Paradise Point Sailing Day

One of the joys about being a Cub Leader is being able to expose young minds to new things. On 19/11/2011, the Beenleigh Cubs went on an outing that they will remember for a long time. The Cubs were taken sailing at the Paradise Point Sailing Club, and through the wonderful efforts of John Murphy and Peter, from the club all those that attended will earn their Sailing Level 1 achievement badge.

These cubs were faced with having to capsize a small sailing craft and working together to upright them in the water. The photos that we have do not really relay the tail, but the looks on the faces, as they we upturned and thrown into the Broadwater was one of those moments that make you know why we are Cub Leaders.

Apart from upending and refloating the crafts, the cubs were exposed to setting the sailing and rigging, learned about the safety requirements before heading out on their adventure. It is rare when we have so many cubs sitting quiet throughout a safety lesson, but they were all intently listening, and taking in the information.

For us leaders, it was a day that did not go as planned. We had intentions o having a nice day on the beach, watching the cubs go by. However, that disappeared very quickly after the first couple of vessels capsized and cubs were having difficulty getting the crafts back upright. Most of the leaders and helpers on the sidelines jumped in to assist – and i personally think they were enjoying it, even though it was challenge!

In the end, 26 cubs were exposed to a new challenge and provided another magic opportunity that will see them coming again, with their families on Dec 11, when Paradise Point Sailing Cub hold a free sailing day for a Gold Coin donation to the Children’s Hospital.

In all, we had only one craft that did not upturn and these cubs showed everyone how to really sail. By the end of the day the leaders we provided the opportunity to get onboard and I think most of the cubs enjoyed that experience.

Thank you to all the leaders and parents on the day, it truly was one to remember, and we have plenty of photos to prove it. Our deepest thanks to John Murphy and the Paradise Point Sailing Club for allowing us to experience the joy of sailing, your patience and truly great attitude towards our Cubs is to be commended. Beenleigh Cubs will be back again, you can guarantee it!