In the last week of Term One, our class headed to Naval Point Club for an unforgettable day learning to sail in Optimists.

With the expert guidance of Amanda and Ruby from Rūnā, supported by our fabulous parent helpers, we spent the morning on the water. We learnt how to manage the mainsail and tiller to steer and to how control our speed. We were thrilled that, despite being the largest school group so far, we were able to get everybody onto the water while conditions were perfect. In pairs, we took turns navigating around the buoys and back to the jetty.

In the afternoon, unpredictable breezes kept us on shore. We learnt about the geography of Canterbury and Whakaraupō that causes these winds. We explored different materials used to construct boats and sails, experimented with pulley systems, competed to design foil boats that could carry a load and brushed up on our nautical knot-tying skills. Ruby hadn't anticipated how quickly Lyttelton Primary students learn when she challenged her first group to try to tie her securely to her chair!

Oli said "I enjoyed the sailing part the best. Just chilling in the boat was fun!"

Daniel said "I quite liked the activities. The pulley and materials activities were my favourite."

Quinn said "I really enjoyed the instructors letting us do 5 laps around on our own because we knew how to sail."

Olive said "I liked it when the whole jetty that you stand on tilted all the way up!"

Issy really enjoyed "driving. A really funny moment was when Hettie and I completely stopped and started using the rudder, pushing it back and forth to try to move slightly."

Thank you to Naval Point, Rūnā and our parent helpers for making this such a memorable learning experience and so much fun.