Making Waves Youth Sailing Scholarship

The Scholarship

In Partnership with Cullen Bay & Darwin Sailing Club;

Each year The Training Academy selects 4 youth sailors, aged 12-16, for our Making Waves Youth Scholarship. Recipients will recieve a full week of sailing camp, where they will learn to sail on the Elliot 7 Keelboats & RS Quest Dinghys.

Following this, recipients will secure a spot in our bi-weekly Youth Sailing Program 'Youth Fleet' for the remainder of the season. They'll continue to develop essential skills and confidence on the water and meet like minded youth!

In the second term of your first season, you will be invited to shadow our Lead Sailing Instructors during various Training Academy Courses. This is the first step towards the pathway for Instructor Development Program (IDP). At the end of the season you will be offered a spot in the IDP, this is an exciting pathway that will lead to becoming a qualified instructos and can lead to employment opportunities at the Darwin Sailing Club!

Stage 1 - Learn to Sail Camp

For 5 in Term 2 school holidays; Darwin Sailing Club will teach you all about sailing. A qualified Instructor will accompany the 4 scholarship holders for the week and teach you how to sail on multiple sailing craft.

Day 1 - 3: Scholarship Holders will be taught to sail on the Elliott 7 Keelboats based at Cullen Bay Marina.

Day 4: Scholarship holders will be shown the ropes on our RS Quest dinghies and apply your new skills to a smaller sailing craft.

Day 5: Scholarship holders will get shown other sailing watersports from Stand-Up Paddle Boards, Wings, Foiling, power boating and anything that may spark an interest.

Stage 2 - Continuous improvement

For the remainder of the Dry season (Term 3) scholarship holders will be enriolled in our bi-weekly Youth Fleet program, running every Monday and Friday from 4:30-6:30.

Stage 3 - Career opportunities

Scholarship Holders will be offered a spot in our Assistant Instructor Course (Run in April at the begining of each dry season). This is the beginning of our Instructor Development Program (IDP) that is already sustained through the Darwin Sailing Club Training Academy. This can lead to paid employment and further career opportunities. Read more about the IDP HERE.

Who is Cullen Bay Marina & Darwin Sailing Club

Darwin Sailing Club (DSC) & Cullen Bay Marina (CBM) are excited to annouce that we have joined forces to create the Making Wave Youth Sailing Program.

Firstly, who is Cullen Bay Marina and Darwin Sailing Club:

Cullen Bay Marina: Cullen Bay is the premiere all-tide-access marina and residential estate in Darwin. The estate extends from Larrakeyah to Cullen Beach and with the best harbour sunsets from the beach and with its cafés and restaurants it is a favourite place for visitors and residents. Cullen Bay was developed in the late 1990’s and has become an iconic location for music, accommodation, wedding events, food and drink, access to charter boats and ferries, private boating, and good living. The beach area is a favourite for families wanting to have the best, safe and accessible evening views.

Cullen Bay supports the Darwin Sailing Club program and is proud to be the sponsor of scholarships for young people who may otherwise be unable to access the benefits from sailing.

Learning to sail provides young people with skills, increases confidence, generates friendships, develops leadership skills, and promotes exercise in a healthy environment. The scholarships can provide unique pathways for a start to a career in the maritime industry for young people.

Darwin Sailing Club: Established in 1963, the Darwin Sailing Club (DSC) has operated an annual racing and social sailing program on Fannie Bay, Darwin Harbour, and offshore. DSC is the largest sailing club in the Territory. DSC is a nationally accredited Discover Sailing Centre offering accredited learn to sail and coaching programs across all ages and disciplines. Our youth training programs are recognised under SACE as Stage 1 credit points. The club maintains strong links with several schools, youth outreach programs and community programs. The Training Academy operates 7 days a week and is one of the busiest in Australia.

The club regularly hosts National and International Championships. In addition to on water activity, DSC provides boat storage, land-based support, and social services for visiting yachts who anchor in Fannie Bay during the dry season injecting valuable funds into the local economy. Beyond sailing, the Darwin Sailing Club is one of Darwin's busiest hospitality and private function destinations. Catering to more than 700 social members, their guests and more than 50,000 visitors to Darwin annually.

Benefits of Sailing

It is well known that sport and physical activity can have huge benefits to our health and mental wellbeing. Recent studies have shown an increasing number of additional benefits within social and personal development. These positive effects are amplified in challenging sports such as sailing. Students are stimulating and strengthening both their minds and bodies. Benefits of sailing include:

Reduces stress
Feel more confident
Helps with mental wellness
Helps to think more creatively
Work better as a team
Develop physical strength
Improves concentration skills
Try new things

Apply Today!

If the Making Waves Youth Sailing Scholarship sounds like something you would be interested in, please apply today

We will ask that you also get a character reference from your teacher or school principal and that you agree to be interviewed by a journalist (you will be coached beforehand and supported).

These criteria collectively ensure that the selected candidates not only have the necessary skills and attributes for sports participation but also demonstrate commitment, potential and a willingness to engage with the scholarship program's requirements.

If you do not yet have a character reference, please apply anyway and send the reference via email to sailing@dwnsail.com.au once you have recieved it from your teacher/principal.

Apply Now