Cadets - youngsters between the ages of 8 and 18 - have many sailing activities arranged for them. From beginner lessons to advanced race training; rules of the road (sea) to games of pirates (who don't follow the rules) - the young sailors at DYC have a lot going on.

Children starting to learn young (roughly from ages 8 to 12), will start out in an Optimist. This is the most popular children's dinghy in the world, and has taught many sailors now representing their countries at Olympic level and in ocean sailing around the world. There is a group of Optimist sailors at DYC who have learnt from scratch and are now very competent. They have got together to teach, one-on-one, beginner kids, supervised by a responsible and experienced adult on Monday and Friday afternoons.

Older children wanting to sail may learn in a Topper if they are too big for an Optimist. The Topper is a fun boat designed for teenagers and small adults. It is quite easy to sail, easy to fix, and as a bonus (to some), comes in a variety of bright colours.

The step beyond Optimsits for older children wishing to compete is the Laser fitted with a 4.7 rig. The Laser is a very popular class of single handed dinghy, but is a performance boat and not as easy as some of the others to sail well. Due to this, and the relatively high cost of the rig, most 4.7 Laser sailors will be those serious about competing. Laser sailors of all ages, with whichever rig, are welcome to join in the Friday Laser races (1st start 5pm), and on Sunday afternoons.