Club Activity
Find out what happens at T15 clubs.
Team15 clubs are all a little bit different. What goes on depends on the creativity of the T15 coaches and instructors running the sessions. Broadly speaking the club sessions revolve around having a lot of fun and learning new windsurfing skills, with a few games thrown in for good measure.
Various windsurfing skills and levels within the RYA Youth Windsurfing Logbook can be ticked off at T15 club sessions - so make sure you have one of these. Logbooks can be purchased through the RYA online shop.
During Team15 club sessions you might practise skills from any of the 4 Stages of the Youth Scheme, from Start or Intermediate Racing, or perhaps a bit of fun freestyle. It all depends on what level of sailor you are and the level of the instructors who are coaching you.
To get the most out of Team15, it is probably best to have taken your Stage 1 windsurfing award already. This makes it easier for the coaches - and makes it a lot easier for you to develop your skills very quickly.
Each T15 club is set up slightly differently and some have more instructors than others. As a result, some clubs will accept total beginners whilst others will require Stage 1 as a basic. It is best to enquire with your local club as to what their policy is.
Generally speaking, T15 clubs meet on a weekly basis, however those based on the sea will tend to meet every other week due to the tides.
Some clubs which attend the T15 inter-club challenges might put on a second session each week to cater for team training. This will be additional to the weekly T15 club session, not instead of.
Most T15 clubs will run from April/May to end of September/October, but check with your local club for details.
Winter is too cold for novice windsurfers to sail, but some experienced Team15 sailors welcome the stronger winds that autumn and winter tend to bring.
As a result, some Team15 clubs
- run on-water club training sessions throughout the year,
- others may offer alternative social activities through the winter months
- and some close down completely at the end of autumn.
For Team15 sessions you should wear a summer wetsuit over your swimsuit, with your buoyancy aid on top. A full summer suit (long legs) is better than a shortie (short legs) if you are a newcomer, since this will keep you much warmer and protect your knees when climbing onto the board. We would recommend that you also wear wetsuit boots or old trainers to protect your feet in the shallows.
If you are sailing in autumn and beyond, make sure you wear a winter wetsuit and wetsuit boots, along with your buoyancy aid. You might even want to wear a hat, spray top and wetsuit gloves whilst afloat to keep you extra warm. Make sure you put on a jacket when you come off the water for a rest.
Team15 clubs all operate at RYA Training Centres and to RYA guidelines. Where appropriate they are AALA registered. They are run by qualified RYA windsurfing instructors and T15 coaches, so Team15 clubs are very safe.
Ideally you need to be Stage 2, but you can get to this level very quickly. If you look at the inter-club results sheets, you will see that some competitors have only been windsurfing a month! Not only that, a number have won a Merit Award, so you never know, you might win a trophy too!
We would encourage all sailors interested in participating in the inter-club challenges to take their Start Racing Award (have a look in your logbook for details). Whilst you can participate without it, having this award makes the events even more fun because you'll have a bit more knowledge and skill level.