We are planning to head to Melville Sunday afternoon to take the kids sailing and have a SUP sail too. If you have mini sailors too, why not come along so they can all sail together

Hi there!

I can´t make it this Sunday nor next weekend, but I´d be interested in joining if you repeat this in the future. I just bought gear for my 5.5y.o. daughter and would be nice if she sees other kids like her practicing.... usually we go to Safety Bay but would mind going up to Melvile once or twice.

Send me a msg if you go the weekend of the 23rd or the 30th ...

will do. We might even do a road trip to safety bay.

Tim, I'm keen. What time were you thinking of getting there?

about 2pm

Good to see so many little tackers out there today!

Hi- I missed the post when it came out but I would be keen to join in with my 2 kids so would love to hear about any future sessions- we normally sail at melville or safety bay.

+1 for getting the kids into it. It's great to see all the young ones on the water, seems to be a lot more kids learning these days. I have 3 kids 2 of which are close to being water wise enough and able to swim reasonably well.
are there any clubs that do kid days / events ?
i would be keen to bring my kids along to any days like that. I have an 8.5 SUP that I took for a little cruise on the weekend that maybe good for kids. Mine aren't up for handling a sail or anything yet but it would to bring them along for a ride to get a taste and see other kids windsurfing.

Hopefully this is the start of something for kids events.

WWA has been kicking around ideas and concepts for several years but kids are a tough market. Small guys like my own kids just want to have fun and will only last 30 minutes on the water until they want to build a sand castle. Then we have a couple kids who are into waves and beyond so there is a huge skills gap.

What is everyone's take on what is needed to get kids AND families onto the water.

Where does WWA fit into the equation remember there is only a tiny core group running the committee?

For me the big one is getting keen Mum's and Dad's on the water too so they will take the kids to the beach/river. Any gathering needs to be timed and located so there is conditions that keep the whole family happy.

We will be at Coronations this weekend and the kids gear is in the ute ready to go. Probably way too much wind but we will see what happens.

Other clubs around……. that I have had contact with…..fund raise or get sponsors or just ask for freebies from peoples garages… and put together a range of big boards, sups with sails on the front and have an open club day once or twice a month at a set location thats safe……. which they promote……… that gets people along to have a go….. at no cost and raises awareness about the sport………… lots of families come and have a go………….

The next thing I saw work amazingly well was a holiday camp over the break….. this was for kids in the 14 to 18 age group……. which was actually started in the last term of the school year…… kids could join up and come every weekend in the afternoons ……… as a group they were mentored by some willing individual, or individuals….. talks…. trips. gear help through the club…... and as their skills progressed they could sail in a variety of locations fantastic idea/ great for kids that don't have parents that can't support/ take them for a range of reasons and so empowering for the young ones……… from what I can tell there is so much gear in WA…….. and so much wind…… needs commitment from a club….. and a few mean parents/ teachers. If this is already helping let me know as I would be happy to help……...

Do we have to replace the ........ with our own words, or is your keyboard broken?

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westozwind said..
Do we have to replace the ........ with our own words, or is your keyboard broken?

A bit cryptic isn't it

To answer the WSWA part (bit late I know)
What is everyone's take on what is needed to get kids AND families onto the water.

Up until this year, I was a member WSWA, however, I never entered any events, and actually don't get involved in any at all. Went to the odd seasonal start or ending function, but wasn't too enthused whether I went or not (rather dull I know)
Right now I am getting our Grand-kids into windsurfing, and any options for gear usage would be an advantage. By that I mean gear to suit kids between 7 years and 14 years. Have just purchased a JP Funster, but the next step is some sail gear to suit, and that a headache in itself, as 3-4 meter sails for leaning plus mast are difficult to locate, unless you want to fork out some readies for new kit that in the end will be out modded quickly .
Have the normal "kids rig" 1 and 1.5 meter sails and kit,but these soon be come out modded for the older three of the group.

So access to gear through WSWA would be attractive, and even skills sessions by some skilled members for kids also an attractive option.
Scheduled lessons through the windsurfing school, I felt were fantastic, however it was a big hole in my pocket for the group. Yes I know thats what Grandparents are for, but it is a gamble, pay for lessons then see who wants to keep going. Could be just an ugly exercise, if the kids chuck in the towel.
Fortunately the three are still keen, and the little blighters pick up skills way faster than us ol bastards

So access to kit would be good through WSWA.
And no, I cant access the time to serve on the comity, before somebody throws in that as an answer.

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mineral1 said..
Have just purchased a JP Funster, but the next step is some sail gear to suit, and that a headache in itself, as 3-4 meter sails for leaning plus mast are difficult to locate, unless you want to fork out some readies for new kit that in the end will be out modded quickly .
Have the normal "kids rig" 1 and 1.5 meter sails and kit,but these soon be come out modded for the older three of the group.

Where does all of the kids gear go? Prior to christmas was looking around for the 1-1.5 meter sails and couldn't find anything on the second hand market.
Ended up buying new but was told by the salesman that he sold around 400 in the previous year. Not sure if he was overstating his salesmanship abilities but in any case where are all of these kids rigs? It would seem to me that these size sails are something that would quickly be superseded as the kids developed.

The idea of having kids gear available has been discussed at length within the committee. What are people's thoughts on how best to make gear available?

The sticking points the committee has identified are:

- Cost, where do we get the money from to purchase the rigs?

We are not a big sporting organisation by any means and we almost break even most years but members will not accept increase membership to cover these costs. Industry support has been great this year and sponsorship is chased for all events. The industry in WA is small so expecting a shop to provide free gear is not realistic. Most companies outside of the industry will not handover large amounts of cash as we can't provide the corresponding exposure for their product.

- What size rigs do we purchase and what is the best age group to target?

- How long do we allow people borrow/hire rigs for?

At some point in time people need to commit to their own kit to enable us to turnover the gear to a new family. But what is the right length of time?

- Where do we get the volunteers from to run the program?

This is the age old challenge for any sport. Without a dedicated team/group to take on the challenge it will never get off the ground. This is the main reason there has been so little action on this front for a number of seasons. The WWA committee is too small now for long term survival and not able to take on more programs or events.

We currently have storage at Nedlands Yacht Club for the trailer and there is space for storage of a limited amount of kit. There is a nice grassy area with shade and a sheltered piece of water so we have a venue for running sessions. Not a usual windsurfing spot but we are talking beginner who don't need wind to get started. All we need now is bodies to pick the ball up and run.