OutThere Sailing for Teenagers

OutThere Sailing addresses a different participation problem from junior programs aimed at younger children. Australian Sailing positions it for teenagers, with a strong emphasis on fun, social connection and varied on-water activity rather than assuming every teenager wants immediate competitive racing.

Current course listings include OutThere Sailing 1, 2, 3, combined courses and experience sessions, with dinghy and keelboat versions in the course system.

Why the teenage stage matters#

Sailing often loses participants when the pathway becomes too narrowly focused on racing performance or when teenagers no longer fit a younger-child program. OutThere attempts to create a broader social entry point.

That is useful for:

• teenagers new to sailing
• young people returning after a break
• friends who want to participate together
• sailors who enjoy the water but are not yet interested in racing
• participants who want exposure to multiple activities

Program progression#

Australian Sailing's course pages describe levels that progressively build skills while retaining the social focus. A club may offer individual levels or a combined format.

For the directory, the important thing is to show exactly what is current. Do not tag a club with every OutThere level merely because it ran one course historically.

Craft can vary#

Australian Sailing lists dinghy and keelboat versions, and some experience descriptions mention the possibility of sailing, windsurfing, stand-up paddle boarding and powerboating depending on the centre.

That variability makes a simple “OutThere: Yes” field insufficient for detailed comparison. Where possible the directory should store:

• course level
• dinghy or keelboat
• age group
• current dates
• whether other activities are included

What parents and teenagers should compare#

Social fit#

A technically strong program can still be a poor match if the age mix or atmosphere is wrong. Ask whether friends can enrol together and how groups are organised.

Next step#

Potential next steps include:

• further OutThere levels
• dinghy pathway
• keelboat crewing
• youth racing
• social sailing
• coaching
• volunteering or instructor development later

Club culture#

Teen retention improves when young sailors have genuine places in the club beyond a course. Look for youth fleets, school/university links, social events, mentoring and opportunities to sail with peers.

Official sources#

• OutThere Sailing 1: https://www.sailing.org.au/course-finder/185
• OutThere Sailing 2: https://www.sailing.org.au/course-finder/186/
• OutThere Combined: https://www.sailing.org.au/course-finder/257/

Keeping teenagers in the sport#

The teenage years are where Australian sailing loses most of the participants it recruited as children, and it is rarely because they stopped enjoying sailing.

The usual causes are structural. Junior programs end and nothing obvious replaces them. Competitive pathways demand more time and money than a family wants to commit. Friends leave. Weekend commitments collide with school, part-time work and everything else in a teenager's life.

Programs aimed at this age group work when they treat teenagers as a social group rather than as a development pipeline. That means sailing with their friends, a say in what they do, some activity that is not racing, and adults who are not their parents.

For a family assessing a club, the question is whether there are visibly teenagers at the club who are not on a squad pathway. A club with a strong youth social group retains teenagers; a club whose only teenage activity is a competitive squad keeps the few who want that and loses the rest.

Before you book#

Dates, boats, ratios, accreditation, cost and — most importantly — what happens after the course apply to every program, so they are set out once in how to check a program before you book.