Programme co-ordinator Jamie Fagan said despite two days hampered by lack of wind, the boys still had plenty of opportunities to practice leaving and returning to shore safely, as well as tacking and gybing. “The sea breeze, which came in at the end of the less windy sessions, did provide the boys with some more challenging moments,” he said.

Jack James’ eyes lit up when he recalled capsizing in the river on a hot summer’s day. “It’s great because if it’s hot you get to fall in and then you have fun trying to get the boat back up again,” he said. “It was a really good experience for me and I’d like to keep sailing, or ask mum and dad to take me sailing on the weekend.”

Lawson Wooles, also a big fan of capsizing and righting the boat, said he enjoyed the speed of sailing when the wind picked up. “It was great learning about how the wind and sails work, and catching lots of speed!”

Gareth Ward may have not been able to participate to the full extent, due to a broken wrist, but that did not stop him from making the most of the experience. “I spent a lot time on the motorboat, which was so much fun,” he said. “It was great to be on water and to see things from the river that I’d never seen before,” he said.

The Year 6 Sailing Experience is the culmination of the Prep School’s Swan River programme, which uses the river as a living resource through which to teach the Science and History outcomes of the National Curriculum.