The DSC Junior Sailors managed another outdoor fun opportunity for the end of the 2023 sailing season, sailing on a yacht up Belfast lough, past the infamous Titanic slipway, to the marina at Abercorn Basin!

The Juniors crewed aboard 4 of our members cruising boats for the afternoon sail up Belfast lough on Saturday 7th October. We also had some parents aboard too, a few of our ‘WOW Ladies’ and ‘Dad’s for Sail’ accompanied their children for the day out to find out what this sailing lark is all about – some then got the train for a return journey back to Bangor.

The young Sailor’s met bright and breezy at Bangor Marina, where a DSC member met them, did a safety briefing, handed out necessary safety equipment, and escorted them all down the gangplank and along the pontoons to their assigned yacht, ready for their mini adventure.

They all came prepared for an outdoor activity, wrapped up well, hats & gloves, warm waterproof coats and trousers, but the good old Northern Ireland mid autumn weather was misleading and we ended up with almost a summers day, even though it can be cold out on the sea, all that was needed was a jumper!

Everyone had a great time, nobody got seasick! Everyone helped winch halyards and sheets, some sat on the rail, put reefs in, ate some lunch and some did a bit of steering, a few even had an opportunity to figure out how to use the heads 😉 . But most importantly had fun, and made a few new friends on the on the way to Belfast.

Unfortunately the event was heavily over subscribed, with tickets all gone within the hour of going up on the website. But if we manage to get another decent weather window before winter arrives we’ll go again.

A big thanks to all the boat owners, skippers, and crew for making this such a success.