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Royal Yachting Association Senior Instructor Course. The Senior instructor is the highest dinghy-training award in terms of personal competence and responsibility. The competence is a measure of ability to sail well in a variety of dinghies, and to demonstrate the correct techniques relevant to each dinghy type. The dinghies should include single and two-handed craft, centre and aft mainsheet. Although every effort will be made to allow hands on experience of a variety of dinghies assumed knowledge of dinghies suitable for youths, children, competition, cruising and high performance will be taken for granted. The dinghy instructor works alongside or under the supervision of a Senior Instructor and although responsible for the people under instruction the ultimate responsibility lies with the SI. The SI delegates responsibility to the instructors in the team but is always ready to step in, when and if the need arises, to take back control. The management of groups of clients, the resources available, the conditions, which effect safety in the sailing environment and the good, practice of the instructors themselves are the responsibility of the sailing manager or SI. Since the authority to manage comes not only from the Sl's employer but also from the governing body, the RYA, then the SI has a responsibility to maintain the good name of both by observing the good practice guidelines of both organisations. Before the course starts: Candidates must realise that the course is one of continuous assessment. In order to satisfy the requirements of the RYA participants must be very experienced instructors capable of planning and implementing group sailing, competent at sailing to the minimum of the pre-entry standard, hold the Safety Element of the National Powerboat Certificate, and a valid first aid certificate. In addition candidates must convince the Course Organiser that they have the qualities to organise sessions efficiently ashore and afloat, and are capable of meeting the needs of Instructors and Students sympathetically. How can you contribute to this course? Dinghy instructor training is clearly laid out in G14 and the foundation stone on which other instructional values are laid is the Method. The SI Will be an

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experienced instructor and will have a firm grasp of the method andexperience of many ways of applying it. Since this course brings together alarge group of experienced instructors the corporate experience will beconsiderable. It is, therefore, the sharing of experiences that will form themain structure of this course.

Preparation for the course

The course will be watched over and supported by the dinghy coaches butthe course content must come from you and others on the course. Before thecourse starts it is important that you clarify your thoughts and sort out whatyou have to offer. Carrying out these simple tasks may help: -To say that the SI is responsible for everything that happens at a sailing centreduring the practical sessions afloat is too vague. Write down half a dozen ofthe more specific responsibilities. There may be more but others in the groupmay identify them or perhaps confirm your order of priority.

Your centre seeks to instruct a wide variety of clients from beginners toadvanced. You may also have to accommodate young people andchildren. List the types of craft that you would prefer to use. The idea will be toequip your centre to teach as broad a range of people and courses aspossible.

Sailing Craft

The People that we teach Initially you may wish to meet all of your clients at the start of their course. You may brief one of your instructors to welcome them on your, or the company's, behalf. Write paragraph headings for the first client briefing. Course Planning and Conte The syllabus for all dinghy courses is outlined in the front cover of G4. Write out a Programme for a Seamanship Course (2 days). Day a.m.

a.m. Lunch p.m. p.m.

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During Instructor training you will have been required to give a talk, presentation or whatever as part of your assessment. As on S1 you will have to monitor talks given to clients by your instructors and give advice and help to those who may be having difficulty. For this course you will not have to give a lecture as such but you will be required to offer a framework of use to your staff when putting a presentation together. As an exercise explain to the group how you would put together a talk, what points you would select and the kind of visual presentation that might be possible. Please prepare advice you would offer to your Instructors on how to put together a talk on the

topic marked * Topics. Launching from a windward shore. Lee shore landings. Launching from a lee shore. Wind and tide together

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Mooring alongside. Anchoring.Reefing a singlehander TowingSail setting Centreboard.Spinnaker handling. Spinnaker gybing.Weather information. TideBuoyage Charts Sailing without a rudder.Transits

Organising sessions afloat.

If your clients are to have fun, learn something and be safe then as SI you willhave to set up with your staff the on the water sessions and lead them. Duringthis course none of the sessions will be aimed at testing your personal sailingskill. You will be offering to the other course members an example of goodpractice based on your experience BUT be prepared to think creatively, don'tjust rerun an old model without reviewing it first. At the end of your session(a) you will have delivered a faultless model and your fellow coursemembers will have learnt a great deal, or(b) your model will be basically sound and safe but rather dull, or(c) your model, if followed, could put clients in danger, or(d) put them off sailing forever or(e) have so little content that nothing is learnt, or(f) leave everyone on the water not knowing what to do, or(g) the exercises will be so easy that clients will make up their own and youwill have completely lost control(h) the whole group could be wiped out by a passing ferry!

If you run a session that leaves something to be desired the rest of the groupwill tell you so in no uncertain terms. Rather than be offended you may findthe criticism of your session (not of you) beneficial.You may be asked to set up a model on any one of the following topics sodon't be caught out think each one through in advance.

Teaching exercises.

GROUPS

Group teaching (two man boats) Single handers Level 5 skillsChildren (Optimists) Youth GroupsSafety boat work. Disabled groups

SKILLS

(1) Rigging a single hander or training dingy (2) Launching(3) Leaving and coming ashore (4) Sailing upwind (5) Reaching, stopping, tacking, getting (6) Sailing downwind

out of irons.

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(7) Reefing ashore andafloat

(8) Paddling and rowing(9) The five essentials(10) Man overboard,(11) Starting a race.1 2) Anchoring.(13) leaving and returning to

a jetty or mooring.(14) Leeward shore. (1 6)(15) Heaving to.(16) Reefing afloat(17) Towing and being towed(18) Mark rounding.

(19) Sailing backwards(20) Sailing without a rudder.(21) Sailing without a

centreboard.(22) Capsize and recovery(23) Spinnaker hoist to leeward(24) Spinnaker hoist to

windward(25) Spinnaker gybing(26) Spinnaker drops(27) Spinnaker reaching and

running.

The practical exercises may take a few minutes or up to an hour, butthe only time taken should be sufficient to demonstrate a workingmethod of instruction. Exercises (1 to 22) may be repeated usingdifferent boats and different students.After each exercise there will be a group debrief.

You may wish to consider.(1) The Students ability, age, physical fitness,

motivation etc.(2) The equipment available Not many centres have everything

they need or would like. Equipmentmay be put out of action during aprevious course or demand mayexceed supply.

(3) The sailing location The size and suitability of the water.Shared use, not just with other sailors,but perhaps skiers and otherpowerboat water users.

(4) The weather. When, if ever, is it too rough or toowindless.

(5) Safety Provision On and off the water(6) Supervision Dealing with emergencies(7) Staffing Which member of staff has the ability

and qualifications to run the course?Will the instructor require a helper?Unqualified or qualified?

(8) Theory When will the practical instruction beinterrupted to make way for theory?

(9) Food, Warmth & Shelter.(10) level of supervision by Senior Instructor(11) Briefings

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(12) House Rules common to all school activities(13) Debriefs Students and instructors.

How well did the session go?

If the exercise took place at your sailing school would you be satisfied ?Could the exercise be improved?What was the object of the exercise?What went wrong? Could this have beenavoided?Was the exercise safe? Were the students satisfied?Was the best use made of time, equipment and conditions? What standards of performance were applied and how were they judged?

The Senior Instructor is the qualification required before applying forappointment as Chief Instructor or Principal of an RYA recognised dinghyteaching establishment.

Eligibility

Candidates will be required to demonstrate competence in the followingareas:

Personal Sailing Ability* Course preparationCourse Delivery Course ManagementCentre Management* Customer LiaisonPowerboat and Rescue boat Handling * First Aid*

Training and assessment in those items marked* is not provided during anRYA Senior Instructor Course.

First Aid and Powerboat Handling

Candidates will demonstrate evidence of competence in First Aid andpowerboat/rescue boat handling before the RYA Senior Instructor Certificateis issued. The most common forms of evidence of competence are a validFirst Aid certificate and the RYA National Powerboat Safety Certificate.Evidence of these certificates must be produced before the candidate'scoaching record card is completed and sent to RYA HQ.

The course will include:

Centre Programme Planning Briefing/debriefing sessionsRYA Dinghy Scheme overview The need for organised trainingTypes of teaching establishment Role of the Senior instructorCourse Preparation overview: Balance between theory andpractice

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Availability of Instructors and helpers Availability of fleet and safetycoverAvailability of teaching resources Course Preparation DetailsTaster courses; beginners courses Improvers courses; racing courses

Advanced courses; powerboat courses Course Management Detailsinstructor/student ratios and matching Length of sessions/refreshmentsGroup control ashore Group control afloatSailing areas motivation of instructorsHigh/no wind alternatives Assessment of learningAchievement of aims for each practical session Use of visual aids

Customer liaison:

Security, safety and comfort of clients Reception of customers and visitorsAdvice and information

AssessmentObservation

Candidates will be assessed throughout the course during a number ofsimulated group management sessions.

Protects/Assignments

Candidates will be expected to provide authenticated evidence of havingsuccessfully planned, organised and run a course within the RYA nationalDinghy Scheme. Candidates will be expected to complete such projects asare assigned to them during the course.

PLANNING EXERCISES:

Will be selected from G14/99

Senior Instructor Training

Situation A0001You are a senior instructor responsible for-12 Wayfarers10 Toppers6 instructors 18 clientsDay three you are approached by two of the clients (man and wife).

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0002You are on day three of a five-day learn to sail course .with your wife. Theweather has not been particularly good and you feel that you are findingsailing far more difficult than you expected, (You are generally thought of asan excellent all-round sports person). You are reluctant to admit that yourpoor performance is, in part, due to your own lack of effort and to yourgenerally pessimistic attitude. To save face you intend complaining to theperson in charge (senior instructor) about your instructor who you blame foryour own lack of success.0003You are a young instructor teaching for your first season. You come from aracing background and you have achieved good results in National eventsand this has made you very confident- You are teaching a married couplewho are finding the whole business very difficult. You suspect that theydecided on day one that they had chosen the wrong kind of holiday butthey are not prepared to admit it. Instead they blame you for their lack ofprogress. You feel that they should be grateful to you for giving them flawlessinstruction and you are becoming more and more hostile. The clients havecomplained to you senior instructor who wants to see you.

Situation B0004You are instructing three children ( an eleven year old girl, and two boysaged eight and seven) You are in a Wayfarer and as you pass across thebows of a moored yacht the tide sweeps you broadside on and the sails fillholding your wayfarer pinned against the moored boat with rigging fouled inthe rigging of the moored yacht. You leap aboard the moored yacht andattempt to recover the situation leaving the children in the Wayfarer- Youmanage to unravel the rigging and sail away with your dinghy half filled withwater and the children delighted with what to them was a very excitingexperience- Your senior instructor wants an explanation!0005You are a Senior Instructor who has just witnessed the above event,unfortunately the scene was also witnessed by an officer of the localeducation authority with whom you are discussing very profitable children'scourses later in the summer. You feel a little humiliated by the events whichyou have just witnessed.(a) send for the instructor and have words(b) defend the safety of your centre to the official.0006You are the official who has witnessed the above. You know little aboutsailing but, up until witnessing the above event, have been quite prepared tobelieve that its is safe enough if carefully supervised. You are beginning tohave doubts. You want a word with the S.I. in charge, with whom you aredealing.

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Situation Task C007Today you completed a five-day level three dinghy course. Over all you feelthat you have done very well although you were a bit nervous on the secondday when the wind was gusting between 4 and 5. You are also aware thatyou did ground your dinghy on the concrete slipway when coming in but youfeel that it was your crew's fault for not jumping out quickly enough. You feelthat you were as good as most people on the course, even better than some,and yet you have been refused your certificate because you haven'treached the required standard! You insist on having words with the SI.008You have instructed a group of level three sailors for a whole week. Oneperson became anxious on the second day when the wind was gustingbetween 4 and 5. The student also damaged a Wayfarer on the concreteslipway by insisting on coming ashore with full sail. She refused to be heldresponsible and blamed her crew. You do not feel that she should be given alevel three award. She has complained to your S.I.009You are a Senior Instructor who has a very disappointed level three studentwaiting to complain. Try to see things fairly and make sure that she is finallysatisfied without lowering standards.

Situation D010You are a young instructor who sails brilliantly! You have an excellentknowledge of all sailing matters both practical and theoretical. You feelinstinctively that you are admired by all your students particularly those of theopposite sex, and you are also aware that some of your fellow instructors arejealous of your wide and considerable skills. You put up with your SeniorInstructor although you think he's past it. You have amused students with yourvery clever jokes that have been at the expense of your S.I. He wants to seeyou probably to confirm you importance and superiority, and you are quitelooking forward to the interview. You have even prepared a few ideas andintend pointing out some of your SI's more obvious errors.011You are a senior instructor who has working for you the most conceited younginstructors you have ever met! The trouble is that he really is an excellent sailorand sails flawlessly. He also has the knack of gaining great popularity amongthe students who you suspect think that he should take charge. A few of themore mature clients are less impressed and the other instructors are sufferinga great loss of confidence in their own abilities. Talk to the young person andsort things out.

Situation E012You are the spokesperson for a group of six instructors who are suffering lateseason blues. Most of the equipment is suffering from serious wear-and-tear

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and sometimes students are kept waiting for nearly an hour while boats arefixed. The bosun blames the instructors for all the gear failure problems andhas suggested that if they did their jobs properly most of the damage couldbe avoided. Overbooking has also meant the cancellation of instructors' daysoff and everyone is tired. Staff meetings seem to be spent in recriminationsand everyone would prefer to avoid them. You are going to sort things outwith your S.I.013Staff moral at your centre is at an all time low. Breakages seem to occur fartoo often, clients are complaining that they are not spending enough timesailing and that the instructors seem tired and disinterested. You seem tohave been put in charge of a right bunch of malcontents. One of them iscoming to see you and for the sake of the centre you must sort things outonce and for all.

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Senior Instructor Training and Assessment

Debriefing your instructors

The Senior Instructor is the technical expert at any centre and he/she has aresponsibility to ensure that all the teaching sessions are delivered to the highestpossible standard. It has to be remembered that a Dinghy Instructor is only qualifiedto teach “…under the supervision of an RYA Senior Instructor”.

The duties of the S.I. will be:

1. to monitor the performance of instructors2. to train and retrain instructors as necessary3. to support and assist the instructor to maintain and develop his/her skills

The following pages describe teaching sessions ashore and afloat that wereobserved by the Senior Instructor. Please read through the exercises and assess fromthe evidence the performance of the instructors. Please do this in the following ways:

1. Use a highlighter pen and score through all the points described in the sessionyou are reviewing that you consider good practise.

2. Use a highlighter of a different colour to score through situations that you feelare not good or that you are uncertain about.

3. Compile a few statements that summarise the best of the session so that thebest is positively acknowledged.

4. For each of the elements that you are unhappy about devise short questionthat help your instructor review his or her own performance.For example imagine that an instructor gave a poor briefing which lead toconfusion on the water. You might ask:

Did your students have any problems when they first went afloat? Why do you thing that they were confused? Is there anything that you could have done to make sure that they really

did understand the set task? How did you sort the problems out? If you were running that session again is there anything that you would do

differently?

The skill in debriefing is to avoid any kind of confrontation where the instructorfeels that he is being attacked and needs to defend himself. You realise howdifficult it can be to get everything right and we all make mistakes. The aim of anydebrief should be to get your instructor to question his own performance andmake a mental note not to make the same mistakes again.

The aim is to improve his or her performance whilst maintaining confidence andself esteem

An instructor should see the occasional debriefs as a valuable help in becominga better instructor.

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Session Plan

Guests:6 children (13 to 14 years old mixed)Activity:Learn to sail.Craft Selected:6 ToppersConditions:Sunny day air temperature 16°Water temperature 12°. Light breeze on shore.Aims:1.To teach sailing across the wind and turning from beam reach to beam reach.2. To explain and demonstrate what to do in the event of a capsize.3. To explain how to get out of irons.4. To learn to rig and derig a Topper.5. Launching and recovery

You met your instructor at the staffmeeting at 0845 and discussed with himthe session. From the booking forms youwere able to explain that the childrensuffered no particular problems and theother activity instructors had been pleasedwith their performance during sessions.Six Toppers were allocated but youexplained that they would have to bechecked well in advance and any defectsremedied. (All the equipment has beenwell used this season and it has beendifficult to keep on top of maintenance.)Dory number two was allocated as asafety/teaching boat. An assistantinstructor was assigned to help.You observed the following:The instructor has a bright outgoingpersonality and he gets on well withchildren and has proved very popular withthem. He decided to fetch his laundry andload it into the washer (you have to bequick!) and sent his A.I. to meet the group.The A.I. is newly qualified and was a bitnervous but pleased to be given thechance to prove himself. One of thechildren’s group leaders was full ofquestions which the A.I., through lack ofexperience, couldn’t answer. He certainlydid his best but the experience did little toimprove his confidence.Your instructor, meantime, was havingdifficulties with the machine and washunting for the engineer to perhapsreplace the fuse. You reminded him that

his group was waiting and agreed to passon a message to the engineer and thathe, the instructor, should get to his group.When your instructor joined the group thechildren were playing football on thetennis court and had to be rounded up.Some were a bit sweaty and excited buthe soon had them settled. He was alsosurprised to find that there were only fivein the group instead of the expected six.The group had arrived at 0900 and it wasnow 0930 so the instructor gave a briefoutline of what would be happening andwaved away questions from the childrenbecause it was important to ‘get on’.Wetsuits were issued, buoyancy aidschecked and the group moved down tothe boats. In all the rush the instructorhadn’t had time to check the boats andthe five pulled out had a few fairly simplebits missing. A quick scout around theTopper rack provided the bits requiredand the instructor made a mental note toreplace the bits after work.It was now just turned ten o’clock but allthe boats were lined up, each hadcentreboard, tiller and all the bits and themasts were ready to be stepped.The students were gathered around aTopper and your instructor quickly wentthrough stepping the mast and attachingthe boom. The children were to go awayand rig their own boats with the help ofthe instructor and his assistant. At this pointthe missing child turned up having gone

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back to the coach for his sweets only tofind that the driver was missing and thecoach locked. After a time he managedto find the driver, recover his sweets andreturn to the centre. It then took him a littletime to find his group but he finally arrivedin an agitated state. Your instructordecided to make an example of the childand gave him a fairly strong telling-off infront of the group. The boy burst into tears;your instructor felt badly and they bothwent off together to repair the damage.After a little time the Assistant Instructordecided to get the boats rigged and onto the water. There was plenty of space onthe beach provided that the boats werecarefully angled so that they could befitted together. There was a generalclattering of booms a few ‘capsizes’ buteveryone was having a great time. The A.I.then realised his mistake and had all theboats turned towards the wind.The instructor returned with the properlykitted out youngster but decided not tobother with a sixth boat because time wasgetting on. The latecomer would go withthe instructor and A.I. in the dory.The A.I was sent to lay a couple of buoysand the instructors went, fairly quickly,through all the tacking, in-irons andcapsize shore drills. He then set them off,one at a time, to sail towards the A.I. whowas waiting afloat in the coaching boat.In spite of the onshore wind everyone gotto the area and was told to sit with theirsails flapping while the dory returned forthe instructor. There was a five-minutedelay because the instructor had nippedfor a quick laundry check. When the teamreturned to the group one of the boatshad capsized and, although the child wascold and upset, there was no real problembecause he had been rescued by aninstructor from a different group who hadthe boy wrapped against the chill in hisown coaching boat. It was agreed thatsince there was only twenty minutes of thesession left the child who had capsizedwould go in with the rescuer’s group andget dried and changed. The instructorthen used the Topper for the extra child soall worked out rather well.The session then got under way and thechildren were soon happily sailingbetween the buoys. There were a fewentanglements as they tried to sail around

the buoys but these rather added to thefun and enjoyment and were left tohappen without comment.Being late back for lunch can createdifficulties so the group were told to sailback to shore and derig their boats whilethe instructor and his assistant recoveredthe buoys and returned the safetyboat toits mooring.The young sailors had returned to shoreand gone off to get changed beforederigging their boats which were lyinguncomfortably close to one another (acouple had fallen over). Your instructormade some remark about ‘Kids thesedays…” and went to roust them out to putaway the boats. While they were doingthat he told them all how well they haddone and sent them off to lunch while hewent to retrieve his freshly launderedclothes…

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Session Plan

Guests:3 adults (two women, one man 30-40)Activity:Learn to sail.Craft Selected:WayfarerConditions:Sunny day air temperature 16°Water temperature 12°. Fresh cross-shore breezeAims:1.To teach sailing a two-person dinghy.2.RYA Method sessions 1 to 8 (if time allows)3. Three Wayfarer dinghies

A group of nine adult students have cometo your centre for an introduction todinghy sailing. This is not a ‘try and see’experience for them but a definite wish tolearn to sail and take up the sport.You have assigned three veryexperienced instructors to run the sessionin three Wayfarer dinghies. You haveappointed Sam as the lead instructoralthough you will drive the safety boatand attend to the safety needs of this andone other group. Sam is an experiencedinstructor and is ready for the next SIcourse to be run at your centre.Since all of this is fairly basic stuff apartfrom checking to see if Sam has anyproblems you are happy to leave him to it.You observed the following:The wind was a bit chilly and some of thegroup seemed a bit apprehensive. Samtook them inside for a brief chat and tointroduce them to his colleagues whowould be teaching them for the day.The introductions were over in ten minutesand the group joined the queue forbuoyancy aids and coveralls. The wholegroup stayed together for this part of thescheme but then separated and went offwith their instructors to rig and launch theirboats.Sam had chosen a reasonably largesailing area but one small enough for thevisual signals that he had set up to be seenand understood by each boat. He thengot on with his own group and madeready to launch. All the dinghies had beenpart rigged and were ready for the water

before the group arrived so all three boatswere on the water within an hour of thegroup arriving.You drove around the area taking acasual look at the three Wayfarers andpicking up on the instruction taking place.You were well pleased with what you sawand fell back to take a look at othergroups.The dinghies came in at lunchtime and itwas interesting to see that Sam had talkedhis boat ashore with one of his students onthe helm. Again you were pleased withthe way things were going.After lunch there was a general changearound of instructors and students butagain the three boats were soon on thewater and well into their session.After about forty minutes, and quiteunexpectedly one of the dinghiescapsized and when you went over tostand by while the dinghy was righted younoticed that one of the students was verydistressed and that his instructor (not Sam)seemed to be quite angry and upsethimself. The distressed student insisted onbeing taken ashore and the other twostudents from the boat that had capsizedseemed to have lost their initialenthusiasm.At the end of the day there was a mixedresponse from the students but all said thatthey intended coming again the next dayto carry on with their course.Sam talked through the day with his twoinstructors but sadly you had to return tosafety boat work so you missed the

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instructor debrief. You learnt later that ithad all become rather heated and Samhad left the site in an angry mood.

You resolved to have a word with Samafter supper when he returned for eveningduties.

Session Plan

Guests:6 adults (20 to 25)Activity:Level 3 Spinnaker work (Symmetrical)Craft Selected:3 Wayfarer, Dory coaching boatConditions:Sunny day air temperature 16°Water temperature 12°. Moderate breezeAims:1.To teach spinnaker work2.Leeward and windward launches3. Gybing

The three Wayfarers are old but sound andrigged for spinnakers launching from thecockpit where they are usually stowed inthe bucket. You know that your instructor isquite capable of teaching spinnaker workand after checking that she does intendrunning through a shore drill you leave herto it.The wind is freshening and the shore drillcreates a lot of excitement but theinstructor has brought a dinghy ashoreand placed it well away from other groupsso there is no problem. The instructorcarefully and accurately went throughlaunch and recovery (to leeward) andthen suggested that they go afloat topractise, leaving the other skills to laterthat morning.She checked, by questioning thateveryone knew how to rig their boats and,in particular, their spinnakers. Everyonewas quite confident and went away to rigand launch.The instructor set two buoys; one towindward of the other about fifty yardsapart. The exercise was carefullyexplained:“In you own time sail to the windwardmark from the leeward mark and then rundown wind and have a go at launchingthe kite.Remember to drop early because I wouldprefer you to stay around and betweenthe buoys. When you have had a fewgoes I’ll measure the time it takes you to

launch and set your spinnaker. It will beinteresting to see how long the crew ofeach boat takes.”Everyone reached the windward markwith little trouble but there was somedoubt about which side to leave it. Two ofthe crews had stowed their spinnakers onthe starboard side so decided to leave thebuoy to port fixing the pole as theyapproached. The crew of the boat whohad rigged their spinnaker on the port sideattempted to leave the buoy to starboard;there was some confusion but the boatsavoided each other skilfully and therewere no real problems.The instructor had intended to follow hergroup of three boats down wind on atraining run but after the launch two boatswere on a different tack to the other andstarted to sail away.The instructor decided to follow the twoboats leaving the third boat just on theedge of her vision. The crew of the thirddinghy, seeing that they were beingseparated attempted a gybe andcapsized.The instructor had to stand by and explainto the crew that one of them would haveto swim around and drop the spinnakerbefore they could attempt to right theboat. It took a little time to recover thedinghy and then sail it back to the sailingarea.The other two boats, whose crews werenot sure what was happening, carried on

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sailing downwind enjoying the extra speedthat their kites were generating.It took some time to get everyone backinto the sailing area but there was littlemore that could be done because thesession had come to an end and thestudents who had capsized complained ofbeing cold. On being questioned the crew

had admitted that they hadn’t botheredto put on their wetsuits because capsizingwas the last thing that they had expected.During the debrief the instructor said thatthey had all done extremely well and thatthey would continue the session afterlunch.

Session PlanGuests:6 children (8 t0 12 years old mixed)Activity:Learn to sail.Craft Selected:6 OptimistsConditions:Sunny day air temperature 16°Water temperature 12°. Light breeze cross-shore.Aims:1.To teach sailing across the wind and turning from beam reach to beam reach.2.To explain how to get out of irons.4. To learn to rig and derig an Optimist.5. Launching and recovery

You assigned one instructor to be helpedby two assistant instructors for this task.Both of the assistant instructors have theirLevel 2 powerboat awards and havehelped with Optimist groups in the past.Having been introduced to the coachingteam the children were given wetsuits,buoyancy aids and helmets and weretaken across to the Oppie racks to lift thesix Optimists onto launching trolleys. Theinstructor assigned two children and oneadult to help with lifting the boats onto thetrolleys and all the children helped, no onewas left out.The Oppies were trundled down to thebeach and set pointing into the wind on avacant area. The group then returned tofetch the rolled up sails and spars; two setstogether carried by one child at eachend. (The rudders and centreboards werein the boats).All the children were gathered aroundone of the Optimists and the instructordemonstrated rigging while the two A.I.’slaunched the safety boat. They also set

two buoys parallel to the shore and abouttwenty yards out.

The assistant instructors helped thechildren to rig their boats and set them alittle back from the water’s edge lyinghead to wind. One of the dinghies waslaunched and held at about waist depth.One of the Assistant instructors then sailedout to the imaginary line between thebuoys, turned through 180° and sailedback to be caught by the instructor. Thisdemonstration was repeated a couplemore times and the dinghy broughtashore.The instructor then asked the childrenwhat they had seen the AI do andeveryone was clear that the boat wassailed out, turned and sailed back. Theinstructor explained that he would likeeveryone to do the same thing but beforethe children went out he or she wouldlearn to turn the boat around in shallow

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water with an instructor holding onto theboat so that it wouldn't sail away.Three Oppies were launched and tenminutes was given to teach the children toturn their dinghies.The AI demonstrated again but this timeturned on the inside of the course clearlydemonstrating, close to the shore, how thetiller is pushed away and let go.The instructor then went out and mooredthe safety boat between the buoys. Eachof the children was then set off in turn tosail out towards the instructor and hewould tell them when to “Push” and thusturn the boat around. The Assistants wouldmanage the children as they came backtowards the shore.Soon the whole group was sailing out andwas managing the turns very well.Soon all the children were calling to eachother and thoroughly enjoying the activity.With boats going in different directionsthey were beginning to sail too closetogether and one of the children, trying to

avoid a crash, attempted to stop a boatfrom running into him and had his fingersquashed between the two boats. He ranhis boat straight into the shore and waspicked out by the A.I. who promptly tookthe child off to the first aid room. Thesecond AI began to recover the Optimistbut concentration had been lost for ashort time and one of the Optimists sailedout of the area and was swept along bythe tide and unable to turn. The instructorfired up his boat and went in pursuit whilethe other dinghies continued with theexercise. It took some time to recover thestray but he was successfully recoveredand the exercise brought to an end.The dinghies were derigged but left nearthe water for a later session and theinstruction team took the children to thepicnic area for squash and biscuits. Theinjured child was brought back to join hisfriends and the session was ended with afew questions and comments from theinstructor in charge.

Session PlanGuests:adults (mixed)Activity:Introduction to single-handersCraft Selected:6 LasersConditions:Cold, bright day.Water temperature 12°. Light to moderate wind against tide.Aims:1.To teach single-handed sailing in centre-main dinghies.2.To practise the skills on a triangular course with the possibility of some racing.

This group had been to the centre manytimes and were sound Level 3 sailorsalthough they had never sailed single-handers before, not even Toppers,The instructor spent some time talking tothe students to try to discover their level ofcompetence. Following the discussion hedecided that all would sail with radial sailsuntil they had got used to the dinghy.

He then set a boat on the grass and went,quite thoroughly, through the land drillschecking performance and correctingany mistakes.It was decided that a course would be setin a quiet corner out of the main tidealthough care would have to be takenbecause the area dries out at low water.There was a chop caused by theconditions and the instructor decided to

20

tow the dinghies to the sailing area. Hisstudents tried to persuade him to allowthem to sail downwind to the area but herefused and said that if anyone capsizedduring the crossing the tide would make itdifficult and that the whole group wouldbe delayed. He agreed that once thegroup had become familiar with the boatshe would allow them to sail back to thecentre at the end of the session.The tow was quickly and successfullycompleted and the students were set areaching courses across the wind.Everyone had difficulties with the tillerextension and with the mainsheetcatching under the quarter. The instructorexplained various ways of coping with thisand some improvement could bemeasured. After a time he brought themashore and went through, most carefullyand very thoroughly, gybing. He then setwindward and leeward marks asking thestudents to tack upwind, bear away andsail down wind on a run gybing near (notnecessarily around) the buoy.At one time there was a bit of crowding atthe windward mark and a couple of boats

were running on different tacks.Unfortunately one was running by the leeand although the leach of his sail wascurling he seemed not to notice. Theinstructor called out to warn him but as thestudent looked up the boom gybed andhe was delivered a crack on the head.The instructor had him out of the water inseconds and signalled for all his group toreturn to shore and wait with their dinghieswhile he took the casualty back to thecentre in his RIB. He returned later havingpassed on the injured student to a seniormember of staff.The instructor apologised to his clients fornot warning them more strongly about thedangers of running by the lee. He thenaltered the course to a beam reach andinstructed his students to tack at one endand gybe at the other. There were plentyof capsizes when people were gybingreach to reach but everyone madeprogress and the session ended on a highnote. Beating back to the centre, withplenty of help from the tide, rounded offthe session nicely!

Session PlanGuests:9 adults (mixed)Activity:Level three seamanship skillsCraft Selected:4 WayfarersConditions:Dull, drizzleWater temperature 12°. Fresh, cold northerly wind.Aims:1.To teach seamanship skills as defined in G4 syllabus.2.To practise the skills on a short day-trip.

Two experienced instructors were giventhis particular task with a 5 metre RIB assupport boat.The instructors were pleased to have agroup of students who could sailindependently and who they could teachmore advanced skills and manoeuvres.Everyone was enthusiastic and after thebriefest of introductions everyone waskitted out for the day, assigned a dinghyand instructed to rig-up and be ready to

launch. In the meantime the instructorswould get changed and launch the RIB.When the instructors returned three of theWayfarers were waiting in the shallowwater but the fourth had misunderstoodthe instruction and had sailed away fromthe beach. One instructor went off in theRIB to keep an eye on the dinghy whilethe second instructor briefed theremaining students.The task was a bit complicated involvingreefing afloat, picking up a man

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overboard, coming alongside, andanchoring. The instructor explained to each crew inturn the order of the exercises and thevarious parts of the sailing area, whichwere to be used. There was quite a noisefrom the flapping sails but everyonenodded enthusiastically that theyunderstood what would be happeningand were obviously very keen to getgoing.The RIB picked up the instructor on thebeach and the students told to start theexercises.As the dinghies sailed away the leadinstructor began to have doubts about thegroups abilities. With a fairly fresh breezeand cold conditions one or two seemedless than happy. Dinghies were not beingsailed flat and the first exercise, picking upa mooring, was to windward of the launchsite and it was obvious that some of thecrews were not going to be able to getthere. The instructors decided to cancelthat part of the exercise and get all theboats to put in a reef so that the dinghieswould be easier to manage. Theinstructors were beginning to wonderwhether these people had ever sailed

before! As they watched from thecoaching boat the group drifted furtherand further down wind and it occurred tothe team that some would have to betowed back to the sailing area. It seemedstrange to the instructors that students whowere ready for a level 3 course should besuch poor sailors.Finally a decision was made to place oneinstructor in the Wayfarer nearest thesailing area to sail the boat upwind. In themeantime the second instructor set offdownwind to take the furthest Wayfarer intow. This still left a couple of dinghies introuble so you (the Senior Instructor)dispatched a second safetyboat with acrew of two to help bring everyone back.The session was exciting and quite a steeplearning curve for the students who were alittle dampened by their experience butstill enthusiastic to continue.Your instructors then helped everyone reefashore; they also had them change theirGenoas for small jibs. It was decided thateveryone would go for an early lunch andthen start the exercises again. Theinstructors would look again at the day tripidea later in the week.

Session PlanGuests:9 adults (mixed)Activity:Introduce RacingCraft Selected:9 ToppersConditions:Warm sunny day with fresh wind.Aims:1.To teach basic racing skills: starting, sailing the best course, mark rounding, basic rules.

You consider the group competent sailorsand it is to be run by an instructor who hasa great deal of racing experience. Anassistant instructor who has a Level 2powerboat award will assist him.Two small powerboats are reserved for thecourse.Your instructors met the students anddecided to begin in one of the classroomswhich has a penboard and video.

The instructors asked the group what theirexperiences were and all replied that theyhad found racing at their home clubs a bitdaunting and had avoided joining in. Theywere on the courses hoping that it wouldhelp them to integrate more easily into theclub-racing scene.Your instructor was sympathetic butexplained that a few fundamental skillswould help them survive and prosper backhome.

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He then explained the procedures forstarting a race and sailing around a simpletriangle. He covered three fundamentalrules and mark rounding. He explainedabout the five essentials and so on.After about an hour in the classroom thegroup went to get changed and rig theirToppers. Members of the group who wereparticularly large and heavy, questionedthe use of Toppers complaining that theywere ‘kids’ boats’ and far too small. Theinstructor explained that using two-handed dinghies would reduce the fleetto four and that nine boats would be amore realistic alternative and more likelyto reflect what happens back at their ownclubs.The instructor and his assistant checkedthat all the dinghies were correctly riggedand explained a little bit about tuning toindividuals whilst helping. The instructor seta simple triangle with the start linebetween a moored safety boat and theleeward mark. Signals were to be threebattens, two battens, one batten and gowith intervals of one minute. A whistlewould draw peoples’ attention to thesignals.The students were all advised to start onstarboard and this everyone resolved todo so. As the signal to start was madeeveryone sheeted in and attempted tocross the line. Most ended up in ironsbecause it was impossible to cross the startline on starboard. A few of the quickthinkers tacked onto port and were soonheading up the beat to be followed bythe rest of the fleet who by now hadcottoned on.Hooking around the leeward mark andrecrossing the start line finished the race.It was all great fun so the instructor carriedon extending the course and increasingthe number of laps. Everyone realised thatthere was an advantage in starting onport tack so the starts were cleaner andthe racing closer.After lunch the instructor decided toorganise a mini regatta; three races to beheld with everyone counting their best tworesults.Before the students went out onto thewater they instructor ran a session in theclassroom to go over one or two of thepoints made earlier. He reinforced theadvantages of starting on starboard andextended the advise to alwaysapproaching the windward mark on the

starboard tack reminding the group thatboats approaching the mark on port hadno rights.The racing went quite well although therewere a few frayed tempers from time totime but the instructor good-naturedlysorted out any problems and everyonehad a great afternoon.At the end of the day a few simple prizeswere presented, the course debriefed anddisbanded.On reading through the feedback formsthat evening you (the senior instructor)were pleased to note that the majority ofthe students were happy with the day butthree had reservations. The largegentleman who questioned the choice ofcraft said that he found the Topperdifficult to sail and his weight made italmost impossible to race at his best. Asecond student said that she had had afun day, liked her instructor – thought himpolite and helpful – but thought that shehadn’t really learnt very much and stilldidn’t feel confident enough to join in theracing at her own club. The third personsaid that he thought that the racinghadn’t been serious enough; there shouldhave been protests (like they have at theirclub) and rule infringements should nothave been quite so casually dismissed.

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Senior Instructor Task SheetDate Venue

Group Describe briefly, Male ,female, mixed, adult, child etc.

Group Aims What do they hope to achieve, collectively, individually ?

Activity A brief description

Instructors Task(1)

(2)

(3)

Sailing Area Sailing dinghies used

Safety boats. Number and type. Other equipment (buoys etc.)

Signals Weather

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Main points to be included in the briefing

Start Time Finish

Session Evaluation

How well did the session go? Were all the aims met ? Did your clients improve their skills/understanding ?Did they enjoy the session ?

Did your clients express their view on the success or otherwise of the session ?

How could the session have been improved taking into account your own evaluationand the views of your clients ?

What would you have done if the wind had increased or changed direction ?

the wind had dropped completely

the clients had become confused and lost track of what they were doing and why ?

someone had been injured ?

Aims clearly Stated Yes / NoBriefing was complete and clear Yes / NoSailing area identified Yes / NoSignals (two way) established Yes / NoOn-water coaching took place Yes / NoGroup control was maintained Yes / NoThe clients were carefully debriefed Yes / NoClient’s questions were answered Yes / NoClients were informed of their successes Yes / NoThe follow on session was described Yes / NoThe equipment was carefully put away after the session Yes / No

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Senior Instructor Test Paper

Name

Please answer all the questions. One mark is given for each correct answer. Please keep answersbrief where an explanation is asked for.

(1) Your centre receives many telephone enquiries every day from people who want to book a course. Is there anyone who you would advise not to take up sailing ? If so who ?

(i) (ii)

(2) A student who spent a week at your centre last year wishes to return this year for a holiday/sailing course. List three things that you would ask her.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(3) What would you need to know about a client before accepting her as a student ?

(i)

(ii)

(4) Most of the information contained on the booking form would be passed on to the student’sinstructor. All of the information could be important but what is the MOST important pieceof information to pass on ?

(i)

(5) When your instructors meet their clients they will question them about their previous experiences. What area should they NOT question during an open forum ?

(i)

(6) What important items of clothing should your instructors issue to clients before taking themafloat ?

(i) (ii)

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(7) Your instructors spend a long time rigging boats and lecturing their students before taking them out for their first sail. List two reasons for getting the students afloat as soon as possible.

(i)

(ii)

(8) During their first sail list two things that could have spoilt their first sail.

(i)

(ii)

(9) You listened to one of your instructors briefing their students. How should he have checkedtheir understanding of the contents of the briefing ?

(i)

(10) One of you instructors has had great difficulty teaching her clients to tack afloat. She comesto you for advice. List three thing that you would tell her.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(11) You have a number of level one courses scheduled for the day and the wind is a gusty forcefour. What reminders would you give to your instructors at the morning staff meeting?

(i)

(ii)

(12) Your instructor is unsure how to reef an Optimist. What would you suggest ?

(i)

(ii)

(13) What are the disadvantages of running an Optimist group with two children in each Optimist ?

(i)

(ii)

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(14) Your instructors have skills and weaknesses. How could bad deployment of staff create problems ?

(i)

(ii)

(15) You listen to one of your instructors giving a theory chat to clients. Unfortunately his talkis technically wrong. What do you do about it ?

(i)

(ii)

(16) A family, (mother, father and ten year old child) comes along to your centre to learn to sail.What advice do you give to your instructors who are to organise the family’s day ?

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(17) Five of your instructors are taking fifteen clients in six Wayfarers for a day sail. The instructors are very competent and experienced. Nevertheless list three points that you would emphasise that you think should be important in their planning.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(18) Considering the safest of clients and the high cost of dinghy replacement and repairs aretheir any conditions which would cause you to close down the operational side of yourcentre ? If so state the conditions.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(19) During teaching afloat what three thing should your instructors try to ensure ?

(i)

(ii)

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(iii)

(20) Please complete the following flow diagram:

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)

(21) When briefing your instructors which would you advise them to teach their students to do first ? (a) hoist the sails (b) fix the rudder to the transom ?

(i)

(22) List three hazards to clients that your instructors should be aware of when launching dinghies and powerboats.

(i)

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(ii)

(iii)

(23) Your instructors will spend the day running a single handed session. List three important considerations that MUST NOT be overlooked.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(24) You overhear one of your instructors instructing novice single handed sailors to sail out and turn around a buoy before sailing back again. What is wrong with this instruction ?

(i)

(25) At the end of a level one course what should your students have achieved ?

(i)

(ii)

(24) Complete the flow diagram which outlines the Young Sailors’ Scheme.

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(27) List four seamanship skills that are taught at Level Three.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(28) Show the normal position of the Instructor in this training dinghy.

(i)

(29) List three legitimate shore drills that you would be happy to see taught at your centre.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(3) Which special point of sailing is shown here ?

(i)

(31) Why is this point of sailing taught to beginners ?

(i)