A group of Swansea schoolchildren got the chance to experience life on the ocean waves as it was in the 19th century, thanks to a scheme to encourage youngsters to take up the sport.
The OnBoard scheme is designed to give children the opportunity to try sailing for the first time, but normally it is in small, modern dinghies. However one group got to try the historic Bristol Pilot Cutter Morwenna in the waters of Swansea Bay.
The 19th century Pilot Cutters race every year and this time round the event was held in Swansea. As part of that event a group of primary and secondary schoolchildren were given the chance to try the very different form of sailing.
“Swansea Museum's boat Olga was not in good enough condition to race, but the skipper from the Bristol Pilot Cutters Association organised the chance for these children to go on one of the boats after they had finished racing,” explained Welsh Sailing development officer Tom Herbert-Evans.
“The kids loved it, it was something really different for them to do and gave them a real taste of what sailing used to be like.
“It was a brilliant experience and the first time they had been on a big boat like that, normally they sail little dinghies.
“There were a lot of different skills to see, it went much slower and seeing the traditional methods of stuff such as hauling the sails up and down.
“It was a really good contrast from the old to the new and a good chance to learn about it all. The whole experience was brilliant.”
The children were between the ages of eight and fourteen, from primary and secondary schools in the Swansea area, who had been taking part in the OnBoard scheme to learn to sail.
Run by the RYA, OnBoard is a grass roots programme which introduces sailing and windsurfing to young people aged 8 to 18, through schools, youth groups and training centres.
Over a ten year period OnBoard aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing and windsurfing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track.
For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit the RYA’s website www.rya.org.uk or the OnBoard website www.ruob.co.uk.