My week at Summer School with Prestwick Sailing Club. By Sandy Maitland, 14th Ayrshire Cubs Scouts (Prestwick)
After our taster sailing session with the Cubs a few weeks ago, I loved it so much I wanted to do it again! So I signed up for the summer sailing school to do a whole week of sailing.
It was a really busy and tiring week but I had so much fun. It was from 9:30am – 4:30pm every day for 5 days! And it was super sunny every single day!!!
On the Monday we were asked to choose a seat at a table, and while we met our other students, our instructor taped our names onto each place. This is the same seat where we did our lectures and ate our lunches.
Each morning we had a lecture about information we’d need to know – like parts of the boat, or how to understand how the wind affects your sailing.
We sailed each morning until lunch, had some games, then sailed again in the afternoon. Normally we’d sail on the Bahias in the morning (it’s a bigger sailing boat, with 4 or 5 people and has 2 sails), then into Toppers in the afternoon (smaller boats with one sail, for 1-2 people, and can topple easier than Bahias!)
Over the week, I sailed in the Bahias, Toppers, Speedboat and a Laser. We also had fun on a big paddleboard on the Friday to finish.
I learned so many things – like tacking (steering into/against the wind), reach (the side wind), hiking (leaning out the boat backwards), using the tiller / extension (which steers the rudder), and how to capsize and right the boats.
After sailing, we got the boats back onto a trolley, rolled up the sails and took them back ashore. We all helped each other get all the boats up to the compound to be washed down before we got changed to go home.
I loved meeting and making new friends. We didn’t know each other before, but by the end of the week, we were all playing together and working as a team.
On the last day, we were presented with a RYA Log Book and our RYA Stage 1 Certificates.
I’m also excited to have earned my Cubs Stage 2 Sailing Activity badge, and Stage 1 Time on the Water Activity badges!
“I just want to say a big thank you to all the instructors. They were really kind and helpful, taught us so much and gave us lots of fun” Sandy
It was a busy, tiring week, but I really loved it! I learned so much and had fun doing it. I’m looking forward to being able to do it again!
Scout Leader Fiona for the 14th Ayrshire Scout Group (Prestwick) said ‘as a Leader it’s great to hear that one of the activity sessions have inspired a young person to grow their skills. Being a Cub opens up a new world of fun and adventure for young people through access to a massive range of exciting activities including camping, adventurous activities, such as climbing and sailing, plus creative and cultural pursuits. Cubs are encouraged to challenge themselves to try new things and are rewarded for effort, teamwork and leadership. Well done Sandy you definitely had an adventure on the sea.’
If you want to get involved or join the Scouts Association in Ayrshire we have groups across the Kyle and Carrick district. Find more information on Kyle and Carrick Scout District
Kyle & Carrick District Scouts 