Sailing
Sailing is a great sport for people of all abilities and ages. Castle Semple Centre is an ideal location to learn the sport at out fully equiped centre.
As a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training centre we offer a wide range of courses for both junior and adult sailors. Castle Semple is also one of only two centres in Scotland to be accredited by the RYA as a Centre of Excellence for Disability sailing.
The RYA has an online brochure to view all the courses and give further information.
Adult Courses
Most adult courses run over 2 days normally on weekends, however we do offer 3 and 4 day courses on holiday weekends throughout the year to combine levels 1 and 2, see the course dates for details of these.
RYA Level 1 Dinghy – by the end of the course participants will have a basic understanding of boat handling techniques, rigging, wind awareness and background knowledge and be able to sail in all directions in light conditions under supervision.
RYA Level 2 Dinghy – following on from the skills learned in level 1, by the end of this course the sailor should be competent to sail without an instructor on board in light conditions and have a better understanding of rigging, launching, sailing in all directions, capsize recovery and essential safety knowledge.
RYA Level 3 Dinghy - This course is all about coaching of level 1 and 2 skills and taster sessions from the advanced modules making the sailor more confident in their sailing skills and techniques, and ready to progress onto the advanced modules. Racing, seamanship and spinnaker sessions are likely on this course.
RYA Seamanship – How to handle a boat in all circumstances and solve problems afloat! This course assumes that the sailor has mastered the skills and knowledge on level 2 or 3 and is ready to sail without an instructor on board for most of the course. This course will include sailing without a rudder or centreboard, what to do if equipment breaks, lots of man overboard and capsize recovery in moderate conditions.
RYA Start Racing – The fundamentals of getting off the start line and round the course. Racing a great way to quickly improve your skill set. This course will give you the all the skills required to start club racing, including how to maximise boat speed and outwit your opponents, solid Level 2 sailing ability will be expected when you start this course.
Junior Courses
Junior courses are run over 2 days during most school holiday times and some weekends see the course dates page for full details.
RYA Stage 1 – A basic understanding of how a boat sails, with some experience of steering and handling the boat. Launching and recovery, steering, parts of the boat, basic sailing skills are all covered in this course for children aged 8 and up.
RYA Stage 2 – this course will introduce a range of sailing skills and knowledge to help in becoming a confident sailor in light conditions by the end of this course participants should be able to tack and control boat speed, and understand basic principles and safety.
RYA Stage 3 – Rigging, launching and sailing in any direction. Equivalent to Level 2 in the Adult Sailing Scheme, at the end of this course the participants will be able to launch and sail a dinghy around a triangle in moderate conditions.
Boats We Use
We have a wide range of double and single hander boats on offer
Wayfarer World – The Wayfarer World is the latest incarnation of Ian Proctors famous design, The World has a much more modern look and generally cleaner lines. The Wayfarer World has become the choice of the majority thanks to an excellent race pedigree, (area championship winner) and demonstrated cruising and day sailing ability. (North sea crossing 1998) We have 2 of these and they are used for Adult levels 1-3 and Seamanship.
Topaz Omega – The Topaz OMEGA is one of the most successful boats in the Topper Range. It is a fantastic all rounder that everyone can enjoy. The reasons for the popularity of the Omega are that it is so versatile, and it is easy to rig, launch and sail. It is a family sailboat that provides rewarding performance with space, comfort, stability and security for six, She’s equally happy cruising or pottering, racing or blasting. Fast, fun sailing with a gennaker and trapeze. Usually used on adult level 1-3, seamanship and racing courses.
Laser Pico – The Laser Pico is a fun, durable, confidence-inspiring, rotomolded boat that can be sailed by everyone. It’s ideal for entry-level sailors and is equipped with a removable jib and reefing main sail for easy rigging. 8 of these are available and are used by adult and juniors on a variety of courses
Optimist – The optimist or “oppy” as its more commonly known is a small dinghy for the junior sailors. The Optimist dinghy has been described as the dinghy in which the young people of the world learn to sail. It is sailed in over 110 countries by over 150,000 young people, it is the only dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16 years of age. The Optimist is a very stable vessel, which is difficult to capsize even in strong winds. They are light and easily manipulated by an instructor in a safety boat. They rescue easily, and can be bailed by a junior sailor.
Topper – The Topper is a one-design boat sailed mostly in the British Isles, The Topper dinghy is widely used for racing, but it has also gained popularity as a boat in which to learn how to sail. Despite the longevity of the design, the Topper Class remains one of the most successful and fastest growing classes in the UK. The Topper class is a full ISAF International Class. Over 350 boats attended the most recent UK Nationals and Inland Championships. Every year there is also a World Championships – 200 boats competed at the Topper Worlds in 2011.
Challenger Trimaran – The Challenger trimaran has been specially developed with the aim of allowing disabled people to achieve their sailing goals. The Challenger has been a racing class since the first days of its development. There is an active national regatta circuit where sailors from across the UK meet at different venues to compete, it was the boat of choice for Geoff Holt, who in 2007 took 109 days to sail one round the UK
Access Dinghy – The Access 303 Sport single is the single seat version of the popular Access 303W. It is designed for single handed sailing by for those sailors with very limited mobility and for the more experienced sailor who is looking for the extra challenge of performance solo sailing. This will be the model of choice for any individual or sailability group that is planning to provide sailing opportunities to either people who need the extra protection from the water that the high and wide decking gives, the extra support of the narrower single seat cockpit and /or the challenge of single handed two sail sailing which is a massive confidence builder.
Facilities For Disabled Sailors – Castle Semple Centre if fully equipped to offer sailing to sailors with most disabilities, we have a variety of adaptive postural support seats called Aquabac’s that we can fit to most types of boats we have along with other bits of equipment to assist most people. We have a pontoon hoist to allow wheelchairs users to access the dinghies and powerboats (level 1 and 2 powerboat courses are available) and all our main watersports staff have many years of experience in working with people with disabilities and have attended disability training with the RYA. The centre if fully accessible with changing, toilet, equipment and café facilities all on one level and easy access to the water on the pontoons.
