When the word “yacht” is used, most people imagine the floating palace of the oligarch. But sailing is much more affordable than it sounds. Nowadays, renting a boat in Moscow is no more difficult than renting a bicycle. The cost of several hours of sports recreation under sail with an instructor at one of the Moscow reservoirs is from 3 to 5 thousand rubles. True, we are talking about rest - in order to feel at least a cabin boy, you need to learn something.
How to start sailing? There are several ways to do this. The first is to take part in one of the amateur regattas, which are held two to three times a year off the coast of Turkey, Croatia, Holland and other countries. The cost of such a holiday is quite comparable to the price of a Turkish all-inclusive tour package. You can come to the regatta without any experience at all. But if you do not want to risk a week or two of vacation, then it is better to choose a different path - first go to a sailing school at your place of residence.
Go there better in winterso as not to waste precious time and to be fully prepared by the summer season. The theoretical course lasts 3-4 months, classes are held, as a rule, once a week. This is followed by a mandatory workshop - usually in the same Turkey or Croatia. The cost of training together with an internship is about 70 thousand rubles. The result - and the ability to rent a boat for coastal sailing anywhere in the world. But even with the right to overestimate your strengths and immediately enroll in a race or pave a difficult route for the season. It is better to walk first in a clewed carriage, that is, to learn how to perfectly work with ropes and sails, obeying the commands of the skipper.
The easiest way to go sailing and gain experience is to find a yacht club in your area. It is easy to do this - if there is a reservoir and sails are visible on it, then for sure races are held here and those who wish are trained.
The main places for sailing in Moscow are the Khimkinskoye, Klyazminskoye and Pirogovskoye reservoirs. The yacht clubs PIRogovo, Hals, Vodnik, Orekhovaya Bukhta, Royal Yacht Club and others work for them. The clubs have yacht rentals and sailing schools. Full list proven places where you will learn to sail can be found on the website of the All-Russian Sailing Federation rusyf.ru.
You can develop endlessly in sailing. Some, having mastered the management of a yacht, buy their own and use it as a floating dacha, paying in the cold season for parking in one of the Mediterranean marinas. Others fall forever in love with the excitement of racing and participate in amateur regattas - they recruit their teams, design uniforms and hunt for cups around the world. Still others - there are surprisingly many of them - abandon their usual life altogether and move to the boat with the whole family. But the first step is the same for everyone - it is a step from land to board, and in order to take it, you don't have to travel across the seven seas.
Director of Public Relations of the All-Russian Sailing Federation Alexey Zhirov is sure: sailing sport will do not only for adults:
« It is not for nothing that this type is called "chess on the water". The skipper must know hydrodynamics, meteorology, must feel how the wind blows, how the wave affects the side of the boat, must be able to calculate the distance at sea and plan a strategy in the race.
As he learns, the child learns all this. And yet these classes very much develop independence: when he comes to school, a mama's son changes beyond recognition in 2-3 months - in better side, sure.
There are now about 10 sailing schools around Moscow where you can send your child. There is no such frenzied competition as in tennis or hockey, so the child feels comfortable and can quickly reach serious heights. A boy can be sent to such a school from the age of 7-8, a girl a little later. The average age of beginners is 10 years.
What do you need? In large sailing schools there are classes in the pools, but in general it is very desirable that the child already knows how to swim well. Training costs about 5 thousand rubles a month, it is year-round - in summer practice on the water and competitions, in winter general physical training and theoretical studies. Boats and life jackets, as a rule, are provided by schools, you only need to buy equipment yourself - it will cost 10-30 thousand rubles.
Don't be afraid to scare your child. No one will immediately put him on a racing yacht - the coaches take the children out on boats, let them get used to open water... And only then the training on the boat of the "Optimist" class begins - these are such tiny boats for one person. Everything olympic champions started with them».
Nothing beats the thrill of self-driving a sailboat at the age of nine. Cycling is one thing. Skillful yacht handling and self-mooring are completely different. Any physical activity helps a child to develop, but sailing undoubtedly provides a child with the most varied training. I celebrated this for ten years while I worked as a children's coach. But I'm not the only one, my students have confirmed this over and over again.
2. Spatial thinking
When children learn how to steer a yacht in tight, winding aisles, when they learn to avoid collisions, skillfully approach the bank or squeeze the start line in competition, they develop spatial thinking, which in turn will give them the necessary confidence in any activity that requires coordination. For example, in driving.
3. Sense of direction
When I was 10 years old, I trained all week as part of a group, and then went out on the water on my own on weekends. I took food with me and on my Optimist went out for a couple of hours to explore the surroundings. I am sure that it was these independent exits that gave me good orientation skills. Memorizing the direction from where I left, landmarks on the ground, and understanding how to get back - all this rapidly formed my self-awareness. This experience helps a lot to navigate in space.
4. Understanding weather conditions
Do you know where the lightning front usually comes from? You know what the water temperature is in May near Long Island Sound. If your child is sailing, he or she knows for sure. Knowledge of weather conditions comes naturally both on the water and on the shore.
5. The habit of order
Sailing school students learn to independently arm and disarm a sailboat. Children learn to put the weapons in place and to properly tune the sail of the sailing dinghy when going out on the water. A dad or mom cannot give their child these skills. Longshore Sailing School even instituted a prize for the correct maintenance of the yacht and sailing equipment, for each group of students to develop this important skill. So if your kids are not on the water yet, give them a try.
Five More Reasons Why Kids Should Go Sailing
Five years ago, in the final issue of the Water Views blog, I wrote a post titled 5 Reasons Why Your Kids Should Sail. This post was then widely distributed around the world and by various yacht clubs and regional and national publications.
Indeed, the topic is very important. But I only touched the visible part of the tip of the iceberg. In my trips, I have collected a few more additional reasons. Below are five qualities that a true young yachtsman acquires that are just as important as the previous five.
1. Endurance
Ever competed in the Optimists Race on Long Island Sound in April? All the children who race in them are really strong and hardened. The weather can be very changeable, but the children did not come for their hot chocolate and hamburger for lunch, they came to compete, they do not complain about difficulties. After the races are over, they will put their boats away before changing clothes and getting warm.
2. Responsibility
Self-steering of a yacht develops in a child a sense of responsibility for all his actions, it is unlikely that he or she will be able to understand what responsibility is before obtaining a driver's license. Children who sail for pleasure or young riders must constantly monitor the situation and must be independently responsible for all their possible mistakes.
3. Ability to anticipate the result
The fine tuning and adjustment of the sail and other components of a sailing yacht have a definite effect on the results of the races; this important quality develops as a result of sailing. The ability to control many different parameters then positively affects the performance in school, in business and in life.
4. Courage
Young sailors push the threshold of fear. Most children are afraid to roll over on a sailing dinghy, especially until this happens to them. Many are afraid of strong winds. They roll over anyway and still go out to train in stormy weather. It’s the coach’s job to control the situation, but in the end, the children manage to overcome the fear.
5. Patience
Spending a whole day waiting for the wind to fill the sails requires incredible patience and endurance. I talked with my parents, who were tormented all day waiting for the end of the races and tormented themselves with thoughts of what else could be done today, but the young sailors are well prepared. Waiting for the weather to improve is part of sailing. As an example, I want to cite one of the Optimists regattas, when in two racing days there were only 90 minutes suitable for racing. All the children endured it. Can a team of twelve-year-old footballers show such patience?
Daniela Clarke is a blogger who writes with John Cantor, founder of the Longshore sailing school in Westport. Westport, CT and Greenwich Community Sailing in Old Greenwich, CT Blog Title Water Views. She is also a professional yacht photographer and co-owner of the site. PhotoBoat.com. together with her husband Alain Clark.
Historically, sailing has appeared in countries where water bodies - oceans, seas, large rivers and lakes - played an important role. It is often called differently - yachting or sailing. As for yachting, it appeared at the very end of the 16th century in Holland, the great maritime power of the late Middle Ages. A few decades later, a new hobby was discovered by the noble British, in particular, King Charles II Stuart. And in the Russian Empire, the first prototype of the yacht club was opened in St. Petersburg - it's easy to guess!
Nowadays, not only aristocrats and "sea wolves" can sail against the wind under sails, but also the guys of our city who love aquatic species sports and ready to diversify their lives. Experienced masters and mentors working in clubs and specialized sections will help young romantics in this. More recently, the discipline "catamaran", which is part of sailing, has been included in the Olympic program.
In addition to being fun, this activity is also very beneficial for health, develops both physical qualitiesas well as personal and psychological. A strong, hardy, brave and active person, not afraid of water and trials - this is a real yachtsman and a future sailing ace - and regardless of gender: he is attractive for both boys and girls.
"Children" and "adult" yachts: are there any differences?
Children who have just started sailing usually practice on dinghy. This small boat can accommodate a maximum of two people. Unlike an "adult" or real yacht, it does not have a keel: instead, a centerboard is used, which gave the "workhorse" its name. But the main difference between yachts for children and boats for adults is sailing. In other words, the area of \u200b\u200bthe sails. It is easier to handle a yacht, the above value of which is small. Even in the rights that certify which ships a person can operate, the sail area is recorded. For example, a class 2 helmsman is allowed to "deal" with a yacht with a sail of up to 22 sq. m.
How to equip someone who goes sailing
Almost every sports discipline requires a uniform or equipment. Sailing is no exception. Not every beginner who comes to a yacht club knows exactly how to dress and what to take with you before your first boat trip. Let's start with the clothes. It should be waterproof and comfortable. At the same time, the task of equipment is to protect against ultraviolet radiation, and this must also be foreseen. It is best to buy more than one set of forms - when one is in action, others, for example, can dry. Sunscreen should be applied to the skin if the weather is hot. Comfortable sunglasses are also helpful.
Dear friends!
We invite your children to the children's sailing "School of Young Captains".
The school program is designed for children aged 7-16 years. Classes begin on May 1st and run until August 30th. The lesson program is designed for children of different ages and levels of training. Classes are conducted by experienced sailing trainers, Yulia Skachkova: profile v and Denis Simanovich
Lesson schedule from Monday to Friday:
10:00 - Charging;
09:30 - Studying the material and sailing on the water under the guidance of a coach on Optimist yachts;
13:00 - Lunch;
14:00 - Hour of rest;
15:00 - Second training session;
16:30 – Game practice;
17:00 - Departure;
We strive not only to teach children how to sail, but to make them feel the romance of life on the sea wave, learn the history of navigation, and feel like participants in historical events.
How are sailing ships arranged and why do they move without a motor? How did the invention of the sail change the world? Why were sailors astronauts of the past? How did sailing ships help make the world as we know it today?
During these holidays, children grow up, gain self-confidence, new experience and knowledge, temper their character, take part in fun games, become the soul of the company of real sea wolves and go to new shores!
Shower, dining room indoors.
Safety:
Our school will do to you if your child can swim and has no medical restrictions for sailing.
Trainings are conducted only in safe weather conditions, at a safe distance from the coast. On the water, children are dressed in life jackets (international standard ISO 12402-S), yachts are equipped with buoyancy elements, the coach's motor boat is equipped with all the necessary life props, which are completed daily before going out on the water. The first lesson is dedicated to water safety.