Frensham Youth Sailing

 The youth class, consisting of children aged between 7 and 17, is growing in size again after a brief plateau during the two years Covid-19 has been raging across the world. Frensham Pond Sailing Club, located in Farnham, England, is the home of these up and rising sailors. However, they rarely get a chance to sail here with the competition season coming up, taking them up and down the country to new venues and different conditions.

For the last two weeks, they visited South Cerney, a sailing club located in Cirencester.

Being trained by Ex-Cadets who can pass on their extensive knowledge, the cadets could feel their sailing improving- even with the testing conditions they faced. High winds that tested their stamina and bravery allowed many a chance to train in conditions slightly out of their comfort zone; these kids were able to push themselves in both training and racing in order to gain better control of their boats.

While interviewing some of these persistent sailors, the cadet class was described as a “community” where "everyone helped each other". Others said they “make lots of friends” and have “lots of fun sailing”. Clearly the class is a great way for sailors to socialise with others in the same boat as them, both figuratively and literally.

When asked about the troubling conditions, one replied “it isn’t much fun if it’s the same all the time”. One ex-cadet even went as far too say: "the cadet class allowed me to make friends, in a great community, which I still have now even if I don't sail the boat anymore".