3rd June 2009 at the Coastguard Station

On Wednesday 3rd June 2000 two Child Protection training courses were delivered by Graeme Luke which were well attended by volunteers, youth club workers and local authority staff. If you would like more information about training courses that LHYCA are running please email us at lhyca4u@hotmail.com

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Dinghy Sailing Training at the Scaladale Centre

The Lewis and Harris Youth Clubs Association have been running the Scaladale outdoor centre in North Harris since the year 2000.

It has now added dinghy sailing, an exhilarating and exciting new activity to its ever expanding portfolio of outdoor adventure sports which take place in some of the most scenic parts of the Outer Hebrides.

Eight volunteers took part in 3 days of training which enables them to assist in the delivery of dinghy sailing sessions, this now equips the centre with a considerable pool of competent volunteers to manage groups of all age ranges or abilities.

Before going afloat the volunteers spent time learning about the appropriate clothing, personal equipment to use when sailing, rope work and sailing terminology, with terms such as port, starboard, bow and stern sounding like a new language to most. After preparing the boats for sailing it was time to go for a joyride on the sea loch and test the sea legs of our hardy volunteers under the supervision of the instructors.

Under the bright blue Harris sky and surrounded by the unspoiled beauty of the Hebridean coastline all combined to create near perfect sailing conditions. Under the guidance of the instructors the volunteers experienced and learnt how to steer the boat, how a sail works, stopping and starting and turning the boat around. After a brief time the volunteer’s were proficient enough to be allowed to sail on there own and put into practise what had been learnt.

They all commented on the exhilarating feeling of freedom and sensing the awesome power of nature in using only wind power to move at remarkable speed, using only the rudder and sails to tack so tightly and quickly around the sea loch.

So if your youth group is looking for some big scale outdoor experiences, this new activity along with kayaking, coasteering, rock and hill climbing, mountain biking, archery, team building games, gorge walking along with the landscape and beaches of the Outer Hebrides will add a new dimension to your trips.