The recent RYA OnBoard Survey found a quarter of clubs and centres run windsurfing activity.

Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre is one of those centres, and having only taken to the board for the first time in April last year, 11-year-old Tom Bramham Butts has made such good progress he's already looking ahead to tackling the competitive challenges of Team15 this year!

We meet Tom and centre instructor, Jackie Friend, to find out why standing up has as much appeal as sitting down when it comes to getting OnBoard...

Hi Tom, congratulations on being March's OB Sailor of the Month!

Thanks! This time last year I hadn't ever sailed or done any windsurfing at all so to have come as far as I have already is really exciting. Windsurfing makes me feel happy!

How did you start then?

My Uncle Gavin is a windsurfer and I thought I'd like to give it a try. I originally wanted to try and do some watersports and I saw the windsurfing class advertised, so I did my two-day Stage 1 course at Easter.

And you got into it straight away?

Yes. After doing my Stage 1 I joined the after school term-time OnBoard club on a Friday and went every week. Then in the summer I passed my Stage 2, learning how to sail upwind by tacking and downwind by gybing, and returned to OnBoard in September until it ended for the season at October half term. I haven't done any windsurfing over the winter so I can't wait to get back on the board and work on my Stage 3 skills!

Have you found a competitive streak then?

By the end of the season I was holding my own on a 2.5 rig against the older ones on 3.5s, and even beating them in some of the fun races at the end of the OnBoard sessions. I felt like I'd accomplished something. 

So why does windsurfing make you happy?

Being part of the OnBoard club gives me something to look forward to at the end of the week and a way to learn something new that not a lot of other people do. I really like being outdoors too. I am very proud of doing windsurfing though and people are always interested.

Wow Jackie that's a pretty glowing testament! Why does Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre put windsurfing on the same footing as dinghy sailing?

We introduced windsurfing at the centre in 2015 and immediately thought OnBoard was the way to get young people to come and take part regularly. We just want to see young people loving being out on the water, whether that is in a boat or on a board. And of course if they do one, they can try the other too. 

So the youngsters don't have to have done a windsurfing course to join your OB club then?

No, if that was a requirement some won't get started until the summer holidays in August, which leaves very little season for them to get into OnBoard before we close in the autumn. They can have elements signed off in their log book for all of Stage One and Two at OnBoard. We do encourage them to come on a course to consolidate their learning, however. 

It's also a good route for those who have done Stage One to develop so we encourage coming to OnBoard after a course, which is what happened to Tom. We also have two young people from Otley SC, who were already good sailors and they've really enjoyed learning a new sport that builds on their experience in a boat.

How do you hope to build on this this year? 

We intend to register a Team15 group so we can take part in events at other centres. The skill development and the chance to be competitive both in racing and skills competitions through T15 we think will help the youngsters develop more robust core windsurfing skills and really want to keep trying to improve. We very much see Tom joining the older ones and being part of the group's first T15 trip.