Positive influences learning to sail

Don Miller

Opinion

I would like to endorse the letter by John Wells (The yacht club lease renewal hearing, September 2).

I started tutoring kids in how-to-sail classes at the Gisborne Yacht Club in 1987 and continued for over a decade.

During that time, scores of young people learned to sail and to face the elements on an individual basis.

I have followed the careers of a number of them and the positive influence sailing has had on them has been demonstrated in the fulfilling lives they have led.

I would in particular mention that I had mana whenua in those learn-to-sail classes and they were welcomed by everyone. If they did not continue sailing it was due to pressures from outside of the yacht club, not within it.

I have been reviewing the many photographs taken over my years with the club and some of these show groups of eight to a dozen young people, each in a boat they are master of, sailing in the waters off the yacht club.

They learned to make decisions on their own, although an instructor was always near to coach and to ensure safety if the conditions changed suddenly. I operated a small rescue/coaching rubber duck during that time and got to see first-hand the growth of these young people as they overcame the conditions.

Note that these were not expensive boats. At that time they were mostly plywood, coming from various home or school building programmes, and could be bought second hand for about $500 fully rigged. A number were donated to the club as the young sailors outgrew them and so those learning to sail did not need to own their own boat – just use one of the club boats. Volunteers maintained the club fleet.

Looking at my old photos I noted one significant event, when the Inter-Secondary School Team Match Racing competition was hosted by the GYC in 1997. Because of the junior coaching programme, we had sufficient young sailors at Boys’ High to form a team and that team did well, despite being up against some of the top sailors of their age in NZ. I know that some of those team members have gone on to develop very successful careers, with their sailing experience being a significant factor.

My own children sailed at the GYC and I am well aware of how that has influenced their lives in a positive way. They both still sail and so do two of my mokopuna.

I also planted and watered the pohutukawa trees around the GYC, using seedlings grown from locally collected seed by John Hall. Without the weekly watering, using water from washing down the small boats, these would not have survived to maturity.

I now live in Picton, where the activities of the Queen Charlotte Yacht Club mainly revolve around its large junior sailing fleet. It has recently completed a large new clubhouse on the foreshore of Picton Harbour and as an indication of how significant this sailing operation is to the district, Marlborough District Council contributed significant funding for the new clubhouse.

Gisborne District Council, what are you thinking? Seriously – what are you thinking?