Irish National Sailing School
February Mid-Term (7-10 Years)
Overview
- Watching youngsters grow in confidence as they master the art of sailing is one of the great rewards for us. Our courses will entertain, challenge and stimulate your children as they learn how to master a sailing dinghy afloat – and have fun along the way.Students are assigned to groups according to their age, as years of experience has taught us that the children get the most out of the course when training with their peers. Students are grouped according to their ages. Within these groups the students are then sub divided according to their experience.We provide all essential gear for the course, boats and buoyancy aids, while wetsuits can be borrowed for the week. Our instructors are very experienced, we have a modern clubhouse facility with changing rooms and are fully insured. We have an excellent safety record and pride ourselves on our superb reputation.
2024 Course Dates
Here’s the schedule of our 2024 Children’s Sailing. Courses run Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm each day. We’re open for drop off from 8.30am each day of the course.
February Mid-Term
- February Mid-Term Course: Monday 12th to Friday 16th February
The course fees are €199 per person.
Bookings
We’ll open bookings this month. You can be added to our bookings notification list here:
What to Bring
- Old Trainers / Wetsuit Booties / Crocs (flip flops are not suitable for the activity)
- Raincoat/waterproof jacket to wear over wetsuit
- Change of Clothes
- Hat and Sun cream
- Swimming Togs (to be worn under wetsuit) and Towel
- Wetsuit – can be rented from us (see below)
- T-Shirt and Sweatshirt, warm jumper for lunchtimes
- Packed Lunch and water. We are a nut free sailing school, nut products must not be brought in.
- Plastic bag for the wet wetsuit if your child is planning to change
- Logbook (Optional) – Logbooks – A Guide for Parents
Wetsuits
Wetsuits are available to rent for the course for €20 per week.
Collection occurs after registration on the first morning of the course and drop back at the end of the course.
For children aged 7-10 years who need help from parents to get into/out of wetsuits we will allow collection of wetsuits throughout the week preceding the course. Please email us if this is required for your child.
Got your own wetsuit?
If a child is bringing their own wetsuit, please note wetsuits must be long sleeved and long legged. Shortie wetsuits are not suitable for the Irish weather!
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Competent Crew Course - Excellent Instructor - Having done a few courses with the INSS over the summer of 2023, and some sailing on the Mediterranean, doing the Competent Crew course with others who were doing the Day Skipper course at the same time was the highlight of my time learning how to sail. The reason it was the highlight was largely due to the course instructor Shona O'Dowd (I made certain to get her full name before leaving to give her the credit she deserved). Huge knowledge and experience mixed with a great attitude, with friendliness, patience and approachability making Shona stand out and make each day of the course something to look forward to regardless of weather or experience level. Shona guided practical use of all facets of sailing knowledge excellently and never micromanaged or tried to exert too much control, thereby never limiting the learning that can take place for students.
This teaching style is difficult to find, having seen a variety of instructors and their styles, in different countries and even within the INSS, and so you will be very lucky if you get Shona on your boat when it comes your turn to learn the ropes (literally). All in all, the Competent Crew course was very enjoyable, and I just wanted to give credit where it was due.
20/08/2023 -
Great sailing school in the tidal waters of Dublin Bay - I have just done the RYA Competent Crew course here, five-days aboard the 36-foot Beaufort Venture under the guidance of instructor Gary Curran. The whole week surpassed my expectations, and I cannot praise Gary's teaching style highly enough. We covered the syllabus with clear, safety-focused instructions, followed by lots of hands-on practice. He was patient when things didn't always go right first time, and challenged us to step up our skills when he thought we were ready. We got lots and lots of sailing in conditions ranging from 10 to 30 knots of wind, and the Beaufort Venture is a comfortable and forgiving boat to sail. I won't name check my wonderful shipmates, but I can say that after this week of instruction and encouragement I've raised my sailing ambitions to a higher level. The INSS under Kenny Rumball are super-well organised, and supported us with all the advice, equipment, clothing and food we needed. A great week, and I strongly recommend the INSS to anyone wanting to start sailing or to build their skills.
01/07/2017