Youngsters have a 'wicked' time sailing at Spray. 

Pupils from Eastbourne get a taste for sailing.

It was a weekend with a difference for 45  youngsters when they took to the water for a day of sailing and windsurfing at the Spray Watersports OnBoard Sailing Festival in Eastbourne (Saturday 03 July).

Pupils aged 10-15 from Ringmer Community College and Eastbourne Technical College were joined by young members of Hastings St Leonards Sailing Club, Pevensey Bay Sailing Club and the hosts Spray Watersports to spend the day sailing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, and taking part in some fun racing sessions.

For many of the youngsters it was their first experience of sailing. Jordan from Eastbourne Technical college says “It was a wicked day and I want to join the sailing club.”

 Hasting and St Leonards SC were the crowned the overall winners whilst pupils from Ringmer and Eastbourne Technical College came joint second.

Organiser Peter Towner commented “Everybody had a fantastic time.  We had a nice sunny day with wind picking up in the afternoon.  There were one or two capsizes, but the kids loved it.

“The enthusiasm from the kids and the volunteers, and look of enjoyment on their faces made all the hard work worthwhile.”

The festival is part of the RYA OnBoard scheme which has given 3,500 youngsters from local schools, youth groups and training centres in East Sussex the opportunity to try sailing for the first time. To find your nearest OnBoard centre visit www.ruob.co.uk.

Thanks to LaserPerformance for supplying the Bugs and to Harken for providing goodie bags. Run by the RYA, OnBoard is a grass roots programme which introduces sailing and windsurfing to young people aged 8 to 18, through schools, youth groups and training centres.

Over a ten year period OnBoard aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing and windsurfing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track. For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit the RYA’s website www.rya.org.uk or the OnBoard website www.ruob.co.uk.