All Afloat is a RYA Cymru Wales-affiliated charity aiming to give children who have not had any exposure to sailing the opportunity to develop new skills and take up this exciting sport. Though All Afloat, RYA Cymru Wales hopes to get every child that takes part hooked on sport for life, all through sailing. All Afloat sessions are run all across Wales, but I have only been involved at the small base of Gresford Sailing Club.
I joined the All Afloat team in 2021 as an instructor and, to this day, it is one of the most rewarding things I have been part of. I have always had a passion for coaching and offering my time to help people learn and grow, so for me All Afloat offers something special.
This was my second All Afloat session for 2023 and the day looked slightly different as I would be working with children who had disabilities this session, some physical, some emotional or behavioural. Gresford is a great club and has a small fleet of boats called Hansas. These are perfect boats for children who struggle with balance or depth perception and are great because the likelihood of ending up in the water is really low. This really helps calm the children down as the fear of falling in the water is a large part of the anxiety surrounding trying sailing.
One of my favourite things to do on sessions like this is to get in the Hansa with the children. This really fills them with confidence and I think it’s the best way to teach them (it’s also a lot of fun as an instructor!). These days are definitely challenging, however I think this makes them all the more worthwhile. Going out on the water when it’s not a familiar environment can be a scary thing, so part of my job is teaching the kids how to be safe and enjoy being around the water. It's really rewarding seeing so much growth and expression come out of these sessions.
One of the children that took part was a really nervous girl; she was adamant that she was not coming out on the water. All the coaches tried to convince her but we weren’t really getting anywhere. Then her two best friends came up and told her how amazing the session on the water was and how she needed to come out. After a bit of persuasion from them we got her in a Hansa and she LOVED it. Seeing the personal growth from her, starting off so shy and passive, to sailing around a course while smiling and laughing was so inspiring.
I know I’m very lucky with the sailing that I get to do, so giving back to the sport and getting children out on the water who wouldn’t ordinarily have the chance to sail is something I will keep doing!
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