Olympic gold medallists drop in to give some one-to-one coaching to OnBoard youngsters
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Personal Watercraft
Article Date: 2008-09-16
View Count: 457
It looked as though the British weather was with those eight lucky youngsters who signed up for the RYA’s OnBoard try sailing sessions on the 13th September at the PSP Southampton Boat Show. Those eight were joined by Olympic gold medallists Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson for some one-to-one coaching.
Having opened the show 12th September, Iain and Andrew joined the excited youngsters, all eager to give sailing a go, on the RYA stand where they had a quick safety briefing before hitting the water.
Ten year old Caitlin Dally from Titchfield couldn’t believe her luck being paired up with Andrew in her Laser Pico: “It was a complete surprise meeting Andrew and it was really fun as he taught me how to go faster. I definitely want to do more – I loved it.”
Caitlin’s older sister Nicole sailed with Iain who gave her some top Olympic insider tips: “Iain showed me how to keep my sailing smooth and do quick turns so we could beat my sister!”
The RYA’s Onboard scheme seeks to make sailing more accessible by linking sailing clubs with schools and youth groups to set up more sailing sessions for kids. Iain Percy explains; “The RYA’s OnBoard scheme is really important to me and Bart (Andrew). Sailing has been our passion since we were kids and having schemes like OnBoard available to youngsters’ means even more kids have access to this great sport and helps them develop the same passion we have.”
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