Taunton School Main Building at Dusk

Taunton School sees resurgence of sailing

Posted: 20th May 2022

sailing at taunton school

During the Summer term Taunton School sailors have taken to the water on both Durleigh Reservoir on a Saturday and Wimbleball Lake on a Thursday during Games sessions. It has been great to see both beginners and more experienced hands enjoying such a diverse sport in some beautiful surroundings. Sailing instruction has been provided by the Somerset Youth and Community Sailing Association (SYCSA) at Durleigh and the South West Lakes Trust (SWLT) at Wimbleball.

The resurgence of Sailing at Taunton School started last summer, post COVID lockdowns, when students were invited to attend SYCSA training sessions at Durleigh. The small number enjoyed it so much they decided that they wanted to do it again this year. It has been a pleasure to see this interest grow among the student body. Taunton School is in negotiations with SYCSA to keep this partnership going, making it a more permanent feature of life at Taunton School.

We have had a good number of beginners, mainly on our Saturday sessions with SYCSA. SYCSA’s qualified staff are all volunteers, which has enabled students to gain expert tuition and use of off the equipment at an exceptionally good price. Since SYCSA is attached to the sailing club, there is a wealth of experience in their trainers, which has allowed our students to explore a range of different skills and abilities. I am pleased to report that on Saturday 14th May 2022 five of our beginners attained their RYA Level 1 Youth Scheme Qualification. They are now working on their Level 2 qualification, with the vision to work their way through the ranks of the RYA syllabus.

We already have a few confident sailors. These sailors have a wide range of interests. For some, they just want to hone their sailing skills. Whereas other are keen to start racing. Other schools in the area have their own sailing teams, and there is scope for competition if the interest is there. SWLT down at Wimbleball are in the early stages of setting up a Youth Regatta, which we are putting a team forward for. But the opportunities for this are endless, and as our little Sailing club grows we can set our sites on other Regional and National competitions.

Sailing is a wonderful skills for life, and it doesn’t matter if you want to sail a yacht or a dinghy, the principles are the same. SYCSA are a great local charity that provide affordable sailing instruction and provision of equipment at Durleigh Reservoir, just outside of Bridgewater. Parents and friends of Taunton School are more than welcome to come along and watch the training on a Saturday (during term time) to see the wonderful work that SYCSA do. However, SYCSA do not just cater for school groups, they are open to the public during the sailing season. They have an Open Day on Saturday 11th June 2022, between 14:00 and 17:00. Taunton School students will be there too, as this will give visitors a chance to see the training in action. However, this is not to just come and spectate, why not give it a go yourself or suggest it to a friend. We look forward to seeing you on the water.

 

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