Point Yacht Club champions school sailing

TWICE a week – on Monday and Wednesday afternoons (weather permitting) – the Glenwood High School bus transports a group of teen sailing enthusiasts to Point Yacht Club (PYC) in the Durban harbour.

The Glenwood High School Yacht Club is recognised by South African Sailing (SAS), the national governing body for the sport of sailing in South Africa. PYC and SAS are actively promoting youth sailing.

Both work collaboratively with Sail Africa Youth Development Foundation, which PYC helped establish. Sail Africa’s focus is providing education, skills training, personal development and empowerment through sail training for young South Africans who could otherwise not afford to participate in sailing.

Sail Africa uses the PYC pool at the club’s dinghy boat park – youth sailing’s hub on Saturday mornings – to give swimming lessons to those who can’t. PYC member and teacher Ron Pet runs the Glenwood High School sailing programme. PYC provides the sailboat and the training. Durban University of Technology (DUT) and UKZN also have sailing clubs and use of PYC boats.

While Glenwood’s sailing option is in large part about getting kids on the water having fun, says Pet, as a sport there are many benefits. Newbie youth sailors are taught how to sail – starting with the basics. “Sailing also teaches focus, responsibility and life skills as well as boating skills,” says Pet. Current “green machine” skipper, Keyuren Maharaj, plays hockey, violin and sails.

Besides the more obvious physical benefits of the sport—muscle strength, endurance and agility, and improved concentration and communication — studies have shown a correlation between sailing and maths and physics performance.

And while youth sailing for some builds a foundation for a life-time leisure sport, for many it opens the door to international competition and a host of marine and maritime-linked careers.

“Youth” at PYC covers an age range of nine (with some flexibility) through 19. The club offers youth members (independent as well as those linked to schools) full club membership at a hugely discounted rate. With the new PYC beach site, set beneath the extended promenade running from uShaka to the harbour entrance being fitted out, youth and family members will also have access to this facility, points out PYC Commodore Myles White. “At PYC we are committed to getting more youngsters out on the water,” says club manager Darryl Williams. “You don’t need a boat. We have boats,” he adds.

“We’re strongly encouraging schools — primary, secondary and tertiary — to come sail from our club. We’d like to see more schools offer sailing as a sport and use our club as a springboard.”

• To find our more about PYC’s youth sailing, for school club information or to join PYC, email club manager Darryl Williams at manager@pyc.co.za or call 031-301-4787.

• See more about PYC — options and facilities — on their website: pyc.co.za

• Connect with Sail Africa through their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AfricaSail/.

• Visit the SAS website — they have lots on youth sailing — at www.sailing.org.za/

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