Courses generally run from the evening before the first day of sailing until the afternoon of the final day and are fully inclusive of all accommodation from the first night onwards and of all food from the first morning’s breakfast onwards.
If you have any special dietary restrictions, please advise separately when booking.
NLSA reserves the right to cancel any event and refund any payment already received if there are insufficient bookings to financially justify the event going ahead.
Please note the booking will only be complete when: (a) a place has been confirmed and (b) a payment by direct debit has been setup or a bank transfer received.
RYA dinghy courses are fully operated in accordance with RYA requirements and guidance and under the supervision of a Senior Instructor.
A volunteer Quartermaster will plan the menu and buy the food but the Centre itself operates on a cooperative basis and everyone is expected to help with all the domestic chores such as cooking, washing up and end-of-visit cleaning.
Please expect to stay for about two hours after getting the boats back to the yard on the final day of sailing to put the boats away, pack your gear and to clean and tidy the house.
What To Bring With You
At least two sets of sailing clothes if sailing for more than 1 day, which should include warm jumpers or tops and gloves, woolly hat, sailing boots or old trainers (non-slip, flat soles) and/or a dry suit.
Sun protection (suncream, sunglasses, sun hat etc).
Roll top dry bag or polythene bag to carry dry gear when sailing and wet gear when going home.
“Normal” clothes for evenings.
Reusable personal water bottle or vacuum flask.
For sleeping, nightwear and a pillow case plus either (1) a sleeping bag or (2) a single size bottom sheet and a single size duvet.
Towel and washing kit.
Your RYA G4 Log Book.
Pen and paper for making notes during classroom sessions.
Please note that we provide waterproof jackets, salopettes and buoyancy aids but if you have them, you may wish to bring you own waterproofs, dry suit and buoyancy aid (if of at least 50 Newton and in good condition).
Travel To Brightlingsea
The address of our Centre is 126 Sydney Street, Brightlingsea, Essex, and if travelling by road, the postcode for your Satnav or your route planner is CO7 0BD. The What3Words location is ecologist.piglet.margin.
Sydney Street is off “Waterside”, and there is a pub, “The Yachtsmans Arms”, on the corner. Once into the southern end of Sydney Street, look for no. 126, a 2 storey building topped by a white tower on the left about 50 metres from “The Yachtsmans Arms”. Unfortunately there is no parking available at the Centre.
If lost or needing directions, the Centre’s telephone number is 01206 302020.
Most of those taking part in weekend events tend to travel up on the Friday after work and arrive from early evening onwards. For anyone travelling up on the Saturday morning instead, a very early start is necessary to reach the Centre either for breakfast at 08:00 or at the very latest in time for the pre-sailing briefing which normally takes place at 09:00.
If travelling on Friday evening by train, various fast trains to Norwich or Ipswich connect at Colchester Station with the 87 bus to Brightlingsea as do various slow trains to Clacton which can also connect with the 87 at Hythe, Wivenhoe or Aylesford stations.
Use Google Maps or
http://www.traveline.info to plan your overall journey and to see the train and bus timetables.
The 87 leaves Colchester from the station forecourt but a walk of some minutes is necessary from the other stations to the 87 bus stops. The overall journey time varies between 1¾ and 2 hours. The 87 bus stops in Brightlingsea at Victoria Place near the north end of Sydney Street. Street, less than a 10 minutes’ walk away.
