Youth Group

Youth Group is a great step into joining the club and having regular participation and racing. It is a club for QM members with RYA stage 3 to improve, socialise and have fun!

• Youth Group

Youth Group (YG) is a fun, social opportunity for those aged 9-15 to get on the water with other young members throughout the main season on Sundays.  It is led by the YG co-ordinators (Alison Benz & Jonathon Malin) and parent volunteers.  To join Youth Group you need to have completed RYA Stage 3 and be a member of QM.  Although parents must remain onsite throughout the YG sessions (or a responsible adult acting in loco parentis), there are plenty of opportunities for parents to get involved in the volunteer roles, please see ‘Parent Opportunities’ below.Whilst there is an informal approach to racing within the YG sessions, the main focus is for all participants to have fun and increase confidence in being independent on the water.If you do not have access to your own boat, there are limited spaces within each ‘group’ to use QM dinghies for an additional fee.  The main youth dinghies used are Toppers and Fevas, with the two youth Lasers available for those with sufficient experience.

• Terms

Youth Group runs for 3 separate terms (please see ourU18 Training Programmefor specific term dates & costs), with each term being made from 6 Sunday sessions.   Within each term there are 3 groups.

• GROUP 1: YOUTH GROUP INTRO, 1000-1230, max 12 members (QM kit available for all)

This is a compulsory term for those new to YG or those who are not yet fully familiar with toppers and/or fevas.  The main aim within this group will be to get all members familiar with the rigging and sailing of these two classes.  When the required standard has been achieved the member will then be eligible to progress into Group 2.

• GROUP 2: YOUTH GROUP, 1400-1630, max 24 members (no more than 18 using QM kit)

The largest group!  Here the main aim is building upon the members confidence in the YG boats, as well as introducing the basics of racing in a fun, social and informal way.  Those who show a keenness and personal ability will be invited to progress to Group 3.

• GROUP 3: YOUTH GROUP RACE, 1400-1630, max 6 members (members own boat only)

Group 3 will be an ‘invite only’ group, with a more serious focus on racing.  As spaces are limited, only those from Group 2 who have shown a prior commitment to YG and an interest in racing will be eligible.  Usually a RYA qualified racing instructor or a Race Coach Level 2 will oversee this group.  Members will be encouraged to take part in the club race in the morning, with the instructor/coach offering support to the group for at least one of the Sunday races throughout the term.

• For the full list of YG term dates and prices please download the U18 Training Programme.

• Booking onto Youth Group

Anyone wishing to take part in Youth Group (including those with their own boat) must book on a term at a time through the QM office (you will receive a confirmation email to confirm your space(s)).  Anyone who is not booked on through the office will not be eligible to take part in the term.QM will release the booking dates for YG on the QM website.  It will consist of ‘Priority Booking’ and ‘Standard Booking’.

• PRIORITY BOOKING – this will open 1 week earlier than the standard booking date.  Those who have an attendance of 4 sessions or more from their previous term will be eligible to take up priority booking for the next term.  Anyone who does not fall into this category will need to go through ‘standard booking’.


• STANDARD BOOKING – this is open to everyone else, and will open 1 week after the priority booking.

Priority booking will not become active until Term 2.  Bookings are currently being taken for Term 1 through the QM office (01784 248881).

• Parent Opportunities in Youth Group

The majority of youth group is run by parent volunteers, and there are a number of ways to get actively involved, both on & off the water.  QM supports volunteer training in a number of ways, from commercial training to in-house refresher days.

• ROLES


• BEACHMASTER– purely land based role.  Supporting the youth group volunteers and participants from the land.  From rallying up parents at launch/recovery times to looking after those who come off the water early. No personal sailing experience required!


• POWERBOAT CREW– an on-water role assisting the PB Helm.  Although no practical knowledge is necessary, a basic understanding of sailing is preferred.  Powerboat crews not only offer encouragement and basic coaching on the water, they also deal with capsized boats, so not always a dry role!


• POWERBOAT HELM– an on-water role taking charge of a PB.  All PB Helms must be qualified to a minimum of RYA Powerboat Level 2 (PBL2).  QM offer subsidised training to this level for regular volunteers.  In addition, QM run two powerboat refresher days a year to keep practical skills current as well as looking at how to deal with a capsized dinghy from a PB.


• ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR (AI) – an active instructional role.  QM strongly encourages parents who have a good personal level of sailing to take this course.  For those who can regularly volunteer, QM will offer this professional course at a heavily subsidised rate.


• RACE TRAINING INSTRUCTOR– Parents who have a strong racing background have the opportunity to get qualified up to Racing Coach Level 2 (RCL2) (or for those with the RYA Dinghy Instructor qualification up-skilling to include the Race Endorsement).  There are pre-requisites for this course, so please discuss with the QM office if you are interested in this role.


• YOUTH GROUP CO-ORDINATOR– an integral role in the running of Youth Group.  The YG co-ordinators liaise and organise all volunteer roles, liaise with the Club over provisions…in effect run the Youth Group! This role is typically parents who have volunteered in other YG roles for a number of terms previously.

If you would like to get involved in any of the roles above, please talk to the QM office (01784 248881) or Alison Benz/Jonathon Malin (Youth Group co-ordinators).