Seaview, Isle of Wight · 16 May 2024
HRH The Princess Royal has taken to the waters off Seaview to watch primary school children learning to sail as part of a weekly programme of free tuition.
After visiting the Sea View Yacht Club and meeting members, The Princess Royal went afloat to see students from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Ryde enjoying training in small Pico sailing dinghies. After meeting the children as they de-rigged their boats on the beach, The Princess Royal officially opened the Sea View Yacht Club’s new training centre and boat park on Duver Road, Seaview.
All Olympians have to start somewhere!
HRH The Princess Royal
The Seaview Sailing Trust, founded by the Sea View Yacht Club in 2022, is a groundbreaking charitable programme providing Isle of Wight Year 5 primary school children with up to ten free sailing lessons during the summer term. In 2023 the Trust delivered 1,840 sailing lessons to 360 local children, with those numbers expected to grow for the 2024 season. A total of 14 schools from across the East Wight are now enrolled in the programme. Students work to achieve either Stage 1 or Stage 2 certification from the Royal Yachting Association.
The Sea View Yacht Club has been providing sailing opportunities to local school children for more than 25 years. The programme has evolved over the years, including enjoying support from four times Olympic sailing gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie.
Credit: Sea View Yacht Club
The Seaview Sailing Trust was formally set up as a charitable organisation in 2022 and has already raised £300,000 to fund the free training programmes. The Trust has ambitious plans to double the number of primary school children it teaches to sail every year from across the East Wight.
“They just gain in confidence, it’s pushing themselves, it’s doing something adventurous… The sense of achievement is absolutely wonderful.”
Jane Sandy — Year 5 Teacher, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Ryde“It was really fun to just see her and go sailing in the sea… I was extremely proud. She said that it was really good that we were doing this.”
Aimee Carter, aged 10 — St Mary’s Catholic Primary School“For such a young charity, this royal visit was an incredible honour… The Princess Royal left Seaview today with a real understanding of how these sailing lessons are transforming children’s lives — developing vital life skills such as confidence building, teamwork, as well as learning to sail.”
Andrea Minton Beddoes — Chair, Seaview Sailing Trust“This programme has turned a vision into a reality in a very short space of time… Sailing has huge potential for so many things — children learn teamwork, resilience, trying something new… this will have a positive impact on all these children.”
Sara Sutcliffe, CEO — Royal Yachting Association“It was fantastic for members of the club to see the Princess Royal and the CEO of the Royal Yachting Association really engaging with the programme we have put in place for Isle of Wight primary school children. It really is changing lives.”
Richard Dobbs — Commodore, Sea View Yacht Club
Photo credit: Sea View Yacht Club