Training at Great Moor

The club offers tremendous opportunities for training at all levels. We are fortunate in having a high number of accredited RYA instructors who are prepared to give their time to improve the sailing of our members. This enables us to keep training costs very low.

Juniors

Training starts with junior sailing, organised for 5 to 16 year old's on a number of Saturdays over the summer. Training follows the RYA syllabus and participants can qualify for one of the RYA formal sail training gradings.

These courses are always very well attended and are an ideal way for children to sample the delights of dinghy sailing for the first time in a friendly and fun environment.

Great Moor is also part of a group of Buckinghamshire sailing clubs which provide more advanced race training for youngsters keen to further develop their skills and enter the sport competitively.

At Great Moor we have access to a brilliant set of 10 identical Picos, five in yellow and five in white - great for individual and team training. The Picos have been purchased by the Buckinghamshire County Council Youth and Community service for use by local youth organisations in the Aylesbury and Buckingham area. They are based at Great Moor and the Club has the opportunity to use the boats for Club training events.

Children love them since they are easy to handle as either single or double handed with just the main or with the addition of a jib.

The addition of an instructor the wrong side of 12 stones along with a couple of children does however make things more interesting with the boat then showing a tendancy to impersonate a submarine!

Pictured above are Picos in action on a recent training course

Once the basics have been mastered, children are encouraged to join in with our activities with other local clubs.

Champion Club Consortium

Great Moor, together with other local sailing clubs at Haversham, Milton Keynes amd Emberton Park, have successfully been awarded 'Champion Club' status, by the RYA. This means that the junior race training programme has met with approved standards. Each month a training day is arranged at one of the clubs. It is a great chance to have some fun, improve your skills and to meet with other children with similar interests. Look for the 'CCC' events in the calendar.
 
» Download the Champion Club brochure here...

Milton Keynes and Bucks Youth Sailing Association

The MK & BYSA promotes sailing in our area. They organise a series of events for children of of all standards throughout the year. Every summer a team is chosen to represent Milton Keynes in the National Schools Sailing Association Championships. This is a week long event held at a major sailing venue. Judging from the tales that come back, the children have a great time. MK & BYSA's policy of sending a large team, with the younger members enjoying the experience, and the older members turning in the results, seems to be paying off. They are now one of the strongest teams at the event.

Adults

For beginners and improvers weekend sail training courses are organised in the summer up to RYA level 3/4.

Boats available for training include 6 Kestrels, 4 Lasers, 2 Toppers and 6 Optimists.

Other training available includes race officer, power boat training for rescue duties, and first aid.