Forest City · Partner Activity
Sail the water in front of your classroom
Dinghy sailing on the beach right in front of the MEC Forest City campus — from age 8 to adults, and you do not need to be able to swim.
Who runs it
Sailing is a partner programme run by SeaQuest Academy, whose coaches are certified by the Malaysia Sailing Association (MSA). MEC connects your application; the participation agreement and the fee are handled directly with SeaQuest in Malaysia — signed by the student for adults, and with a parent present for juniors.
Why Sailing
The sea teaches more than English
Judgement of your own
Wind and waves are different every time. Instead of following a set answer, students decide what to do in the situation in front of them and feel the result immediately.
Teamwork and communication
A boat only moves when roles are shared and signals are passed. Briefings and instructions are in English, so cooperation comes naturally.
Experience that leaves a record
Students finish with 18 logged training hours and a certificate — material that can be registered towards IB CAS or the International Award and used in a university portfolio.
Who & When
Friday afternoons for juniors, weekends for adults
Both formats complete one level in a total of 18 hours.
Juniors — Friday afternoon
Age 8+Fridays 13:30–18:00 · 4 weeks (4 sessions × 4h30m)
Open to holiday Junior Camp students and to term-time Junior English students alike.
Friday classes finish at 12:15 and students are handed over to their parent at that point. Getting to the beach and going home afterwards are the parent responsibility; the school shuttle cannot be used.
Adults — weekends
Age 18+Sat & Sun · 3 weeks (6 sessions × 3 hours)
Open to adult General English students and accompanying family members.
Adult classes are not booked on the application form. Ask at the school desk once you arrive: we will tell you the next start date and, if it clashes, adjust your class registration or timetable with you.
- Fee
- RM 1,620 per level — discounted from RM 1,800 (SST included) · paid in Malaysia
- Total hours
- 18 hours per level
Course Levels
Levels 1 to 3
Complete beginners start at Level 1, which is what a four-week stay normally covers.
Level 1 — up to sailing alone
Takes a beginner to the point of sailing a dinghy unaided in light winds.
- ✓Buoyancy aid and safety kit, basic collision regulations
- ✓Rigging and launching, balancing the boat with your body
- ✓Tacking, and sailing close-hauled
- ✓Controlling speed, stopping, preparing for a tow
- ✓Capsize recovery — righting the boat and sailing on
- ✓Knots, and reading the weather
Level 2 — moderate wind and waves
Using the trapeze and hiking to hold the boat flat, recovering a fully inverted dinghy, and reading forecasts to make your own calls.
Level 3 — racing and tactics
Planing in strong winds, roll tacking, rudderless sailing, choosing the right end of the start line and rounding marks.
Each level includes a workbook and a SeaQuest Academy certificate. It is not a national qualification.
Safety
You can start without being able to swim
Every session is sailed in a buoyancy aid with a safety boat on the water.
MSA-certified coaches
Coaches are certified by the Malaysia Sailing Association, the national governing body for sailing recognised by the Olympic Council of Malaysia.
Safeguarding trained
Every coach has completed child safeguarding training.
First aid and safety boat
Staff hold first aid certification and safety boat handling training, and a safety boat stays with the group throughout each session.
Swimming is not a requirement
Buoyancy aids are worn at all times, so non-swimmers can take part. If a child is very anxious in water, raise it with the coach at the first session.
Portfolio
Using it in a university portfolio
Sailing can be registered as an activity for the IB Diploma CAS and for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.
IB CAS — the Activity strand
Log the certificate, photos and reflections in ManageBac and submit it under the Activity strand.
International Award — Physical Recreation
Registers under Physical Recreation. That section asks for at least three months of regular activity, so start it alongside a plan to continue after going home.
Get approval before you start
Ask your school CAS coordinator or Award Leader for approval before the activity begins. Retrospective approval is often refused.
Whether an activity is accepted, and how much of it counts, is decided by the student school and the Award authority. MEC and SeaQuest Academy provide the opportunity and the completion record only, and cannot guarantee recognition.
How to Join
Before you apply
- •Open from age 8. Swimming ability is not a requirement.
- •Juniors need a parent present — for signing the agreement and for the journey to and from the beach.
- •A class starts with a minimum of 6 participants; below that, dates may move or be cancelled.
- •The fee is RM 1,620 per level, discounted from RM 1,800 and paid directly to SeaQuest in Malaysia. It is not part of your MEC invoice.
- •The junior Friday class runs at the same time as the Friday afternoon excursion, so the two cannot be booked together.
- •Juniors can select sailing on the application form. Adults simply ask at the school desk after arriving, and we can adjust class registration or timetable if needed.