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13_Yachtsman 2015.qxp_Yachtsman Magazine 19/08/2015 4:32 pm Page 51

Alfred’s Training
Training at the Alfred’s
By Tom Brewer
and join club activities. The three levels on offer take people all the
way through to the basics of spinnaker skills, and racing. The club
can do gift certificates and private courses for anyone who wants
to give the sport a try.
Shorebased
Our shorebased training program continues to provide experienced
sailors with the skill boosts that they need to improve their safety
or performance on the water. By partnering with Above and Beyond
Boating, RPAYC is now able to offer a comprehensive list of options,
from MOB sessions, to advanced navigation, Sea Safety, and First
Aid. This often overlooked aspect of testing and using safety equipment
before it is needed is often overlooked by sailors. Many sailors have
never inflated a life-raft, or even an inflatable PFD, let alone using
a lifesling, DAN Bouy, or EPIRB. RPAYC is able to equip its members
with the skills needed to be safe and confident offshore or in Pittwater.
Katie Spithill taking students through the Adult Keelboat Program

Volunteer

The 14-15 sailing season saw the introduction of free shorebased training courses
for all race volunteers. This has seen your race teams participate in Essential Navigation
and Safety Courses, practice for MOB recovery on Alfreds 1, and upgrade their First
Aid Skills. In addition Yachting NSW has assisted by running Safety Boat and Assistant
Instructor courses for the centreboard community, as well as Club Race Officers
The training team operates programs across 7 key areas, there is something on offer courses for all the race teams.
for all members, and it is worth the time to check out what possibilities there are
Crew Experience
to help you sail better.
The Alfred’s launched into the 14/15 season with a new fleet of Elliott 7 keelboats,
and a renewed focus on providing high quality training across all the skill sets needed
for successful sailing. The club has a reputation for one of the largest and most diverse
training operations in the country, and this continued throughout the 14/15 season.

Schools
More than 300 school children from 7 different schools come through the club each
week during summer. Sailors are taken from learn to sail, through to teams racing,
and a number of our schools sent teams to the NSW Schools Teams Racing
Championships in April 2015. Sailors from the school programs also participated in
our revamped Intermediate Youth Development Squad, and will likely move into
being regular members of the Youth Development Squad in the future.

The crew experience was launched in February 2015 as a way to provide a simple
and accessible way for new sailors to access racing at the club. Instead of relying on
a crew register, sailors are placed on a rotating roster where they sail with a different
crew each week. The intention is that over the course of a series both owners and
crew will have met a range of new people and be able to confidently organise
permanent positions. The crew experience has been very successful in its first few
iterations and will continue to develop into the 15-16 season.

Kids
The Club’s sailing pathway is underpinned by the Tackers program. A professionally
delivered, games base