Young sailors find their sea legs without going in the water

The Bermuda Sun--  Imagine if children could learn to sail without even getting in the water.  Now they can thanks to the Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA) and the WaterWise Programme.  Five public middle schools across the island have started an on-land way for children to learn the basics of sailing.  The WaterWise Programme is a "learn to sail" programme that begins with dry-land sessions using Opti Simulators, which are essentially sailboats with wheels that mimic the actions of being in water. The simulators enable children to spend time learning the basics of water safety and sailing before they venture out onto the water.  Ben Nicholls, who is on the Guy Carpenter team and helped build the simulators, and said the on-land experience the students receive is not unlike the real thing.  "It is very similar," he said. "Apart from the fact that you don't have the waves splashing over you and the boat rocking back and forth. We picked middle schools that had a big, big playground. So they could charge around and not cause too much damage."  The Guy Carpenter team used both recycled material and new pieces of sailing equipment from the BSA and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club to construct the Opti Simulators to the design of Bermuda Opti Coach Paul Doughty.  Mr. Nicolls, who was in the British Olympic sailing team, said the project took several months to complete.  "It is surprising how long it takes," Mr. Nicolls said. "It is quite fiddly." Mr. Nicolls said he has heard several reports that other countries want to copy Bermuda's WaterWise programme.  The programme is now in its sixth year, with nearly 150 public school students involved. Many children are now taking these skills out on the water, and some are even going on to compete internationally.  One student from last year's programme, Dimitri Stevens, finished in 44th place in the South American Championships last March.  Read More

(Photo: Bermuda Sun)