Seaview Sailing Trust · Isle of Wight

What We Do Allowing Isle of Wight children to explore freedom on the water

Our Story

From 1 school to
an island-wide ambition

The Seaview Sailing Trust grew out of a schools sailing programme started in 2017 by Sea View Yacht Club. The initial programme provided 15 places for 10 weeks during the summer term to Year 5 students from Nettlestone Primary School. This proved so successful that requests soon followed from other schools. The early year were funded by generous members of the Sea View Yacht Club along with external funders including Sir Ben Ainslie’s 1851 Foundation.

As the programme grew, the decision was made to establish an independent registered charity — ensuring transparent governance, dedicated fundraising, and long-term sustainability. The Trust was formally incorporated in 2022. Sea View Yacht Club remains a close partner, with its Commodore sitting on the Trust’s board.

Our bold goal

The first county in the UK to offer sailing to an entire year group

By 2027, every Year 5 child across all 37 Isle of Wight primary schools will learn to sail — free of charge, as part of their school curriculum. No other county in the UK has ever achieved this.

2022 Trust incorporated. Programme begins with East Wight schools at Sea View Yacht Club

2025 723 children taught. 20 schools participate. 4446 individual lessons delivered – 30% growth on previous year

2026 West Wight schools join via a new partnership with UKSA in Cowes. 31 of 37 Isle of Wight primary schools taking part

2027 Target: all 37 primary schools participate. Every Year 5 child on the island learns to sail

The Programme

RYA-certified. Free. Part of the school day.

We fund free sailing lessons for Year 5 children (aged 9–10), delivered by qualified RYA instructors. Each child receives between five and ten weekly three-hour sessions during the summer term, working towards an official RYA Dinghy Stage 1 or Stage 2 certificate.

Children arrive by school bus and take to the water in small dinghies, supported by instructors who adapt every session to the group’s needs. Many are nervous at first — by the final session, the smiles say everything.

Until recently, children from the western side of the island were unable to join — the journey to Seaview was simply too far. In 2026, a new partnership with UKSA in Cowes solves this, bringing the same programme to West Wight schools for the first time.

Our Partners

Two world-class sailing providers.
One island-wide programme.

Sea View Yacht Club

Seaview · Central & East Wight

SVYC has been the home of the programme since 2017. Its training facilities in Seaview serve children from Central and East Wight schools. The club provides instructors, boats, and infrastructure that make the programme possible.

UKSA (UK Sailing Academy)

Cowes · West Wight · From 2026

UKSA is one of the world’s leading maritime training organisations. From 2026, UKSA instructors deliver the same programme, to the same standard, for children from West Wight schools — solving the distance barrier that previously excluded half the island.

Beyond the Programme

£1 a session.
Because passion — not price
— is the only barrier.

For children who discover a real love of sailing, our responsibility doesn’t end when the programme does. Our Saturday Club at Sea View Yacht Club gives children the chance to carry on sailing for just £1 per session — a deliberately low barrier.

In 2026, we are also working with 1st Bembridge, St Helens and Seaview Sea Scout Group to open further opportunities for children who have completed our programme. We are always looking for new partnerships and pathways — because a child who falls in love with the sea at ten deserves every chance to stay connected to it.

“

Nothing’s impossible — we might just need to move the goalposts a little to make it possible.

Jon Curtis — SVYC Sailing Director

Inclusion

No child left on the shore

We are committed to making sailing available to every child, regardless of background, ability or need. The Isle of Wight has the highest proportion of children with Special Educational Needs in the country, and the highest percentage of children with Education, Health and Care Plans.

We work hard to ensure our programme is genuinely inclusive. Our facilities at Sea View Yacht Club are being improved — including a new access ramp and accessible changing area — so that no child’s experience of the sea is limited by circumstance.

See our full impact →

Help Us Reach Every Child

Every £40 you give funds a full day of sailing for one child — sessions that can open a world that was previously out of reach.