Papercourt Sailing Club

Volvo Champion Club - Good sailing for all the family

  Training

Dates for Papercourt Training in 2008

RYA LEVEL 2 POWERBOAT COURSE

8, 15 Mar + (Wed eves) 5, 12 Mar

Practical course for those wishing to learn the art of driving a powerboat. No charge. Course is now full.

RYA FIRST AID COURSE

2 Feb

By invite from the training committee. Preference will be given to those holding Instructor qualifications, followed by Assistant Instructors. No charge for DI and AI. Open to other members, if places remaining, at a small cost.

RYA ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS COURSE

29 Mar, 5 Apr + (Wed eve) 2 Apr

For those who wish to gain an insight into Instructing. Course is two all-day sessions on the Saturdays, plus the Wednesday evening. Participants should have good boat handling skills as much of the course is practical. No charge.

SPRING COURSE

16 Apr – 21 Jun

For adult beginners. Wed evenings for theory plus Saturday mornings for practical sessions. Application forms available: 6 February. Numbers limited.

START TO SAIL

Wed 28 May + Thurs 29 May

A two-day appetiser for junior beginners. Application forms available: 16 April. Numbers limited.

RYA SPINNAKER COURSE                                                          

3, 10, 17, 24 June + 1 July

Tuesday evenings. For conventional and asymmetric boats. Some practical boat handling experience is required to benefit from the course. Application forms available: 16 April. Numbers limited.

RACE TRAINING

5 July

Saturday morning only. Very basic: learn how to start a race, what the flags mean and a few essential rules. No charge.

RYA SUMMER COURSE

Mon 4 Aug – Fri 8 Aug

5 days of sailing for all abilities. Groups according to grades. Application forms available: 7 May. Numbers limited.

PAPERCOURT POWERBOAT

Sat 8 Nov (TBC)

Preliminary day towards RYA Level 2 course (Spring 2009)

Please note:

Papercourt Sailing Club
training is only available
to current members of PSC

Introduction

The Training facilities at Papercourt Sailing Club are second to none. The Club is an RYA Recognised Training Centre (RTC) establishment and in 1999 was awarded RYA Champion Club status. Many members are themselves RYA qualified Instructors.

PSC provides a range of tuition courses throughout the year for a nominal fee to members wishing to improve their skills and qualify for the various RYA Certificates. All ages and levels of experience are encouraged to develop their abilities.

Being a Champion Club we recognise and support the development of our young sailors through the Club's training programme, the RYA Zone Squads and eventually on to the National Squads.

Summary of Training Courses at PSC

New Members & Improvers

·        Spring - RYA National Training Course

·        Introduction to Racing

·        Summer - RYA National and Young Sailors Course

·        Racing Skills Course

Club Duties

·        PSC Safety Boat Officer familiarisation

·        PSC Rescue Boat Training

·        Spring - RYA National Training Course

·        PSC Race Officer Introduction

Instructors

·        RYA Instructor

·        RYA First Aid Course (Instructors Only)

·        RYA Club Racing Coach

·        RYA Senior Instructor

PSC Class Development Training

Youth

·        Topper Winter Race Training

·        Laser Winter Race Training

Juniors

·        PSC Optimist Class Saturday Training

·        PSC Summer Junior Day Camp

New Members & Improvers

For beginners and improvers the RYA National (“Spring”) Training Course starts immediately after Easter and runs for 8 weeks with on-shore discussions on Wednesday evenings, and practical sailing on Saturday mornings. The course introduces basic boat controls, knowledge and ability to handle a dinghy in light winds. RYA Level 1 and Level 2 certificates are awarded on successful completion. The cost of the course is £55, which includes a logbook and certificate.

Following on from the Spring course, there is a Racing Introduction Course. It provides an opportunity for beginners to gain race experience and understand racing rules and procedures over two Saturdays. There is no cost and no certificate will be awarded but the aim is to encourage members to join in club racing for the Summer and then progress to the Racing Skills Course in Autumn.

In Summer there is an opportunity for families to share and enjoy a weeks sailing, learn more about and consolidate their sailing skills in our RYA National and Young Sailors Course. This is run by qualified volunteer club members and is open to beginners and improvers who can achieve RYA levels 1 to 3. The course lasts for a full 5-day week in August. An entry list is posted at the Club from Spring onwards and the cost is approximately £55 for the week.

Progression is to racing experience in the Club races and the Racing Skills Course.

In Autumn the Racing Skills Course builds on and reinforces basic sailing skills gained at Level 2 and develops boat handling and tactical skills by working towards the RYA level 4 Racing Techniques Certificate. The course is open to those who have achieved RYA level 2/3. An entry list will be posted at the Club in good time. Informal lectures are held on Wednesday evenings and practical sessions on Saturday mornings. The cost of the course is £55, which includes a logbook and certificate. Progression is to Club and Open Circuit racing

Club Duties

Every June, on a Wednesday evening, the club runs a Safety Boat Officer (SBO) Familiarisation evening. This gives a useful insight, for beginners, on how to operate the club’s safety boats and a practical introduction to boats & engines used for safety boat cover at the club. The evening covers rigging and operation of the Club’s safety boats and a chance to practice boat handling skills Further personal practice is recommended before progression to the PSC Rescue Boat Training Day or the RYA National Power Boat Scheme.

The PSC Rescue Boat Training Day is a new course introduced in 2000. It is based on RYA Powerboat Level 2, but limited to only those items relevant to PSC waters. It will offer a sound introduction to boat handling and associated background knowledge for novices and those who have attended the Safety Boat Officer (SBO) Familiarisation evening. The course occupies one Saturday in November for theory and practical training. A PSC certificate is awarded in recognition of completing the course. The costs have still to be decided but will include a logbook and certificate. The course is essential practice and familiarisation for progression to the RYA National Powerboat Scheme.

The RYA National Powerboat Scheme exists to meet the needs, amongst others, of all those who use small powerboats in connection with sailing.

The club runs a recognised 2-day course under the RYA scheme and awards certificates for Powerboat Levels 1&2. It provides a sound introduction to powerboat handling and associated background knowledge. Tuition is given in a variety of boat types, both planing and displacement over two whole Saturdays in February. The level of experience for necessary for entry is the PSC Rescue Boat Training Day or equivalent.

For those members with racing experience who want to understand more about the duties of Principal and Assistant Race Officer the club runs a Race Officer Introduction Evening every July. The evening gives advice and guidance including the job brief and duty instructions, course setting, signals, starting procedures, recording systems, calculation of race results, use of computer. It enables members with some racing experience to undertake Race Officer Duties at the Club.

Instructors

 In order to increase the pool of RYA trained Dinghy Instructors the club will invite and sponsor suitably qualified members on a RYA Instructor Training Course.

It is directed at those who have been sailing for a number of years, have all round experience, who would like to teach novices and help others to enjoy sailing. In return the club asks instructors to help out with a few club training sessions throughout the year.

The course includes RYA instructional techniques, communication skills, practical sailing skills, disabled sailing, how to teach beginners, single-handers and level 3 techniques. It is the equivalent of 5 days training spread across Wednesday evenings and full Saturdays for teaching practice afloat and on shore, written papers and other details.

In order to be accepted for training, all candidates must pass a practical test conducted by a RYA Examiner.

Qualified RYA Instructors must attend a RYA First Aid Course which enables instructors to update or gain a new first aid certificate that is valid for 3 years. The Club arranges courses according to demand.

Enrolment is by invitation to qualified instructors. The seven-hour course covers resuscitation, control of bleeding, and treatment of unconscious casualty, recognition and treatment of hypothermia.

The role of the RYA Senior Instructor is that of the sailing manager – the person responsible for organising sailing tuition at a teaching establishment such as PSC. The Club sponsors members who are RYA Instructors and who want to become sailing managers on external RYA Senior Instructor courses. The next available course is at Calshott from 9^th to 13^th October. Accommodation is provided on-site. The course is a combination of teaching and work experience and covers aspects such as fleet management, organising instructors and practical problem solving. Levels of experience and pre-requisites are described in the RYA Dinghy Coaching Handbook.

PSC will sponsor club members able to pass on their racing skills to others on an external 2 day RYA Club Racing Coach course.

Class Training

Optimist Class Training

Papercourt Optimists operate Saturday morning training from May to October.  The helms are divided into four groups depending upon ability, which ranges from beginners to regulars on the open circuit.  Training uses the IOCA scheme with the helms achievements recorded in their logbooks.  The average attendance is about 60 helms. Instruction is by Papercourt members on a voluntary basis, made up of parents and teenage sailors who have graduated out of Optimists provide instruction.  Within our pool of trainers we have a number of RYA Instructors and one National Coach.

Optimist Regional Training

The Thames Valley and Southern Region organize this jointly.  It consists of about six one-day sessions held during autumn and spring at both inland (including Papercourt) and on tidal locations.  A professional coach who is funded out of Thames Valley/Southern Region provides training.  Parents supplement the training on a voluntary basis and some club and individuals provide ribs for safety boat cover, particularly on tidal locations.  Martin White, a Papercourt member, is co-coordinator for the Thames Valley area.  About of 10 Papercourt helms attended these training sessions in 1999/2000.

Optimist Open and Major Events

There is a regular core of helms and families who regularly attend open meetings and major events.  Three events – Inland, Nationals and End of Season – determine the ranking and squad selection.  These events are located in all parts of mainland UK.

Topper Class Training

Every Winter Papercourt run a programme of race training in association with the International Topper Class association (ITCA). The course is a part of the club’s Youth Winter Race Training programme and is run alongside the Lasers. It is open to Topper sailors who have made regular appearances at either club racing or open meetings - in other words competent sailors who have some racing experience. The average attendance is 15/20 helms. An ITCA leads the instruction for Toppers assisted by qualified Papercourt instructors. The cost is approximately £20

Regional and National Training

The Topper Association (ITCA) organise both Regional and National training which until 2001 will be the qualifier for the National Squad.

Regional training consists of 3 weekends in Autumn on large inland waters around the country. Professional coaching teams provided by ITCA give training.

National Training takes place in Winter at Northampton and is run on a similar basis to Regional Training. Helms are selected from Regional Training.

The National Topper Squad consists of 30 sailors all under 19. Selection in 2000 will be from National Training. In future selection will take place over 4 events during the Summer with the squad chosen in Autumn to allow a full training programme over Winter and Spring.

Laser Class Training

Every Winter Papercourt run a formal programme of race training for Lasers and Laser Radials. The course is a part of the club’s Youth Winter Race Training programme and is run alongside the Toppers. It is open to Laser sailors who have made regular appearances at either club racing or open meetings -  in other words competent sailors who have some racing experience.

Solo

 The class holds race-training sessions on Thursday evenings in the Summer and Saturday afternoons in Winter.

Mirror

The Mirror Class has a boat to loan, which is fitted with a Spinnaker. Sessions on fitting out and tuning and the occasional Wednesday evening race training are held in the Summer.

Graduate

Coaching sessions, that include boat inspections and on water instruction, are held on Wednesday evenings in Summer.

The class runs a junior series for under 16 helms on Saturday afternoons throughout Summer.

All club members can book the Club Graduate at no charge.

The class is very active at open meetings and national events.

Junior and Youth Sailing

The club provides Junior and Youth training throughout the year in addition to the training provided by the sailing classes.

 Summer Junior Day Camp

This is open to all sailors, 16 years and under, including Toppers, Mirrors etc. The Optimist class team, including the young Saturday morning Optimist instructors runs it. IOCA certificates are available. The Camp started in 1999 and was a great success. The younger sailors had the opportunity to sail boats other than their own including the 420 and 405.

Youth Winter Race Training

Every Winter Papercourt run a programme of race training in association with the RYA, Laser and Topper associations. The course is open to competent sailors who have some racing experience.

The course operates over six full Saturdays during the months of November and February. Training works towards the RYA Red & White racing badges and covers the following:

·        Improve racing skills

·        Understand boat control

·        Build team spirit

·        Personal Development Plan

·        Social opportunities

Two Handed Sailing

The RYA National Training Course, which is held in the Spring, places an emphasis on two handed sailing. The Racing Skills Course, which is held in Autumn, requires spinnaker training for the Red Badge and Asymmetric training for the White Badge.

Teaching the Disabled

Disabled sailors can take part in courses within the National Dinghy Certificate.

The majority of sailing exercises for handicapped people are at the introductory stages – levels 1 & 2. PSC qualified RYA Instructors are able to do work with disabled students without requiring specialist knowledge.

Stable and simple boats such as the Wayfarer, GP, Mirror and Optimist are popular, however other stable boats are being considered.

RYA Sailability

This is a UK development charity for disabled sailors who set a minimum standard in terms of training, facilities and type of boat used. Their objective is to integrate disabled people into sailing community.

Disabilities include

·        Physically handicapped

·        Visually handicapped

·        Deaf/Hearing impaired

·        Mentally handicapped

Clubs offering the required standard are awarded RYA Sailability Accreditation.

In order to achieve this standard individual clubs need to:

·        Improve access to facilities and water.

·        Provide training and facilities

Future Developments

Double Handed Sailing

The Club provides a continuous training programme offering ambitious young sailors a route from beginner to eighteen-year-old achiever. The programme is directed at Optimist, Topper, Laser Radial and Laser 1, which are all RYA “participating” single handed dinghy classes. Young sailors are attracted to single-handed sailing because it offers independence and low cost. PSC training in recent years has responded to this demand at the expense of double handed sailing. However this is just one avenue of development.

There are complications with double-handed sailing such as cost, commitment and organisation of crews. In addition the water at Papercourt is not suitable for many of the new high performance boats. As a result the Club would like to introduce measures to redress the balance between training in single and double handed boats. There are good reasons - if the training emphasis on single-handed boats continues the Club and its members could exclude family and social involvement not to mention valuable sailing skills.

The Training Committee has asked the Club to provide a fleet of four double boats for youth training. The boats would have to be suitable for Papercourt water, recognised by the RYA and attractive to young sailors. A boat under consideration is the RS 200. Use of the boats would be managed and charges would be levied to cover professional maintenance.

Expansion of Race Training

The Club would like to widen the training base. In order to do so it will encourage and support class training.

Information feed back is important such as number of entries and achievements of PSC sailors at National level analysis such as numbers in National Squads

at National events. Class captains such as Oppi, Toppers, Lasers, Graduate will be asked to provide this information. More support and coaching at large events will improve results. All Club members and especially the young sailors will benefit from more tidal experience.

In order to provide these improvements the Club must provide more race trainers in the particular class disciplines, hire top quality coaches (the RYA will assist) and train instructors to RYA Safety Boat with tidal endorsement.

We are also organizing a cruise in Chichester harbour. Of the two dates that we looked at, one was sandwiched between two open meetings while the second one had unsuitable tidal conditions. We will sort out a suitable Sunday in August.

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