sometimes unable to socialise due to their anxieties.”
Teresa says parents have expressed their gratitude for this wonderful opportunity and are thinking of forming a club, as their children have now fallen in love with sailing.
