Sailing school working with disadvantaged children in need of funds

A HARD-up not-for-profit sailing school says it needs extra support to continue helping Plymouth’s youth get involved with the sport. Plymouth and Devon Schools Sailing Association, based in Commercial Wharf on the Barbican, has been going since the 1950’s. It takes children of all ages, as well as adults, out onto the Sound in the spirit of making sailing accessible to everyone in the newly-termed “Britain’s Ocean City”. One 17-year-old volunteer instructor, Charlie Burton, who started with the club aged only 11, has been awarded a scholarship to Plymouth University next September thanks to his sailing prowess. But the club admits it is in desperate need of funding if it is to continue its good work. “We are struggling financially, I must admit,” said Ade Beaven-Smith, the centre manager. “The finances for us are not particularly pretty. We rely on people paying subs as we are totally self-financing. We’re hoping we can secure some sponsorship in the future. “We are open to all schools in Devon and Cornwall and run weekly Saturday sessions taking people out on the water,” he added. “We also work with Alternative Complimentary Education (ACE) children, pupils for who traditional education has not worked. “Some of them have behavioural difficulties, attention-deficit disorder or autism. “They can be a real handful but as soon as you get them on the water, they change. They are out of their comfort zone and they start listening to you because they know their life could depend on it. “Sailing gives them a sense of achievement. They have to work as a team. They are in control of the boat in their very first session and helping to work it. “It gives them that freedom of going out - there are no white or yellow lines telling them where to go out there on the sea.” The school works on getting people equipped quickly with the skills they need on the water. And progression can be swift. The club offers two and five-day courses in which people can finish-up with a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) qualification. “The first experience they get is what we call a ‘joy-ride’,” explained the Derriford resident, who also runs his own IT business. “It is a short and sweet trip out on the water in one of the boats. They have all their wet gear on and it’s just a fun session. “After that, on Saturday mornings they will be given the chance to do some helming and steering in one of our dinghies. “You do not need a huge amount of experience and knowledge of the sea to get going. We try and introduce things such as safety, understanding of tides and wind awareness over time.” People like instructor Charlie Burton, a sixth-former at Coombe Dean school in Plymstock, is one of the club’s success stories. After joining at only 11, he started assisting the teaching by the time he was 13 and is now a fully-qualified RYA instructor. He has been granted a scholarship to Plymouth University to study Navigational and Maritime Science and has already begun racing with the university’s yachting team. “My dad was in the Royal Navy for countless years so I thought I would like to get onto the water,” said the teenager. “I came down with my school and have been hooked ever since. “I did think about looking elsewhere for university, but Plymouth is just ideal for sailing.” - Plymouth and Devon Schools Sailing Association runs sessions on Saturdays from 10am-1pm in Commercial Wharf, situated off Madeira Road. - Small boat racing takes place on Thursday evenings from 6-8pm in Plymouth Sound. Also setting off from Commercial Wharf, dinghies are priced at £5 per person.