Parkstone YC is an RYA Champion Club and an RYA On Board scheme club with a large youth fleet with approximately 300 members, comprising of sailors from age 6 (and under) up to the age of 21.
There are in excess of 160 youth dinghies at the Club - the main boats sailed being: AB's, Toppers,Cadets, Laser Radials, 420's. New fleets added in 2004 were the Laser 4.7's and RS200.
We aim to excite all our young people with the fun of sailing and then to allow them to develop their skills through structured training with RYA qualified instructors, exploring a wide range of modern and affordable dinghies as their age and competence develops. The club is an approved RYA Training Establishment.
Starting off
The AB's tend to be a boat very much for the younger sailors where they are  able to gain confidence, experience and learn the fundamentals of sailing. The AB and other learning fleets enjoy a very safe sailing environment with their own dedicated safety and instructors' boats and dedicated racing courses. There is a fleet of over 70 at Parkstone Yacht Club.
OnBoard
For young people (<12) with no family membership or other sailing opportunities the Club is the first South Coast location of the RYA OnBoard scheme. Up to 20 OnBoard members will be able to sail and get RYA qualified instruction on a dedicated fleet of Laser Pico's. For more details go to the PYC OnBoard page.
Developing....
When the youth sailors have outgrown the AB they will usually opt for the Cadet or Topper.
Toppers will attract those who wish to sail single-handed, whereas the Cadet is a 3 sail boat sailed by 2 sailors, which gives the opportunity to learn about spinnakers and encourages teamwork.
and widening choices
 At the present time most Topper and Cadet sailors will progress to either the Laser Radial, Laser 4.7 or the 420. These classes offer increasingly powerful boats for both the single hander and full crews to develop their skills. In 2008 and 2009 we have progressed the youth RS200 fleet, giving the option of two-handed asymmetric spinnaker dinghy.
Racing
All the Youth Classes have an active racing programme throughout the year. Sunday mornings being the principal time for the youth racing. Cadets and Toppers also race on Friday evenings after roughly an hour of race training. For the most competitive these classes open the door to regional and national regattas and access for the successful to join RYA coaching squads.
Further coaching
The Classes have training/coaching events, some of which are carried out 'in house'. Training sessions are also organised with RYA coaches or experts from the classes' National Associations.
The highlight of the year for our younger members is Parkstone's Youth Week. In 2010 it runs from 1st to 6th August , for which there is a total programme of racing and entertainment, as well a class start for Pico sailing for OnBoard members from local clubs. Click here for more details.
Social events
On the lighter side the Youth Section enjoy picnic races, BBQ's, camping weekends, etc. Each class holds an Annual Dinner, usually at the Club House, followed by entertainment.
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