The Point Chevalier Sailing Club runs learn to sail programs for kids, teenagers and adults, catering to beginners through to skilled sailors.

The beginner courses follow the Yachting New Zealand Learn to Sail syllabus. The first level is called LTS1. The programs develop into groups for intermediate sailors (LTS2) and racers (LTS3 / LTR).

The next classes will run from Monday 5 February to Friday 12 April. The courses are run after school or work on a week day (4:30pm start). We will have beginner classes Mondays to Fridays, during the enrolment process you can indicate which day would be your preference.

Please review the following information and follow the registration link to enrol. If you have any remaining questions, please mail pcsc.sailing@gmail.com

You’ll learn how to sail a dinghy. Each session will have a briefing before and after and we will work on all the things you need to know to be able to control your vessel confidently. If the weather is bad we’ll be learning how to tie knots, and we’ll go over things like tides, wind, and boat setup. The idea is to have fun and gain confidence.

We recommend 9 as a minimum starting age. The sailors need to be old enough to handle some adversity - it can challenging learning a new skill. They also need to be big enough to get the boat back up the right way after a capsize. And they need to be pretty comfortable in the water and be able to swim. They’ll always be wearing a buoyancy aid.

For adults we have boats suitable for people up to about 100kg.

PCSC has boats available for hire for the learn to sail courses. Initially children will start sailing in Optimists. Adults will sail Lasers and Splashes. We have a number of different types of boat to suit different sized sailors.

After the first term of sailing, it is preferable to own your own boat. If you want to purchase a dinghy we can give advice.

After gaining some experience sailors can join the learn to race classes.

This leads to an organised race program that takes place on Sundays so you can have fun and put it all into practice.

Over summer we have put on trips from Pt Chev across the harbour to other beaches and back or from other places around the harbour back to Pt Chev.

Any sailors who can sail confidently are welcome to join these.

Parent help is important to the success of the LTS program. You don't need to be a sailor to make a difference. We need parents/partners to coach (ask about becoming YNZ certified), help crew safety boats, monitor the sign in/out sheet, bring up trolleys, hose down boats, put gear away, monitor kids to make sure boats are packed up properly, and offer encouragement.