Juniors
South Staffs Sailing Club has a thriving community of Junior and Youth sailors. Junior sailors are under 17 years old, and Youth sailors are aged 17-21 years (as at 31 August in the current membership year).
For sailors aged 10 years and older, the Club offers a range of activities to support better sailing and participation in racing. Whilst we do not offer formal training or coaching to sailors under 10 years old, these members are encouraged to sail with, or under the supervision of, an experienced member and to join in with social activities such as our popular Junior fun weekend..
Learn to Sail
Sailors who have not yet attained RYA Stage 3 (Youth Sailing Scheme) or RYA Level 2 are recommended to find out more about our learn to sail courses. Once sailors have mastered the basics of sailing, it opens up a world of fun and opportunities afloat both at South Staffs Sailing Club and beyond.
Sunday Mornings
Junior members who have attained RYA Stage 2 (Youth Sailing Scheme) or RYA Level 2; and/or can demonstrate that they can sail a triangular course (including upwind) in moderate weather conditions and cope confidently in the event of a capsize, are eligible to join in our Sunday racing with the first race supported by a coach boat to support improvement. Children of any age can crew in a boat with an experienced sailor.
Ideally junior sailors taking part on Sunday mornings will have, or will quickly acquire, their own boat, however, initially, sailors may want to book a Club boat directly on the Club website. The main class of boat at South staffs for training and racing at this level is currently the Topper (4.2 or 5.3 rigs).
Most coaching takes place on Sunday mornings, with a coach boat to support the transition to Club racing with the recent introduction of our shorter 30 min race now known as race 0.
The sessions are led by our enthusiastic team of volunteers, who include some of our youth sailors. We also actively encourage youth sailors thinking about coaching in the future to come and help out at these sessions. We are very proud of our young sailors who give back in this way, whilst we continue to support them in developing new skills.
Youth Coaching
For Youth sailors (aged 17-21), or more experienced junior sailors, there are also many opportunities to join in class specific coaching, double-handed sailing, team racing, endurance racing, coaching and instructing. This may include class specific coaching organised by the other fleet captains within the Club. In addition, many of our Youth sailors are involved in coaching programmes run outside the Club, which we actively look to back-up through bespoke Club coaching wherever possible. We also have specific training for events such as the WLYC 12 Hour and 24 Hour Races and the RYA Eric Twiname Junior and Youth Team Racing Championships.
Club Racing
All sailors taking part in our Junior and Youth training programmes are actively supported and encouraged to take part in our Club racing programme on Tuesday and Sundays. We have a full and active racing calendar that runs throughout the year.
Training
Are you interested in Learning to sail ?... Look no further, you should find all the information you need on this page.
South Staffs Sailing Club aims to provide a fun and sociable learning environment so members can develop sailing skills, knowledge and confidence. We are an RYA accredited Recognised Training Centre (RTC) which recognises our high standards and we follow the RYA adult and junior syllabuses. Training is provided by SSSC club members who are all RYA qualified instructors, friendly, approachable and very knowledgeable. They are all experienced sailors and active racers.
Adult and Family training program
South Staffs Sailing Club has developed a training program that enables new members to engage with the club and progress into our activities at your own speed. The last few years have proved a few things to us, but the most important message to convey to new members is :
As with anything in life, the more you put in to it, the more you will get out and the faster you will progress.
There is a clear progression path for training and a support network that should enable you to really enjoy your sailing. We are primarily a volunteer run club, but we are keen to hear from you so please do give us your feedback.
What we offer The training pathway
STEP 0 - Come and meet us
On Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings (in the summer) there is normally an experienced sailor who can explain what we offer as a club. If you are interested in finding out about Learn to sail, then please book online so that we can find a suitable training slot for you.
To access South Staffs Sailing Club training program, you will need to be a member of the Sailing club. You can see the membership details and how to online.
STEP 1 - Learn to Sail courses - £150 - approximately 16 hours tuition (2 days or four evenings)includes boat hire and buoyancy aids.
The Learn to Sail course is the introduction to sailing that follows the RYA Level 1 and 2 syllabus, this is run by our experienced Senior Instructors and Dinghy Instructors. This will enable you to rig, launch and sail a boat in moderate conditions safely. Progress on all courses is dependent on weather conditions and how quickly sailors pick up the skills. In two days we will normally achieve a level 1 for most people and cover some aspects of level 2.
For adults we teach this course in RS Quest dinghies and possibly GP14s
The courses are run either over 4 weekday evenings (16 hours) or 2 full Saturdays (16 hours)
STEP 2 Sunday Mornings
Key to progressing in sailing is practice and we provide a coach boat for our newly introduced shorter race to start on a Sunday Morning. The race will start at 10:30 and is an opportunity to get into our Sunday racing with ease and guided support.
STEP 3 - Crew for an experienced club member in racing
You will gain a lot of experience and tuition from experienced members by crewing in racing. This can be quite daunting, but you will learn a lot about Dinghy racing and have a lot of fun. Talk to the club instructors or fleet captains about finding someone
STEP 4- Fleet training days
Once you have either bought a boat or you have teamed up with someone as a crew, you can join in with fleet activities. Your fleet captain will normally organise a couple of special fleet training days, where the focus is on how that particular boat sails and advanced skills to drive the boat as quickly as possible in racing.
What's Normal
Some people progress through these steps in order in months, others take a little longer. It is up to you how you progress. But like learning anything, the more time you commit to going on the water, the quicker you will learn.
Training course dates and booking
The Learn to sail courses have now been revised, however as we are a volunteer club booking is strongly advised.
Booking and paying for these courses can be done on the web site up to 2 months before the course starts. There is a minimum of 4 person booking in place for all courses to ensure an enjoyable experience for all.
Preparation for Learn To Sail Courses What to wear
Staying warm is an important factor in enjoying sailing! If you only sail in good weather then a T-shirt, shorts and old trainers will do, although it is always a good idea to have waterproof coat/top and over-trousers and a change of clothes to hand for changeable weather. For those who are not just fair weather sailors, you need to consider a spray top/ waterproofs, wetsuit, wet suit boots and a hat. If you don't have a wetsuit, bring a set of clothes and shoes to travel in and two warm sets of clothes to sail in (eg fleece or tracksuit bottoms and beach shoes/ trainers that can get wet) so that you can change and carry on sailing if you get wet early on in the session. Swim wear and towel are also needed. You should avoid cotton, wool or natural fabrics as these tend to take on water.
The sun is stronger when on the water than on land, so plenty of sun block and sunglasses are a good idea when the sun is bright.
Many people choose to wear gloves as ropes and water can cause blisters if its windy. You can get sailing gloves with reinforced grips or gardening gloves will do the trick (but need to be snug fitting).
Buoyancy aids are essential, these are provided on the Learn to Sail, but you will need to buy your own when you are not under tuition.
We have some wetsuits, waterproofs and buoyancy aids that you can borrow, but make no promises to provide all sizes, or the condition they are in! Decathlon or ebay are good sources of cheap gear.
How the courses run
Saturday courses start at 9.00-9:30am and will normally finish around 4pm-5pm
Evening courses are either on a Wednesday evening and start at 6pm in the summer. We aim to finish the evenings by 9pm, but we do end up in the bar and it can become quite social!
The courses are run by our RYA Senior Instructors and Dinghy instructors. We are and have been for many years an RYA recognised training centre.
Other things you need to know
Like most inland lakes, South Staffs Sailing Club reservoir does sometimes get blue green algae in the mid summer, however this doesn't generally stop activities. We provide information on safe use of the water and precautions that you can take, and we rarely see any issues.
What can we sail?
Learn to Sail is completed in the available training boats, Quests and Gp14 after this training would normally be in your own boat but, if you don't have one, we have some club boats (Optimists, Toppers, solo, Gp14 ) that can be hired while you decide whether you like sailing and/or the type of boats before committing to a purchase. These boats can also be hired at other times during the week or for racing.
Please note: We operate a restricted fleet policy at South Staffs Sailing Club. This means that if you wish to keep and sail a boat at South Staffs, then it must be one of our adopted classes, these are:
Adult fleets
Laser/ILCA
GP14
Solo
Lark
Firefly
Ok
Junior fleets
Optimist
Topper
Feva
Mirror
We promote this policy because it enables the club to maintain good fleet racing, where boats of the same class race against each other.
Etiquette for training sessions
Be there for the start of the session and make sure you are changed and ready to go. Everyone, except beginners, is expected to have their boats rigged and ready to sail AND be changed and ready to sail by the start time. This will take longer than you think give it an hour, at least!
If you are unable to attend a session, please let us know, then we wont be hanging around waiting for you.
Last updated 20:03 on 10 May 2026