Windermere School Water Sports Club
The Windermere School has a specialist water sports centre on the lakewhere studetns can learn to sail, windsurf and canoe and kayak.
See our Windermere International Summer School
The underneath programmes are only accessible if you are a student at the Windermere school, or a participant in the Windermere International Summer School!
Sailing at the Windermere School Water Sports Centre
The School operates the two sides of sailing: training and racing. While a number of students have aspirations to represent GB at the highest level, others simply want to appreciate learning to sail and work through the sailing training stages to enjoy sailing solely for pleasure.
We have a number of boats used for sail training to suit experience and size, while our mixed team of boys and girls race in Tera and Feva dinghies. We sail: against other schools; in local races with the Royal Windermere Yacht Club Denis Hope Series; at IAPS National Regattas; at RYA North West Traveler races: at Grand Prix series around the country; at the National Championships; and more recently the World Championships.
We believe we are uniquely positioned to take children of all abilities and our highly qualified coaching and sailing staff seek to provide as wide a range of sailing opportunities as possible. Girls and boys may join us as experienced sailors with aspirations to achieve highly, or arrive as novices and will receive equally dedicated support to allow them to reach their potential. We encourage boys and girls to join as young as practical and many of our highest achieving sailors joined us at the beginning of the Preparatory School; we are very proud of this achievement. We have a number of boats used for sail training to suit experience and size, while our mixed team of boys and girls race in Tera and Feva dinghies.
We sail against other schools, in local races with the Royal Windermere Yacht Club Denis Hope Series, at IAPS National Regattas, at RYA North West Traveler races, in Grand Prix series around the country, at the National Championships and more recently the World Championships.
Windsurfing at the Windermere School Water Sports Centre
Windsurfing is based at Hodge Howe, our water sports training centre, on the shores of Lake Windermere. With the very latest windsurfing boards and sails from Tushingham and Starboard to suit any size and experience, the School provides the perfect opportunities for beginners to advanced riders.
Students in Years 7 to 9 enjoy windsurfing as a part of their timetabled Adventure programme. Those students in Years 10 to 13 who wish to Windsurf, can take it as an after-school activity and advance to the higher stages of the RYA syllabus, from beginner to future instructors.
Windermere School’s highly motivated team of RYA Senior windsurf coaches have experience of working around the world, coaching the very latest beginner techniques to the more advance racing moves.
All instruction follows the RYA Youth Windsurfing Syllabus with students learning the basics of how to get up and go, through to hooking in and the very latest freestyle move.
Canoeing & Kayaking at
the Windermere School
Water Sports Centre
As a British Canoe Union accredited watersports centre, and as part of our watersports programme, all students are given the opportunity to learn to canoe and kayak. The opportunities available depend on the different year groups.
At Windermere from Years 3 to 6 the students are involved in weekly sessions of sailing, canoeing or kayaking from September through to the end of October, and from April to July.
In the Senior School, Adventure! continues with fortnightly half-day sessions for students in Years 7 to 9. Students in Year 7 follow a rotation of different activities which currently involves at least two half-day sessions in the Autumn; one canoeing and one kayaking, followed by a river journey in the Summer term so that students who show commitment can complete their BCU One Star Award. Students in Years 8 and 9 can opt into half termly sessions of canoeing and kayaking, where they develop the necessary skills to achieve the BCU Two Star Award, and put more emphasis on easy white water rivers and paddling journeys.
We have a range of different canoes (suitable for both flat water and white water paddling), a collection of white water kayaks (suitable for all ages) and a fleet of sea kayaks for use on Windermere and some of our larger expeditions.
Canoeing and kayaking are popular after-school activities for all year groups. In the warmer months we run a variety of different sessions from our watersports centre, Hodge Howe, coaching complete beginners through to more experienced paddlers. During the Winter months, the more experienced students can attend the night sea kayaking activity on Windermere, and our kayak Eskimo rolling sessions take place in a local swimming pool.
Those members of staff who hold a 5 Star Award organise a variety of trips at the weekends. There are day trips on local rivers and lakes, and two-day expeditions to Scotland or Wales for larger bodies of water and expeditions on the sea.
Students in Years 12 and 13 are encouraged to enrol for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and paddling expeditions have become increasingly popular. Training for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award takes place during the Sixth Form’s weekly CAS sessions.
Watersport and Sports Tuition, available evenings and weekends.
NB: These cost come on top of your regular tuition fee when registered as a Windermere School student, or Windermere International Summer School participant!
Costs shown are per half term unless otherwise stated and are to cover the cost of professional certification on completion.
Canoeing and Kayaking: 2 and 3 Star £ 25.00
Canoeing and Kayaking: Advanced £ 25.00
Sailing: Race Training and Race Night £ 30.00
Sailing: RYA Level 1 and 2 £ 25.00
Sailing: Advanced, minimum RYA Level 3 £ 30.00
Sailing: Advanced, minimum RYA Level 4 £ 35.00
Tennis: Group Coaching £55.00 per term
Windsurfing £ 25.00
