Youth and Juniors

Sailing is a fantastic way to have fun on the water, and inspires confidence, friendship and teamwork in young people. There are many opportunities for young people aged all the way from 8 to 16 at Maidenhead Sailing Club.

Club Sessions

To book a session with Y&J please follow this link

Youth and Juniors Squad

Our Youth and Junior programme embraces everything fun about being on the water, developing the skills and confidence whilst maintaining a safe and reassuring environment.

Weekly sailing sessions incorporate the RYA’s Youth Sailing Scheme (see details below), suiting all levels from complete beginners to experienced racers.

Our youngsters learn everything they need to know to sail independently, or in a team, and take part in casual sailing to competitive racing and everything in between!

Previous Maidenhead Youth and Juniors have gone on to become Instructors, Summer Facilitators and National and World Champions, with many coming back each year to volunteer to help run sessions.

Spaces in the group are very limited, and some group levels are full. If you would like to join the team, please contact us and come for an assessment so we can allocate you to a group. If there is not enough space in your group, you will be added to the waiting list.

To contact us about joining our Youth and Junior activities click here

Weekly Youth And Juniors

We run sessions weekly on a Saturday morning from 9:00 to 12:30. During the summer we also run evening sessions on Wednesdays from 18:00 to 20:30.

Booking must be done separately for each session, although it is good for the youngster to attend every week for better progression. The cost of each session is covered by your membership and boats can be hired from £5.

Please book your session here.

The Youth and Junior session are structured to progress the young sailors through the RYA Youth Sailing Scheme.

If you are not a member but you would like to try a session, please contact us via the link to arrange a taster and decide if this is for your child.

For any queries about Youth and Juniors, please contact us here!

RYA Youth Sailing Scheme

Beginners - RYA Stage 1/2

The Youth and Junior programme that we run on a Saturday/Wednesday offers the chance to start from scratch and learn the basics from our experienced instructors and practise under the watchful eye of our safety boats.

Intermediates - RYA Stage 3/4

As the young sailors progress through the stages, our Youth and Junior activities build with them, improving their sailing techniques and bringing in more advanced skills that get them sailing faster. They gain confidence to be able to take a boat out in the toughest conditions and learn about racing and have the opportunity to participate in club racing. We also teach seamanship skills and handling skills throughout our sessions that set the young sailors up for life!

Power Boat 2 and Assistant Instructor

If the sailor is over 12 years of age and has enough sailing experience, there is the opportunity to become an Assistant Instructor and support instructing other children and adults at Maidenhead. We very much support this and the confidence that this responsibility instils in young people. Learning to drive a powerboat is also possible from this age. Our most skilled sailors often go on to attend a course to gain the RYA Dinghy Instructor professional qualification once they are 16 years old.

For any queries about Youth and Juniors, please contact us here!

Sailing Adventure Weeks

During summer holidays, we run our multi-activity watersports weeks. These five-day adventures give youngsters an opportunity to try out sailing, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking.

There are three groups, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Activities will follow the RYA Young Sailors Scheme for 8-16 year old Stages 1-4

All our courses and sessions are run on a 6:1 student:instructor ratio to ensure safety and enjoyment is had by all.