New course structure, same Rockley impact.

At Rockley, we’re always looking for ways to make our courses more rewarding, more enjoyable, and better suited to how young people learn and develop their sailing skills. That’s why we’ve made an exciting change to the structure of our RYA Youth Sailing courses!

Until now, our RYA stages have been delivered in the standard 2-day format, covering Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, as per the RYA syllabus. While this worked well for many years, we’ve listened to our students, parents and instructors, and decided it’s time to evolve.

We’re now offering 3-day and 5-day course options designed to give young sailors more time on the water, more opportunities to build confidence, and more chances to really consolidate their learning, all while keeping the fun, hands-on Rockley approach that makes our sessions so memorable.

What we have learnt in our 50 years of teaching sailing is that time on the water has the most significant impact on a sailor's development, especially in the grassroots stages.

• 3-Day Courses – These offer 1 RYA course over 3 days. With an extra day on the water, students can take their time learning the ropes (literally!), gain confidence in key skills, and enjoy a more relaxed, supportive learning environment.
• 5-Day Courses – This course combines two RYA stages in one week, for example, Stage 1 & 2 or Stage 3 & 4. It’s an immersive, confidence-boosting week full of sailing, teamwork and fun! By spreading the courses across five days, we enable learners to develop at their own pace, allowing for more flexibility for both the instructor and the sailor during the week.
• Youth Residential Packages – the great success of these last summer has meant we have expanded these not only to a Beginner and Improver package but now includes an Intermediate and Advanced option for those youth sailors looking for an extra challenge this coming summer.

We’ve seen first-hand that young sailors benefit hugely from having more time to practise and develop their skills. The new course structure:

• Allows for more time on the water and less rushing through content.
• Gives instructors greater flexibility to tailor sessions to each sailor’s ability.
• Encourages deeper understanding and longer-lasting confidence.
• Less pressure on the sailors when we lose time on the water to adverse weather.

However, if a 2-day course is still what you want for your child, we will continue to offer the RYA Youth Stages as 2-day courses over several weekends in this interim year.

Whether your child is taking their first steps into sailing or aiming to become a confident, independent sailor, these new course formats are designed to support every stage of their journey.

Our team of passionate, experienced instructors remain at the heart of what we do. They’ll continue to bring energy, enthusiasm, and expertise to every lesson, making sure every sailor leaves with a smile, new skills, and a love for the water.