Low Port Centre

Sailing

Sailing at Low Port takes place on the picturesque setting of Linlithgow Loch, which is located a short walk from the centre. Over the years many people have been introduced to sailing on this sheltered piece of water, including Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson. The centre is registered with the Royal Yachting Association as a Recognised Teaching Establishment. Currently our fleet of dinghies consists of Taz, Topaz, Mirrors, Magnos and Sport 16, which allows us to cater for anyone aged 8 to 80 and beyond! We can also organise trips further afield to Loch Lomond or to the sea on the Forth Estuary.

Junior Courses

During our summer activity programme we run a number of sailing courses for children. Children aged 8 yrs+ are taught in Taz dinghies and those aged 12 yrs+ in Topaz. Sailing is also offered as an activity as part of our popular multi-activity courses.

Stage 1

An introductory course for children.

Stage 2

Continuing on from stage 1 you will learn to become more confident at sailing single-handedly and be able to sail in any direction around the loch.

Stage 3

Ideally you?ll have had some personal time sailing after gaining your stage 2 certificate. By the end of this course you should be a confident independent sailor who would be able to rig, launch and sail with little input from your instructor.

Adult Courses

RYA Level 1, Start Sailing

A 2 day introductory course for those aged 16+. Throughout the course you will be sailing with an instructor on board one of the centre?s Sport 16?s. You?ll be shown how to rig the boat, basic boat handling and background theory.

RYA Level 2, Basic Skills

Ideally you?ll have completed the level 1 course or have had some previous sailing experience. By the end of the course you should be able to sail safely in light winds without an instructor onboard and have basic background knowledge of sailing.

One Day Sailing Clinic

This will be a tailor-made day to allow you to brush up on existing skills and maybe learn some new ones.

Follow up courses

Upon successfully completing the Level 2 award you?ll be able to progress on to any of the following courses:

Seamanship Skills

This course will allow level 2 sailors to improve their confidence and broaden their seamanship skills.

Sailing with Spinnakers

Exactly what it says on the tin! Learn how to ?blast? down the loch flying the asymmetric spinnaker on the Sport 16 or glide sedately along under the symmetric spinnaker on one of our Mirrors.

Start Racing

Afraid to take the next step and take part in your local club's racing series? Then this is the course for you. You?ll be introduced to the starting procedure and the rules required to compete successfully in this enjoyable aspect of the sport. Who knows, you could be the next Shirley Robertson!!

RYA Dinghy Instructor Course

Training takes place over 5 days followed by 1 day assessment. Pre-entry requirements for this course are: aged 16+, have passed the Pre-entry Sailing Assessment, Level 2 Powerboat Certificate and hold a valid First Aid Certificate. These can all be arranged through the centre.

RYA First Aid

A 1 day course designed to provide training for small craft users. It also meets the requirements necessary for all RYA Instructors and for RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate.

Schools and Youth Groups

We are able to offer sailing as a half day or full day introductory session. By arrangement we can organise certificated RYA courses that would run over a number of days.