Merlin Rocket Youth Training 2026 - Event 2 at Fishers Green Sailing Club
by Francesca Dean 3 Mar 09:56 UTC
28 February 2026
Merlin Rocket Youth Training event 2 at Fishers Green © Angie Meyer
On a fresh and breezy Saturday morning (28th February 2026) the second Merlin Rocket Youth Training Session took place at Fishers Green Sailing Club. Six of us took part in three boats.
My only experience in a Merlin Rocket has been as a crew without really knowing the details of the boat and how all the controls work, let alone what they do.
We met Courtney, the RYA race coach, who was very friendly and we kicked off the day with an indoor session talking about the different controls on the boats and what their function was. This was particularly helpful for understanding why we do certain things in the boat and how they are actually affecting the speed, instead of just being told what to do as a crew.
We were then put into sailing pairs. I was paired with Hannah, and we launched in quite windy and gusty conditions. Each of us had a go at helming and crewing a Merlin. I was mostly helming which was very fun and a new experience for me as I have previously only ever crewed for my dad.
Courtney and other helpers were on the RIBs and would instruct us to put more kicker, rake etc on the boat to see how it feels when sailing upwind and downwind. This was really helpful in understanding the role of the controls on the water and overall learning how they help the boat to gain more speed.
Later in the morning, we then swapped around, with half of us on the RIB whilst the other half of the group were in their boats with an experienced sailor where you either had the opportunity to helm or crew with them. I chose to crew when I was paired with James who was clearly an experienced sailor and found it very helpful in getting some proper experience in the boat that didn't feel rushed and to help me understand why I was adjusting the controls and when was the best time to use them.
After the lunch break, where we were given delicious toasties, we talked more about what we had learnt this morning and what we hope to get out the afternoon. We particularly focused on the idea of using certain controls of the boat in pairs, such as the centreboard and rake which was useful to know. We then headed back out on the water where we competed in three windward/leeward races. Daisy and George come out as the champions!
After a successful day, we headed back in for a debrief and a final discussion on how the day was helpful and what the best thing that we had learnt.
Overall, the day was very enjoyable, and I learnt a lot about Merlin Rockets compared to when I first started the day and it has definitely helped me understand how the different controls work and it gave me a chance to try helming as well.
Thank you to everyone who helped out and I'm looking forward to the next one at Royal Corinthian Yacht Club on Saturday 18th April. Register online at portal.merlinrocket.co.uk/events