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SAILING & WINDSURFING Club in North London |
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LEARNING TO SAIL DINGHIES WITH BTYCAt BTYC we believe in flexible, low-cost, accessible training. Basic club training is free.  We’re a completely voluntary organisation with no paid staff, but we make a small charge for booked courses so that we can subsidise new instructors. Our aim is to help you progress from wherever you’re at – total novice or semi-experienced – to sailing independently and safely. We do this through a Club check-out: Once you have sufficient experience you may then want to become an instructor.
See dates for dinghy training. You can download a summary of most of this page by clicking on: 2009 Learning to Sail Dinghies with BTYC.pdf WHAT IS CLUB CHECK-OUT?Our priority is safety, so before we OK you to use Club boats on your own and when you want, we need to be sure you won’t harm yourself and other people, or damage equipment. If you’ve sailed before, tell us and we’ll arrange an assessment, but please note that we don’t use RYA Level 1 & 2 as check-outs on their own. When you have mastered the basics and can take a boat on and off the pontoon, we’ll give you an informal assessment and you can take part in the improver sessions (see over). If you want an RYA Level 1 certificate, we can arrange an assessment for a small fee. Our Club check-out is roughly equivalent to RYA Level 2, plus a bit. When you’ve passed your check-out test, we consider that you are competent enough to use our boats unsupervised at any time you want. FOR COMPLETE BEGINNERSFREE Thursday evenings When do they run? From 6.00pm, starting 2 April 2009 and continuing through the summer until 10 September. How are they organised? Sessions are run on the RYA system; we keep records of your progress so it doesn’t matter if you miss a week. There’s no need to book – just turn up as early as you can and put your name on the list. You’ll get to go out on the water with an instructor and another trainee for up to an hour, and there are land drills and other activities. The bar is always open. How much does it cost? The Thursday evening training is free to members. But you can come along for a one-off trial session for £10 (refundable if you join) and see if you like us and the way we do things before committing yourself. How long will it take to learn? Everybody’s different, but you’ll probably need 8–10 sessions to reach the level where you can move on to our improver training. Some people take longer, some find they’re naturals and get the hang of it all in a really short time. But the more regularly you can come, the quicker you’ll learn. You can combine Thursday sessions with FastTrack if you want to move on quicker. Paid FastTrack Sundays When do they run? 1.30–5.30pm, (dates to follow). How are they organised? They’re run like the Thursday evening sessions, but they are booked sessions and you’ll get the whole afternoon to sail. You’ll go out with an instructor and another trainee who’s at the same level as you. How much does it cost? You must be a fully paid-up member to sign up for FastTrack sessions. Each session is £25 per person, paid in advance, and you can book one or more as suits you. How far will I get? If you do all the early FastTracks, you should be well on your way to joining Saturday Plain Sailing. If you’re a really quick learner, you might be ready for your Club check-out straight away. ... IMPROVER TRAININGFree 'Plain Sailing' Who can do it? You need to be able to tack and gybe, take a boat on and off the pontoon safely and have done a capsize drill. Ask an instructor on Thursday evening if they think you are ready. Places are limited, so don’t just turn up. When does it run? 10am sharp, Saturday mornings from 11 April 09, continuing through the summer apart from occasional days when the water is reserved for special racing. How is it organised? You’ll be sailing with another novice sailor, without an instructor in the boat. An instructor runs the session, with assistants to help out if you have a problem with anything. You get the whole morning on the water, practising the skills you need to get your Club check-out. How much does it cost? It is open to members only, and is completely free. Paid RYA Level 2 courses When do they run? (to be announced) How are they organised? These are RYA certificate courses. You need to be able to tack & gybe, and be nearly ready for Stage 1 Club check-out. You should talk to a Senior Instructor who can advise you if you are ready for this course. The course is both practical and theoretical, and you will have sessions on the water and on land. By the end of the course you should be sailing independently, and may be ready for the Stage 2 Club check-out. How much does it cost? The two-day course costs £100, which includes lunch and your RYA logbook. You must be a member to sign up for the courses. OTHER QUESTIONSWhat do I need to buy? Nothing - in fact we advise against it to start with. The club provides buoyancy aids and wetsuits for members' use. All you need to bring is a change of clothes (sailing can be wet), a windproof jacket, and trousers if you have them, and a pair of softsoled shoes that you don’t mind getting wet. Warm clothes are a good idea, and tracksuit bottoms rather than jeans are best. What boats will I learn in? Our training boats are GP14s, all set up identically. We have a rolling replacement programme, so that each is replaced after 6 years. They carry two trainees and an instructor, although they are normally sailed by two people. We have various other club boats including Picos and Lasers which you can try on Thursday evenings if you are sufficiently experienced. What can I do next? When you’ve got your Club check-out you can join the Novice Race series on Saturday mornings in the autumn and/or take the RYA Start Racing Course (15 & 22 March 2009). You can helm a Club boat in the Saturday afternoon race series which run all year round, and in the Tuesday evening series in the summer. If you don’t want to race you can come along on Sunday afternoons and just go for a sail – safety cover will be provided most weekends. Come back again the following year, and you’ll have the chance to try coastal sailing, or maybe take the RYA Seamanship course. More questions? If you have still got questions after reading this, call 020 8205 0017, click to email, or drop by the club on a Saturday lunch time or after about 4.30pm (we’ll be racing in the afternoon). HOW DO I BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR?As part of the development process within the club, a large number of our members are so enthusiastic about their own experience of learning and growth that they look for ways in which they can give back themselves. The core of the club centres around an established cycle of volunteerism whereby members contribute in the way that they see as being most fit. Once through the recognised RYA courses, participated in BTYC's 'Plain Sailing' and 'Novice Racing' programmes, become involved in the Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening (April to September) racing series, we encourage those members who have achieved a certain standard to further hone their skills by participating in the club's subsidised instructor training programme. Levels achieved will largely depend upon personal goals and time, however, the club is there to support you all the way from Assistant to Senior Instructor. The eligibility criteria for each level are listed below. The RYA Assistant Instructor course is taught by BTYC's own team of instructors (free of charge) whereas the Dinghy Instructor and Senior Instructor courses are held at recognised RYA training establishments throughout the country. RYA ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORTraining for this award is led by BTYC's Senior Instructor team, and is only valid at the BTYC facility at the Welsh Harp. RYA DINGHY INSTRUCTOR COURSE (also applies to RYA Keelboat and Multihull Instructor courses)Candidates must fulfil the following criteria before taking part in the 5-day instructor training course:
RYA SENIOR INSTRUCTOR COURSECandidates must fulfil the following criteria before taking part in the Senior Instructor training course:
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