Learn to Race
At SSSC we recognise that for people to get hooked on sailing (and become fully integrated into the club) we as a club have to do more than teach people to sail in circles on a puddle in the Midlands. For sure that appeal is adequate whilst the basics of sailing are still a challenge, however as soon as that level of proficiency is attained it's going to get boring pretty quick! Nor is there much to chat to other members about at the bar after the sailing is done! So what's the answer?. . . . . RACING!
We have a brilliant learn to sail program at SSSC based on the RYA National Sailing Scheme but it leaves sailors sadly lacking the skills, knowledge and confidence to get on the race start line. This Learn to Race is not so much a course as a rolling program for those sailors that have got the basics of sailing under their belts and are looking to grow those skills, knowledge and confidence sufficiently to get them on the race start line and start to improve on some techniques to become a competitive race participant. Beyond that the club organises race coaching to get you to the front of the fleet, but let's get you racing first!
So what do you need to get involved? As this program is planned to roll continuously throughout the year, firstly you will need sailing gear suitable for the prevailing weather conditions. In October we start to get the odd light frost so you will need a wetsuit as a minimum requirement until things start to warm up in April. The club can still provide buoyancy aids until you get on the start line proper. The training will be in club Fireflies for several good reasons. They are easy to rig and easy to sail (no spinnakers to confuse matters) but responsive to good technique, forgiving for heavier sailors and we have plenty available. This means we should be able to get some good boat on boat competition going on.
Because this is not a learn to sail course we will sail up to force 3 and potentially more if sailors are confident. So in those conditions you must be able to rig and launch a regular 2 man dinghy, we will of course be there to advise the first time or two. Be able to sail on all points of sailing and confidently tack and gybe as we will be sailing in close quarters with other boats. Of course there will be a safety boat on the water for coaching purposes and there to assist if required but sailors should be able to right a regular capsize. This should appeal to all sailors that have done Level 1, Level 2 and even regular racing crews wanting to practice helming. Even regular helms would be welcome to get more boats on the water for a better racing experience and knowledge sharing.
The sessions will be posted on the website calendar under the Training banner and called unsurprisingly Lean to Race. If you intend to come down please book a slot so we can gauge if we have enough participants to run a session. We will swap people about during the sessions as sailing with different people is good for improving technique as we learn different things from different people but it also means when we have an odd number of people we can include 1 space on the safety boat in the rotation that will give an out of boat perspective which is very useful training too.
The sessions will include a brief pre launch "classroom" session. To cover a specific topic and objectives of the day, then on the water for a series of mini races to practice those techniques, followed by derig and debrief. As this is a new initiative we are feeling our way and gauging how long the sessions should be. Initial thought is 09:00 am to 13:00 on Saturdays.
So please look out for the sessions on the calendar and book up! BOOK HERE NOW!
Last updated 22:52 on 13 October 2024