Cubs Sailing Adventure at Upper Thames Sailing Club

Published 13:18 on 25 Sep 2024

On Saturday morning, a lively group of about twenty Cubs arrived at the Upper Thames to enjoy a morning packed with learning and adventure. Accompanied by their leaders, they were eager to experience sailing, knot Tying, and paddling.

Leading the session was Mark, our Senior Instructor, along with assistant instructors and approximately fifteen club members who volunteered to help.

The club volunteers arrived by 8:30am and following a briefing, set off bringing all the Toppers and Zests across to the lawn, taking up the goose netting, and getting the safety boats in the water. The Cubs arrived at 9:30am. Mark carried out a safety briefing and took questions, one of which was "What happens if we fall out and there are sharks" Mark said they just needed to swim fast! They were promptly split into groups of seven, fitted with a buoyancy aid and headed off for their first activity.

Group one started with knot-tying, where they learnt to tie a reef knot a figure of eight and a round turn and two half hitches. They then moved on to learning how to rig a Topper and the basic parts of the boat. The last part of their session was spent going around the bay in T5. Paul, quizzed the cubs on what they'd learned so far, making sure they'd grasped the basics.

Group two, were towed upriver to Spade Oak in the Toppers before paddling their way back to the club.

Group three completed land drills on a RS Zest, learning the basics of position in the boat and tacking, before heading out in the Zests for some on-water practice. Thanks to the perfect light wind, the Cubs were able to sail safely across, up and down the river.

Each session lasted approx. 40 minutes. After the second round, Seleena provided a well-earned break with squash and biscuits, which was nearly as exciting as the sailing itself!

By the end of the session, each group had learned essential knots, experienced paddling on the river, and had got to grips, with the basics of learning to sail.

They earned themselves three Cub badges in the process, which will be awarded at the end of term.

The Cubs had an unforgettable time, and they proudly shared their photos and achievements on social media for all to see.

Well done to all the instructors and club members that came along to make this such a success.