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TRAINING
West Riding SC is committed to improving the sailing skills of all its members, whatever their ability. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA), to whom the club is affiliated, has set up a standard method of training, and WRSC is an RYA Training Establishment with its own RYA Trained Instructors. In addition, various training days/weekends are held during the season for the benefit of all our members, whatever their skill level.
Sailing, however, is a very much a hands on sport. Nothing can replace spending time on the water and members are encouraged to continually practice and to talk to and ask questions from class captains and more skilled sailors. Relying solely on training will not get you far. There is no such thing as instant erudition when it comes to improving your sailing! You will never stop learning!
BEGINNERS If you are new to sailing, you will be able to learn the basics of sailing by taking RYA Level 1 and Level 2 courses. We suggest you do this before contemplating buying a boat
Try one of the club owned boats, or try a boat belonging to one of the members. They are always willing to show off their pride and joy! Basically try as many different sorts of boat as you can, even if only as a crew. Once you have experienced different boats first hand, you will have a better idea as to what class of boat you should buy.
Once you've bought a boat, don't be shy! Try sailing it on a Sunday when everyone else is there - especially the good sailors who can help you most. If you ask nicely, they might even come out for a sail with you to see how you're progressing.
Yes, join in the racing; it's only sailing round specified buoys in certain order. Other sailors will see you, get to know you, and will try to help you. Join in the Summer Camps and the Special Summer Sundays, when the emphasis is on concentrated help to all who want to improve. Above all else, persevere. Even if you sail regularly, it can take up to 3 years to become accomplished, and even then you never stop learning. Keep at it! Don't give up! Practice makes perfect!
JUNIORS We tend to structure our training to fit the needs of the club - which change continually! There is currently a large group of under 10 year-olds in the club who need to be brought on and encouraged. To this end we have acquired six new Oppis to augment the club Toppers, which are suitable for slightly older children. The Oppis are ideal for youngsters to mess about in once they have been taught the rudiments. They are stable, safe and will teach children of that age the "feel" of sailing a dinghy, a feel that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
During the summer months we hold regular Junior Saturday Clubs, an annual weekend Summer Camp and Special Summer Sundays. These occasions are set aside especially to do the basic training and provide the conditions where juniors of all ages can take to the water and improve their skills with maximum support from the club. A Training Officer is appointed to mastermind these occasions.
Two trophies are presented each year to juniors. The Dadswell Wooden Spoon is presented to the winner of a one off race, now usually held during one of the Summer Camps. The George Harrison Trophy is presented to the winner of a series of junior races, or alternatively to the most improved junior of the year.
JUNIOR SATURDAY CLUB During the summer, several Saturday afternoons are set aside specifically for training juniors using the club Oppis and Toppers, or for those lucky enough, their own boat. This is held under the supervision of the Training Officer and parents are encouraged to help and support and to run the rescue boats.
SUMMER CAMPS These are open to all members regardless of age, experience or sailing skill. In fact you can attend without even having to sail if you don't want to! The purpose of these camps is to:
The camps start on a Friday evening and run through to Sunday afternoon. All places must be booked in advance with a nominal fee to cover the cost of meals, which are provided throughout the weekend.
SUMMER SUNDAYS Following on from the success of the Summer Camps, Summer Sundays are designed to maintain the momentum generated by the camps. On certain Sunday mornings, the water is open to all to continue improving their sailing skills under the experienced eye of more advanced sailors, and with the security of a full rescue team.
Members are encouraged to BBQ, use the bar, relax on the deck in the sunshine (now guaranteed thanks to global warming!), and generally utilise the club facilities to the full. Very much family orientated, off the water fun and games are provided for children by a rota run by parents.
RACE TRAINING For those wanting to get nearer the front of their fleet, race-training sessions are held during the year. These are usually specific to a particular class as it is easier to run these when the boats involved have a similar performance. Also it is more valuable if the race trainer is familiar with the class of boat in which you are sailing.
These training sessions are generated by demand within a class. For example, the Solos held a highly successful training day on the day before a Solo Open Meeting. The training was run by a winner of the Solo Northern Travellers Series and attracted sailors from other clubs in addition to our own members, all adding an extra dimension of learning. If you want some race training, pester your Class Captain or the Training Officer.
Race training is included in the programme for Summer Camps, when our own club "experts" can help members hone their boat handling and race strategy skills, regardless of what boat they are sailing. |
