SAILING ACADEMY
HERITAGE AND LOCATION
As a result of the Royal Hospital School's maritime heritage and watery location next to a 400 acre man-made reservoir and between the Stour and Orwell estuaries, it has become a Centre of Excellence for Sailing with unrivalled provision and opportunity for sailing.
The Royal Hospital School Sailing Academy, based at neighbouring Alton Water Reservoir, is an established RYA Training Centre and has a fleet of more than 60 dinghies catering for every level of sailing; from beginner boats like the RS Tera to team racing Fireflies, Olympic pathway craft such as the ILCA and 29er and as the latest in one-design foiling - the Waszp.
A Centre of Excellence for Sailing
All pupils joining in Year 7 try sailing in our learn to sail week and more experienced sailors may choose sailing as their games option. Those joining the Sailing Academy can pursue the sport competitively in both fleet and team racing at school, national and international level. There is also the opportunity to work towards instructor qualifications and take part in weekend sailing expeditions using the School’s fleet of Cornish Shrimpers.
HEAR FROM OUR SAILING SCHOLAR & YOUTH WORLD CHAMPION
HONOURS BOARD 2022-23
RYA Youth National Championships 2022 ILCA 6
Nicole Stovell 1st, Seb Kempe 1st,
Thommie Grit 2nd, Will Pank 3rd
Youth Sailing World Championships 2022 ILCA 6
Seb Kempe 2nd, Nicole Stovell 23rd, Thommie Grit 28th, Boris Hirsch 32nd
(Seb Kempe 1st - 2021)
USA ILCA 6 National Championships 2022
Audrey Foley 1st
UK National Champion 2022
Merryn Attridge (Topper 5.3)
Asian ILCA 6 Championships 2022
Christopher Marsh 2nd
UK Schools Single Handed Team Racing Champions 2022 (Topper)
UK National Schools Championship 2022 - Junior (RS Fevas), Senior (Fireflies) & Ladies (Fireflies) Team Winners
U19 UK Open Team Racing Championship 2022 – Team Silver & 1st School (Fireflies)
U19 UK Women’s Team Racing Champions 2023 (Fireflies)
15 pupils in RYA or Class Association Training Squads 2022/23
SAILING NEWS
Pupils Toby C, Grace G, Theo G and Jacob W took part in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. This race takes place over a weekend and is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world, starting in Wiltshire and ending in Westminster.
During our end of term assembly, sports updates were shared from sports such as boys' hockey, girls' netball, cross country, basketball, sailing and climbing.
Sebastian Kempe in Yr 13 was named as 'Junior Male Athlete of the Year' by the Bermuda Government at their recent National Sports Awards!
On 9-15 December 2022 at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand, Christopher Marsh (Year 12, Collingwood) took home the silver medal in the Asian ILCA 6 Championship!
Meet us at the RYA Dinghy Show at Farnborough International Exhibition Centre this weekend! We will be on Stand B24 so make sure you pop by to say hello!
Ed Sibson, Director of Sailing, spoke to Yachts and Yachting Magazine about our extensive sailing programme
We are delighted to be featured in this year's Spring/Summer 2023 issue of School House Magazine.
We are delighted to introduce our new sailing staff, Mr Line (Sailing Instructor) and Mr Hickman (Assistant Director of Sailing) who have joined us this academic year. They are both already making a positive impact in our sailing academy, and we are excited to see how they continue to help our pupils progress throughout the season.
Sailing team captain, Nicole S, gave a report in Monday’s assembly on her team's recent success in the U19 Women’s Team Racing National Championships.
Thommie G, our Sailing Captain, gives us a full round-up of all the different championships that our pupils have participated in since the end of the Summer Term, including awards won by our pupils.
Our sailing weeks are an integral and exciting part of the first term for all our Year 7 pupils, where they learn to sail as a beginner or improve their skills over the course of a week-long programme at Alton Water, led by our experienced Director of Sailing, Mr Sibson, and his team.
Sarah, Merryn and Tom became the NSSA Single Handed Racing Champions last weekend winning the championships at Burton Sailing Club. Four of the three RHS teams competed in Topper sailing dinghies.
Merryn Attridge, age 14, was crowned Topper 5.3 National Champion this summer! Hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, 110 sailors took part in the 5.3 Topper Championship over the course of five days and 10 races.
Windy weather means land yachting for our Year 7s!
Our RHS pupils have had much sailing success over the summer. Please find below some of the fabulous results!
RHS sailors had a fantastic time and earned impressive results at the biggest cadet sailing regatta on the East coast.
Audrey Foley, who joins us in Year 12 this September, has secured 1st Place in the ILCA 6 class at the USA 2022 ILCA Nationals last week.
Four of our elite sailors took part in the World Sailing Youth World Championships in The Hague last week, in the One Person Dinghy Male and Female fleets (ILCA 6 Class).
Our sailing teams had a triumphant weekend of sailing, with our younger sailors securing top results and medals at the RYA Regional Junior Championships, whilst our Senior team claimed the Hoad Inter-Schools Shield for the third consecutive year.
Two RHS sail teams took the long journey to Southampton to compete in the BSDRA Southern Championship for the first time. It was a light wind event putting a premium on good boat handling, calmness under pressure and situational awareness.
RHS dominated the podium at the RYA Youth National Championships, held in Pwllheli, Wales during the Easter holidays.
Immy Palmer in Year 11 has been awarded a sailing scholarship from the Andrew Simpson Foundation Performance Academy. The scholarship is both a financial award, to be able to access class specific performance academy training, but more importantly a supportive award where sailing experts will help her to reach her international level goals.

Sebastian Kempe's recent win at the World Youth Sailing Championships received some well deserved media attention and we were delighted to welcome ITV news and the East Anglian Daily Times to the School to interview him.

Sebastian Kempe has secured the Youth World Champion 2021 title (ILCA6 Male class), at the Youth Sailing World Championship in Oman this week.
Sebastian performed consistently well all week, competing in nine races and securing three race wins against 50 boats in his class. Holding second place until the final day, Sebastian held his nerve to claim the title from his closest rivals.
Sebastian, age 17 from Bermuda, is a full boarding pupil and sailing scholar at the Royal Hospital School, joining the Sixth Form in September 2020.

Olivia Gowland has achieved straight 9s and 8s in her GCSEs (which is the equivalent of A*s and high As) and has been awarded a Sixth Form Sailing Scholarship along side her Academic Scholarship.

Known for its sailing prowess, Suffolk's Royal Hospital School has recently sailed to success, winning several high-profile races this year.

Josie has been awarded the Young Sailor of the Year 2019 in recognition of her offshore sailing accomplishments including the Rolex Fastnet Race and winning the Wallis Cup. You can listen to her BBC radio interview here.

Sailors were presented with medal and awards by the Headmaster for their competitive efforts and successes over the last term.

Come visit the RHS stand at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace 2-3 March 2019.
MEET THE TEAM
Elite Sailing Programme
Pupils joining the Sailing Academy under the Elite Sailing Programme can do so as Sailing Scholars and are provided with the following:
- Competition training with RYA Advanced Instructors and Level 3 Racing Coaches
- Classroom tuition including use of video analysis
- Individual fitness training programme designed by an elite sports personal trainer
- Specific dietary advice
- Use of Sailing Academy equipment for competitions
- Assistance with tuition and boarding fees at the Royal Hospital School
learn more about our academy
Development
The School has regular team and fleet racing fixtures against other schools and, through the Sailing Academy, the elite sailors compete at both National and International level. As a recognised RYA Training Centre, the highest levels of safety and tuition are maintained and pupils regularly gain dinghy sailing qualifications as well as qualifications in power boating, windsurfing and dinghy sailing instruction. There is also a fleet of keel boats called Cornish Shrimpers for coastal cruising which are popular in the summer months and for Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme expeditions.
RYA OnBoard
Run by sailing’s National Governing Body, the RYA, OnBoard is a hugely successful grass roots programme which seeks to make sailing and windsurfing easier to access for 8-18 year olds. Launched in 2005 the programme has helped introduce nearly 900,000 young people across the country to sailing and windsurfing.
Hannah Cockle, OnBoard Operations Officer, comments; “It’s great to have The Royal Hospital School in the OnBoard programme. Getting out on the water has a huge amount of benefits, no matter what your age, background or ability. We relish working with them and the local community to get as many people as possible enjoying our great sport.”