About 120 children from settlements in the Laucala Bay area, WOWS Kids Fiji, traditional boatbuilding communities and junior sailors in Suva participated in an outreach program to promote and enhance the sailing knowledge and skill of Fijian kids.
The program organised by Fiji Yachting, with the assistance of the Uto Ni Yalo Trust and My Hand – a group of orthopaedic surgeons who sail – was conducted at the Regional Sailing Centre in Suva yesterday.
The young and budding sailors learned about ocean stewardship, the art of traditional navigation and basic sailing skills.
The program offered a coaching segment for more experienced sailors.
The program builds on the success of a similar program hosted at the Vuda Marina last year, where about 250 kids from three villages in the district of Vuda aged seven to 15 years participated.
Fiji Yachting president Shayne Brodie said the organisation was committed to making sailing an inclusive sport and restoring traditional knowledge as they looked to the future in which sailing drives mainstream logistics and supply chains.
Mr Brodie said they were also working toward a possible international sailing regatta.
“We are working towards our first international sailing regatta, the Fiji Windsurfer IWCA Oceanic Championship being held on June 9-12 at Natadola Beach, which marks the resurgence of windsurfing around the Pacific and then the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands in November 2023,” he said.
The program was supported by Fiji Water, Goodman Fielder, The Hot Bread Kitchen, Beqa Adventure Divers “My Fiji Shark” and Vuda Marina.
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