FFYS is the youth section of the Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club and was set up specifically to teach young people, between the ages of 10 and 18, how to sail dinghies in a safe, but challenging environment. In 2001 it gained Charitable Status and is now registered with the Charity Commission. The 1st Felixstowe Sea Scouts, who have sailed at the Ferry for many years, originally formed the group and scouts from this and other groups still sail with us today.

You will learn how to sail dinghies and lots more about them. To start with you will sail with one of our Instructors before moving on to crew for some of the other more experienced students. After suitable training you’ll find yourself sailing solo in one of our popular Laser Picos or with you own crew in a RS Feva!

FFYS meets on Saturday mornings between 9.30 and 13.00 (approximately) and Wednesday evenings (May – August) between 18.15 and dusk. We also run some Saturday afternoon race sessions during the season for our more experienced students - please see the enclosed programme for the dates.

Far from it! Our aim is to have fun whilst learning (including the Instructors!) and we believe the best way to learn is by experience. Short briefing sessions about where we’re going to sail, what we’re going to do, and who will be in what boat take place at the start of each session so everyone will know what’s going to happen. If the weather is bad we’ll run a reduced programme and you’ll get a chance to show off your newly acquired sailing knowledge as we cover some of the theory required for the RYA qualifications.

This all depends on the tide and conditions but generally we’ll either sail up the River Deben towards Ramsholt or out to sea in front of Bawdsey Manor or ‘The Dip’.

We have a number of dinghies in which you will sail. Initially you’ll start off with an Instructor in a Wayfarer with 2/3 other students. As you gain more confidence, you’ll get the opportunity to crew for other students in one of our smaller 2 man dinghies such as a RS Feva or Laser Pico, and sail them solo. For our older students we have faster boats like the Topper Omega and Topper Buzz available.

We’d be amazed if you didn’t to be quite honest! Feet and legs will always get wet when launching and landing and training sessions often finish with water fights between the boats!

You don’t need to get expensive sailing equipment and gear to start with. Sensible warm clothes with waterproof over-garments and trainers (no bare feet please!) will be fine. It will get cold out on the water, particularly at the start of the season, so please make sure you have sufficient clothing to keep you warm – you can always take a layer off. A hat and suntan lotion is also essential for protection. As you progress you may wish to invest in a wet suit and wet boots but these really aren’t necessary when you start with us. You should always bring a towel and change of clothes to every session. Heavy or robust boots and shoes are not allowed in the boats. Soft-soled trainers (old ones please) are ideal as you can guarantee these will get wet.

FFYS is a RYA Recognised Training Centre and we use its training programme, which leads to formal qualifications at the various levels. These qualifications are recognised around the world by sailing establishments. In gaining these qualifications, you may include them in your National Record of Achievement at school and you may use them towards gaining Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

We do ask that our students are capable of swimming 50 metres in light clothing and we ask parents to confirm this on the consent form. .

Safety is our prime consideration at all times. To start with no student will be allowed on the water unless they are wearing an approved lifejacket or buoyancy aid. In addition we always have support boats in attendance whenever and wherever we sail. These are manned by qualified personnel who can assist should you need any help. We have a high number of RYA qualified instructors present at all our training sessions so the student/instructor ratio is kept low.

The most important question! To join FFYS each year you must complete the consent form and Sailing Club membership forms enclosed and return them to our membership secretary by the 20th April along with the relevant subscription fee (a cheque for £16.00 – 10-15 years old, £33.00 for 16 to 21 year olds, made payable to the Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club). If you are already a member then just enter your membership number on the consent form. Please note that we will need to introduce a waiting list as soon as we become fully subscribed so please get your membership forms into our membership secretary soon in order to avoid disappointment.

In addition to the annual Sailing Club membership fee (see above) you will need to pay the annual membership fee for Felixstowe Ferry Youth Sailing which costs just £1 per annum. This will be collected at your first session. After these annual charges have been settled then it’s just the session fee of £7.00 per Saturday (plus £1.50 if you are racing in the afternoon) and £5.00 per Wednesday that needs to be paid at the start of each session. If you’d like to pay for sessions in advance (by cheque) please contact the membership secretary on the number above.