Girl Afloat went along to Wirral Watersports Centre to join a multi-activity taster Splash Session. With the chance to try sailing, powerboating and some fun water games, there was plenty of splashing involved…
Throughout the school holidays, Wirral Watersports Centre runs Splash Sessions aimed at 6-8 year olds, with a Mini Splash option for 4-6 year olds. As Girl Afloat discovered, these are perfect for kids who want to get a taste of sailing, powerboating and board sports, (activities are decided on the day according to conditions) – and with the emphasis on fun, there’s plenty of water games to build water confidence.
Learning watersports on West Kirby Marine Lake
Wirral Watersports Centre is based on the Marine Lake at West Kirby. On a personal level, there was more than a little sentiment in turning up at this venue, as it’s the centre where I first qualified and worked as a sailing instructor – many years ago! Incredibly, there were still a few familiar faces around among the staff, and it brought back happy memories of summers spent teaching kids and adults alike how to sail.
Situated at the tip of the Wirral peninsula, West Kirby Marine Lake is a perfect place for trying dinghy sailing and windsurfing, as well as paddle-sports. Ok, maybe I’m a little biased having grown up here! But West Kirby Marine Lake is renowned for good wind as well as picturesque views across the Dee Estuary to the Welsh mountains. Around ¾ mile in length and never more than 6ft deep, the lake is a legacy of the Victorian era, and is bounded by a promenade on one side and a sea wall that you can walk along on the other. The prom makes a perfect vantage spot for parents (who are required to stay on site for Splash Sessions).
Wirral Watersports Centre itself is located at the northern end of the promenade and access is straightforward, with entry to the on-site car park via a padlocked gate (the code is given out on booking). Although the admin office and changing rooms are situated around the far side of the recently extended main building, we headed straight over to the boat park, a fenced-off area which forms the main hub of activities, where we were welcomed and signed in by staff in the portacabin.
The same laid back vibe I remember from being part of the team here years ago still persists, and the meet and greet with the Splash Session instructor, Fiona, and the other kids on the course, was super friendly and informal.
Time to get ready, and one thing that had definitely changed since I was last here was the changing rooms, which, I noted as Girl Afloat wriggled into her wetsuit, had been nicely refurbished.
What to wear for a watersports taster course
Girl Afloat had brought her own wetsuit and buoyancy aid to wear, but they can be provided by Wirral Watersports Centre if needed, which is typical of most watersports activity course providers.
One item of kit that is absolutely essential for any watersports on West Kirby Marine Lake is a good pair of shoes (eg, wetsuit suits or old trainers). This is due to the spiny weaver fish that can hide in the mud on the bottom of the lake. I made sure to double check Girl Afloat’s wetsuit boots were toggled up tightly before I let her go to join the group!
Once all the kids in the group were changed, it was good bye parents as Fiona led the way over to the jetty and helped each child into a waiting powerboat for the first activity… And who doesn’t love a powerboat ride?!
As the bright orange Rigiflex left the jetty and sped off for a tour of the lake, it was hard to know if Girl Afloat was excited or otherwise, but from the big smiles on their return, you could tell she and all involved had thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of speeding over the water.
In the meantime, Boy Afloat – who, at the age of 3, was still a year off being able to join in – was having a great time chasing a football around the slipway, on best behaviour under the promise of ice cream and spending the rest of the day at the adjacent beach. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the ball – and he – went in the water; luckily, it was a hot day so he dried out quickly enough!
Learning to sail – without sails!
Back to the organised ‘splashing’ and it was on to the next activity, which this time allowed the kids to take control for themselves – not of the powerboat, but a sailing boat. Or at least, a boat that would usually have sails. Today being particularly windy however, the effect of the breeze on the hull was more than enough to push the dinghy along through the water without needing to hoist any sails at all!
The boat of choice was a Laser Funboat, a big floaty platform that’s super popular with watersports centres running sailing taster sessions. The signature sunshine yellow hull is easy to spot! The Funboat is robust, stable and sedate – one of the best boats for introducing people to sailing for the very first time, kids especially. Its stability comes largely from the ‘tunnel’ hull – essentially a catamaran – making it hard to tip over. It has no daggerboard, which means it’s very simple to launch and land.
All this made it the perfect choice of boat for the next activity on the schedule.
Attaching the Funboat to the back of the safety boat, Fiona towed it into the centre of the lake, before bringing it alongside and helping the kids to clamber from the safety boat into the Funboat.
Then, thanks to the strong onshore breeze, the Funboat drifted steadily back towards the jetty, the kids taking it in turns to steer with the tiller to ensure the boat stayed on course, with Fiona close by in the safety boat.
It may not have been sailing in the classic sense, but it was a great taste of independence afloat for the kids, and they each had the chance to have a go at using the tiller to steer the dinghy; the speed of the boat may have been slow, but it was just enough for them to get a good feel for how the boat responded when they moved the tiller.
We noticed some kids in another group were getting ready to go sailing – these kids were aged 8+ and enrolled on a five-day RYA Dinghy Sailing course; as such they were building their skills to be able to sail in stronger winds.
But bearing in mind the younger age and the fact that this was a taster course, it could have been more difficult and perhaps even off-putting for the Splash Session to try sailing given the conditions. So, we thought the instructor had done a great job of keeping things safe, simple and controllable while introducing wind awareness and allowing the kids to learn how to steer the boat – and they’d still had tons of fun! By the time they guided the Funboat the last few metres towards the shore and stepped triumphantly out, there was a sense of camaraderie from having successfully steered themselves back to dry land!
Water games
On then to the final kids’ watersports activity – which once again used a sailing dinghy but, again, not in the way you’d expect…
“Do you want to see how to turn a boat into a slide?” was Fiona’s question. “Yes!” was the resounding response from the group.
So, Fiona duly pushed an Optimist dinghy hull (which had seen better days!) into the water and flipped it upside down. Anchoring the bow to the jetty, she then helped each kid onto it in turn and it was with sheer glee that they splashed one by one onto the water. There were whoops and shouts as they each then bobbed about in their buoyancy aids and doggy-paddled their way back to shore for another turn; cue a challenge from Fiona to see who could go down in the most daring fashion, creating plenty of entertainment for the onlooking parents.
This was probably the stand-out activity for Girl Afloat, and it’s fairly obvious why! Ok, so it was not a conventional way to get afloat – but it certainly was a brilliant way to build familiarity in terms of equipment and the environment, all while having heaps of fun under the watchful eye of an experienced qualified instructor.
And just in case they hadn’t had enough splashing, there was just time for one last ultimate ‘splash’ as they lined up along the jetty and 3,2,1… you guessed it, into the water they jumped!
Wirral Watersports Centre’s Splash Session offers a short but sweet way to build confidence, with the emphasis firmly on fun and giving things a try more than on learning any specific new skill in detail. This fast paced approach is perfect for younger children, and in particular for those taking their first steps in watersports or needing to build confidence in being on or in the water.
The ‘fun and games’ set-up was certainly a hit with Girl Afloat, and she loved that she had got to try both sailing and motorboat related activities.
Given the conditions made the usual line-up of activities a bit tricky, we also thought the instructor had done a great job of adapting the activities so the course could still go ahead in a safe and fun manner.
After a hot shower and dry clothes, it was time for an ice cream and then off to the adjacent beach for a sport of paddleboarding on the incoming tide.
