Frequently asked questions

General

With how many children do they sleep in a bedroom? A maximum of 4 children sleep together in one room. Boys with boys and girls with girls. Also taking into account ages as much as possible.

What about a mobile phone, is it allowed? We can understand that you would like to be able to reach your child, but we would rather not have this as a sailing school. For you as a parent, we are available 24 hours a day on various numbers. The children can always call home if this is necessary.

How old do you have to be for optimist / Kielboot / pico / surf / dinghy?As a guideline you can start from 7 years for the optimist, 10 for the pico, 12 for the dinghy, surfing and falcon. Remember that these are guidelines. There are many factors that can affect this. If you have any doubts, please contact us.

From what age can the children participate? The guideline we maintain is about 7 years. However, there are children who are physically strong enough with 6 years of age and there are also children who are still not ready for it at 9 years. In short, you can often judge this as a parent yourself. If you have any doubts, please contact us.

What time can I pick up the children at the end of the day? The afternoon program is done at 5 pm. The parents of the so-called '' external - plus '' children receive a list with the end times per day at the beginning of the week. This depends on the evening activity.

How big are the groups? At maximum we can place 40 children internally. Externally about 40 to 45. The groups are around 20-25 per discipline. Per 4-6 children (depending on the type of course) there is one instructor. Together with the management on shore, around 25 employees are present in the busiest weeks.

Do they also have to have a theory book? Only the advanced students for surfing, Valk and dinghy sailing. The books are possible to buy at the Sailing School.

Care and safety

Do children drink enough water? In addition to meals, water lemonade and tea are distributed. Also on board, during the lessons, bottles of water are brought along. The instructors ensure, especially in warm weather, that the children get enough moisture.

Does the Sailing School also provide sunblock to the children? Certainly, the children in the youth sailing classes are also helped with this. Furthermore, the instructors ensure that everyone is smeared. The instructors also take sunblock with them.

How is the quality of the water? The water is checked twice a week in the high season and once a week in the low season. We will be informed if necessary if the quality is insufficient to swim in.

Are children also occupied at night? There is an activity every night. This varies from a forest game to a quest with a campfire. On Friday night there is the talent show evening.

Are the children sleeping enough?Our bed times are experienced as strict. We assume that after going to bed there must be some time to chat in the room. There are 2 instructors between 9 pm and 8 am to ensure that it is quiet on time and that the children get some sleep.

What about safety? Safety is the most important thing for us. The whole structure of the sailing school and the structure of the instructor training is aimed at ensuring that safety is guaranteed as much as possible. You can never guarantee safety, but our commitment means that the risk is no greater than at home.

Is there a risk in bad weather? Rain is no problem for us. We do not sail if the wind is too strong or when there is a thunderstorm (to be expected). The weather is closely monitored at the sailing school. By means of flag and light signals we instruct instructors on the water how to act.

How much guidance is there? Depending on the type of lesson, there is one instructor per 4-6 children. There are also instructor coaches present, a head instructor and 2 ladies / gentlemen in the kitchen. The owner of the sailing school is almost always present.

Do the children wear a life vest? The optimists, Pico’s and dinghy’s always wear a life vest during class hours. The Valken only if the weather conditions give enough reason to do so (wind force 5 or higher). The surfers do not wear a life vest, but almost always a wetsuit.

There is a pavilion on the property, are the children allowed here? Mostly not. Only the older students may go to the pavilion. It goes without saying that children are allowed to buy ice cream during the day, but they must first report this to their instructor.

My child has a disease / problem / allergy .... How does the sailing school handle this? As a sailing school, we can almost always take such issues into account and respond to them, if we have sufficient information about the problem. Of course we deal discreetly with this. However, it is true that there are limits to our ability and to the responsibility that we can and want to bear. As a parent, you can judge for yourself what you can or may not reasonably expect from us.

What about dietary requirements? Dietary requirements are generally not a problem. If you clearly state what the diet entails, we will take this into account. For vegetarians we prepare meals with meat substitute products.

Level, diploma’s and CWO

Do the children get a diploma at the end of the week? As a CWO location we are more or less obliged to award a diploma to children who have reached the relevant level. If the level is not yet fully reached, they will receive a progress report. In itself a diploma or progress report is of course a nice conclusion to a sailing week, but we still see too often that children end a very nice week with sadness of not getting a diploma. We find this very unfortunate.

Are the instructors certificated? All instructors who teach have a CWO instructor diploma. In addition, our instructor training provides things like basic first aid, didactics, and dealing with children. Instructors are encouraged to continue learning and obtain higher diplomas. There are always coaches present during the lesson weeks to support the last.

Is a progress report from last year still valid? The practical part of the progress report is only valid in the year in which it is signed off. The theory is valid for 18 months. Although an "old" statement can no longer be used, we assume the level of the individual child in the lessons.

If a child has graduated 2 in the optimist, and he goes to the Pico, does he / she go for diploma 2 or 3? We assume that switching to a different type of boat means that you step back in the level. So in this example the child starts with the education for level 2 instead of 3.

What to take with you

How much pocket money do the children need? This is difficult to indicate, what does money require? The children can buy candy and soft drinks at the sailing school. For this we have consumption tickets for sale of € 3.00. In some weeks we go to the Oud Drentse Markt in Zuidlaren on Wednesday evening, here the children can buy something to eat / drink.

Do we have to take care of a life vests ourselves? No, life vests are available at the sailing school. Life vests in all weights. This also applies for surfing suits.

What should the children bring to sleep equipment? A sleeping bag, a pillowcase and a bottom sheet. If your child suffers from bedwetting, please let us know. We provide an extra waterproof bottom sheet. We deal discreetly with this, so other children will not have to notice this.

Should the children also bring a surfing suit? No, the sailing school has enough modern surf suits in different sizes. However, the sailors must wear an old pair of sports pants over this suit to protect them. Furthermore, it is wise to bring a pair of old sports shoes.

Is a "cycling rain suit" sufficient for the boat? In itself. A good tip here is to cut a towel lengthwise and use it as a scarf. Nice and warm, and makes sure that there is no water in the neck. We do not recommend a fleece scarf.

Which clothing is best for sailing / surfing? Especially easy-fitting clothes that can get wet. Not too spacious. A good rain suit (see above) and sport shoes with a light sole or special sailing boots (no rain boots!). The children who wear a surfing suit from the sailing school must wear an old pair of sports shorts (or similar). It is also important to take a hat against the sun.