The Isle of Wight Council-run Optimist Sailing Academy has got off to a flying start with 21 young and talented sailors taking part in the first training session.

Held at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club on 7th November, the young sailors aged between 8 and 15 were taken through their paces at the first training session. The day focused on boat handling skills, including tacking, gybing and speed control through a mixture of theory and on the water coaching.

The Academy’s four coaches John McLaughlin, Ed Chapman, James Tilley and Susie Moore (who set up the Academy), were impressed with the level of improvement made by those taking part during the day and described the sailors as a joy to coach.

The Royal Yachting Association’s High Performance Manager for the South and Southwest region, Chris Atherton said: “The training session was a big success, well done to everyone involved.”

Susie Moore, Isle of Wight Council’s Watersports Development Officer said:

“We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the Optimist Academy. We were blessed with glorious sunshine and perfect winds which brought smiles to the faces of all of the young people involved.

“There were some strong sailors out on the water that look like good candidates for the World Island Youth Games sailing team next year and beyond.”

The next session of the Academy will take place on Saturday 19th December, with 38 young people taking part.

Training sessions will take place on:

Saturday 19th December 2009

Saturday 23rd January 2010

Saturday 6th February 2010

Saturday 6th March 2010

Saturday 17th April 2010

It costs £25 per training session.

To find out more about Optimist sailing visit www.optimistsailing.org.uk

To find out more about the council’s sports unit visit www.iwight.com/sportsunit