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Phuket Yacht Club, based at Ao Yon, near Cape Panwa, ran an intensive 10-day beginners Optimist sail training course, from 10th October - 19th October 2008, during the Thai school holidays. The last two days of the course included a regatta for the students, which was open to other Optimist sailors to enter. The course was free of charge and open to all Thai speaking children living on Phuket between the ages of 7 and 15. PYC has long been the most pro-active club on Phuket where junior sail training was concerned, but this course marked a new milestone in the club's achievement. It was the first time a yacht club in Phuket had worked together with the Royal Thai Navy and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand to bring a professionally-run intensive sail training course to Thai youngsters. Additional Optimist dinghies to bolster the PYC fleet were loaned to the club by the Navy and were transported from the Navy base at Sattahip especially for this course, as Katy the Club Secretary of the PYC told us:
Jaray Tipsuk led this training, supported by experienced instructors and Thai national sailors who flew from Sattahip to teach the intensive programme in the classroom and on the water. PYC provided all the logistics, including safety boats, as well as volunteers to administrate and assist with the programme.
We talked to a 10 year old boy Jamie from Darasamut School about what he enjoyed, and learnt:
We also have some nice aerial footage from Helicam taken during training and regatta (and the prize giving)
The club needed support from local marine and leisure businesses including Image Asia and Helicam and other interested and enthusiastic individuals. Expenses for running the event were estimated at approximately 175,000 Baht to cover boat transportation, instructors' fees, airfares and accommodation, fuel and general logistics costs. Katy thanked them for their support:
On October 23-26th, PYC will hold an advanced Optimist race training course for youngsters who can already sail an Optimist.
Finally PYC is putting together a Sunday sail training programme that will give the kids who have completed the intensive Beginners' course the opportunity to continue learning more about sailing. Too often the skills gained on these courses are lost through lack of opportunity to continue.
One of Phuket Yacht Club's goals is to train local youngsters to enter the National and World Optimist Championships and bring trophies back to Phuket as Katy concluded:
(For more info; contact Jaray Tipsuk (Thai speaking) on 081 858 9345 or the Club Secretary, Katy Gooch (English speaking), on tel. 085 215 9185 or email phuketyachtclub@gmail.com or see www.PhuketYachtClub.info )
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Teaching Kids How To Sail - Bennett Marine Videoby mediaversity10,298 views
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