Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia launches Youth Sailing Foundation

Setting a new course at the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia © CYCSA

The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia is very proud to announce the following to its members.

After considerable consultation, the Board has committed to a fleet of six medium size one design training Elliott 7 keelboats. The initiative involves robust junior, general training and corporate elements, enabling the Head Coach and Instructor team to foster continuous development of both participants and the program.

With programs due to commence in the spring of 2021, the CYCSA's Youth Sailing Foundation will introduce the next generation to the sport of sailing, develop their skills, and foster their progression into sailing champions of the future. Participants will also develop critical life skills such as planning, strategy and resilience - for the benefit of themselves, their team, and the broader community.

Dominic Rinaldi, President, the CYCSA says: "The introduction of the Youth Sailing Foundation is the culmination of more than a year's research, deliberation and work by the CYCSA, and represents our commitment to both the future of our sport and the youth of South Australia.

It is an industry leading program which will secure the future of sailing by making it more accessible to a diverse range of South Australians. It is representative of our mission to provide a pathway to introduce sailing, and its associated life skills, as well as the opportunity to propel our sailors to achieve success personally, nationally through competition, or as a window to future career option in the marine industry. As we proudly take delivery of the Elliott 7 keelboats and commence offering courses, we are both excited and confident about the benefits it will deliver. The Foundation will further cement our Clubs reputation as the States premier Yacht Club."

Outcomes and benefits of the Youth Sailing Foundation:

• Instil life-skills such as strategy, planning and resilience in young participants for a better community
• Introducing, and making sailing more accessible to a broader range of people including youth from all socio-economic backgrounds
• Provide a unique corporate recognition, team building and wellness program for employees of participating corporate sponsors and groups.
• Engender greater community recognition and participation in water based recreational activities
• Increase brand exposure and awareness of the CYCSA to a broader community.

Fleet usage will be across a range of sailing and training activities including:

• the Australian Sailing keelboat program
• match racing series, including reintroducing the Fred Neill Trophy for Interclub sailing
• Interschool Teams racing
• Interschools Match Racing Championship
• pathways for dinghy sailors into the sport of keelboat racing
• pathways to the sport of ocean racing
• continue to grow relationships with veteran groups and Invictus programs

The Foundation is generously supported by private and industry corporate sponsorships.