SEAMANSHIP

11 / 07 / 06

Ooh Argh! Get trained for life before the mast

By Peter Fryer

Association of Sail Training Organisations

Sail training for young people is fun, an opening to adventure and discovery all over the world. Even disabled people can learn.
Picture: www.asto.org.uk

Aye, me hearties! Keel haul the poop deck! Batten down the bosun! This is an unashamed sales pitch for getting yourself trained for the sea with the adventure of a life time - at your local RYA facility or through any one of the terrific world-class operations that are members of ASTO.

The professionals

ASTO? Sounds like supermarket chain doesn't it? In a way it is, because the Association of Sail Training Organisations are the co-ordinating people for just about every nautical school in the country, from the big to the small, all of them very professional. The full list of members is like a sailing Who's Who. Any one of them owns its own sail training vessel run to MCA codes and standards. Which means enrolling represents a combination of hard work and pure fun, guiding you to becoming a confident and capable sailor, at home on the sea and well able to take care of yourself.

Anyone can learn

What's great about it is that anyone can learn - there are no restrictions, which makes it fantastic for young people to discover something about themselves, meet new friends and have a whale of a time. If you want a swash-buckling experience, clambering over a square-rigged ship as you get yourself trained, that's possible - round Britain or even in the sunny Caribbean.

MCA standards

Is it dangerous? Look, this is the sea we're talking about, there's always an element of danger around. But going to sea is hazardous only if you don't know what you're doing. Understanding it, and feeling at one with it, is to open yourself to the greatest experience on earth. Yes, the sea is unpredictable - against that, every training vessel, every procedure for navigating it, and every person who instructs you is subject to careful and strict safety standards laid down by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and ASTO itself. Which means you're working directly with the people who set the rules in the first place.

This could be you! Sail training courses last from a few days to weeks at a time. Choose one that feels like you.
Picture: www.asto.org.uk

Choose your ship!

How does it work? Well, you can find out by going to your nearest RYA centre. The easy way to find yours is at www.rya.org.uk. The fun way is to think about the kind of vessel you would like to train on - sailing dinghy or square-rigged barque - and make your choice from there. Here's a starter list:

Adventures Offshore
two 50ft Bermudan ketches

Carolina House Trust
6-berth sloop

Cirdan Sailing Trust
Baltic trader, Thames barge, Edwardian cruiser, fishing trawler, Bermudan ketch

Clyde Sailing Trust
40ft Bermudan sloop

Dauntsey's School
75ft gaff cutter

Discovery Sailing Project
45ft Bermudan cutter, 26ft Bermudan sloop

East Coast Sail Trust
92ft spritsail barge

Excelsior Trust
108ft fishing trawler

Fairbridge
92ft gaff schooner

Gordonstoun School
80ft Bermudan ketch

Jubilee Sailing Trust
180ft barque, 215ft barque

London Sailing Project
three Bermudan ketches

Mayflower Sail Training Society
75ft gaff ketch

Meridian Trust Association
Two Bermudan sloops, Sir Alec Rose's historic Lively Lady yacht

Morning Star Trust
62ft gaff ketch, Bermudan sloop

Ocean Youth Trust - Ireland
70ft Bermudan ketch, 55ft Bermudan ketch

Ocean Youth Trust - North East
70ft Bermudan ketch

Ocean Youth Trust - North West
75ft gaff ketch

Ocean Youth Trust - Scotland
70ft Bermudan ketch, 42ft Bermudan sloop

Ocean Youth Trust - South
70ft Bermudan ketch

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets
100ft brig, 78ft motorship, two 35ft Bermudan cutters

Swan Trust
70ft gaff ketch

Tall Ships Youth Trust
two 200ft brigs

Trinity Sailing Foundation
80ft gaff ketch, 70ft gaff ketch, 40ft gaff ketch

To find the link for any of these, visit the ASTO site at www.asto.org.uk.

Now get out there and have a ball!

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