Seamanship skills and spinnaker training - Lesson Plan

Aim of course:

The aim of the Seamanship Skills Courseis is to develop the skills learned in RYS NSS Levels 1, 2 and 3 and introduce further exercises and techniques such as use of spinnakers (symmetric and asymmetric) to create sailors capable of handling a boat in a seamanlike manner and making seamanlike decisions in a broad range of situations and conditions. Although many techniques apply to single-handed dinghies this course is more suited to double-handed dinghies.

We utilise a variety of club training dinghies for this course as it provides a wider range of experience for both helming and crewing, useful when learning new techniques.

Instructor ratios:

The course will operate on a DI:Student ratio of 1:2 with a maximum of 8 students.

SI:

The SI will have an overview of the course, monitoring any safety issues, ensuring the standard of course delivery and timely progress through the sessions by the DI's. The SI we brief and debrief DI's as required.

Course delivery:

Delivery of Classroom, Onshore and Onwater sessions will be by DI's in accordance with the relevant method.

Day 1:

Day 2:

See Detailed lesson plan below

Equipment:

Fleet: Various

Safety boat: Highfield RIB

Classroom: Clubroom / Training Loft

SI: Highfield RIB

Sailing area:

The courses will operate in all areas of the lake dependent upon wind direction:

LESSON PLAN

DAY 1:

9:00 - 9:30 ASHORE:

• Introductions, course outline, facilities and safety briefing (slip ways, booms, ropes etc)
• Paring up
• Allocation of boats

9:30 - 10:00 ASHORE:

• Theory of Heaving to
• Revision of Man Overboard
• Rig & launch boats

10:00 - 11:00 ON WATER:

• Heaving to
• Man Overboard

11:00 - 11:15 CLASSROOM:

• Break

11:15 - 11:30 CLASSROOM:

• Theory of achoring
• Theory of sailing backwards

11:30 - 12:30 ON WATER

• Anchoring
• Sailing backwards

12:30 - 13:15 LUNCH / DEBRIEF

13:15 - 13:45 CLASSROOM:

• Ropework (Whipping, heat sealing)
• Knots (Fisherman's bend, sheet bend)

13:45 - 14:15 CLASSROOM:

• Theory of rudderless sailing
• Theory of beach landings Windward/Leeward

14:30 - 15:30 ON WATER:

• Rudderless sailing
• Beach landings Windward/Leeward

15:30 - 16:00 ASHORE

• De-rig

16:00 - 16:45 CLASSROOM:

• Introduction to tides
• Debrief

DAY 2:

9:00 - 9:30 ASHORE:

• Meet
• Pair up
• Allocation of boats
• Rig boats

9:30 - 10:30 ON WATER:

• Ruddderless sailing

10:30 - 11:00 CLASSROOM:

• Theory of sailing without a centreboard
• Theory of reefing afloat

11:00 - 11:15 CLASSROOM:

• Break

11:15 - 12:00 ON WATER:

• Sailing without a centreboard
• Reefing afloat

11:30 - 12:30 CLASSROOM:

• Revision Points of Sailng
• Revision Rules of the ROAD

12:30 - 13:15 LUNCH / DEBRIEF

13:15 - 13:45 CLASSROOM:

• Theory of spinnaker flying
• Theory of inversion recovery

13:45 - 15:00 ON WATER:

• Spinnaker training
• Inverted Capsize recovery

15:00 - 15:15 CLASSROOM:

• Break

15:15 - 15:45 ASHORE:

• De-Rig

15:45 - 16:30 CLASSROOM:

• Introduction to meterology
• Debrief and questions
• End of course procedures: log books and next steps

Last updated 14:26 on 24 April 2025