The beginning of June saw our annual Dorset School Games Sailing Regatta take place at Poole Park Lake. This free event, hosted by Rockley, welcomed children from over 25 Dorset-based schools with over 100 young sailors of all levels, from RYA Stage 1, taking part in a series of Challenge and Gold Fleet races - all culminating in a grand final for each fleet.
The event, which is FREE to all schools and has been running for over ten years now, is designed to encourage young people of all abilities to spend a day with their peers, racing in an encouraging and non-pressured environment. It is a fantastic opportunity for those who do not have access to sailing to give it a go.
For those taking part in the Challenge fleet, some individuals had only just passed their RYA Stage 1 and were sailing for the first time competitively. For anyone that does race dinghies, they will understand the challenge of crossing the start line as the horn goes let alone completing a whole course.
The Joy of Capsizing!
Having just completed their RYA Stage 1 with Rockley the day before, Upton Junior school is a prime example of this, with one of their Challenge Fleet students winning their race and the school coming third overall.
The primary pupils experienced some challenging races as the wind picked up in the afternoon which resulted in many of the pupils capsizing. This definitely affected the finishing race position of some of the sailors and for others, it was a first-time experience capsizing but not one person seemed daunted or wanted to give up. The level of resilience and determination was phenomenal – we could not have been more impressed by their attitudes
During the times when the young people were not competing, a lot of fun was had on our kayaks, paddleboards and MEGA SUPS (a firm favourite) so there was no chance of anyone getting bored!
there was a brilliant atmosphere created amongst the pupils and while there was a desire to win and do well, there was plenty of encouragement and support for each other. We never fail to be impressed by the positive attitude and huge amount of fun created amongst the children during this event.
Well done everyone
A massive congratulations to all the participants and a big thank you to all the teachers for taking the time to bring their pupils to this event. We hope that it was not only a great day out bit it has sparked a passion and has developed a love of watersports and the water.