Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron

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Keelboat learn to sail at RMYS,St.Kilda

Students aboard Cafe Latte, one of the Academy's training keelboats

Royal Melbourne Sail Training Academy is Melbourne's leading inner city sailing school. Located in St.Kilda,5 km from the Melbourne CBD, the Academy is part of the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, a keelboat sailing club with over 900 members (and 200 + yachts) which was established in 1874.

The Keelboat training courses we offer (part of the Yachting Australia National Keelboat Program) are an ideal way to learn to Crew or Helm a yacht and to take part in regular sailing at a yacht club.Our member boat owners are always seeking crew to join them - with many Academy sailing graduates having taken up regular crew positions in our bay and offshore racing fleets. Following our keelboat courses, other students have enjoyed yacht charter holidays with greater skill & confidence.

These Keelboat Courses will equip you with the essentials required to safely sail a racing yacht or smaller cruising yacht without the fear of getting wet! As your skills progress, you will also develop an understanding of each person’s role and how teamwork plays a major part of being an effective crew.

The Academy operates three J -Boats keelboats,which are internationally recognised as being excellent for both racing and training.These "day sailing" yachts are fun to sail and easy for students to operate with small winches and tillers for steering. We operate two J24's, a 24 foot five person racing yacht equipped with symmetrical spinnaker, and one J80, an 8 metre four person sportsboat yacht equipped with assymetrical spinnaker.

Autumn,2013 update: We have had a very successful summer with keelboat sailing and now move into Autumn/Winter mode.This is where the keelboats (being drier compared to dinghies) excel.We have a load of courses planned on weekends (both Saturday and Sunday) and new mid week courses on Wednesday mornings before the Midweek members afternoon race at RMYS.Winter is a great time for sailing on Port Phillip as we often have northerly winds and not much wave, leading to lake sailing like conditions.Please find new course dates below for both Start Crewing and Start Helming courses through to the end of July 2013. Leigh

For more information contact Leigh at the Royal Melbourne Sail Training Academy based at St.Kilda on 9534 0059 or Leigh 0412 196301 or via email: training@rmys.com.au

Start Crewing

An introduction to the basics of sailing on a day sailing yacht, including boat handling, safety and sailing theory. This course is aimed at the first time sailor,dinghy sailor (converting to keelboats) or prospective holiday yacht charterer.

Length

12 hours (3 x 4 hr days)

Outcomes

Basic sailing and boat handling skills and knowledge.

Syllabus

1. Safety Equipment, clothing and safe practices

Is aware of hazards on board a boat and understands how to avoid them.
Understands the correct use of safety equipment on board.
Understands the importance of the correct fitting and wearing of personal flotation devices.
Understands the importance of appropriate clothing and footwear.

2. The Boat

Has basic knowledge of sailing terms, can identify parts of a boat, rigging and sails.
Can bend on, hoist, lower and stow sails.

3. Ropework

Can tie the following knots: figure of eight, bowline, round turn and two half hitches.
Has basic knowledge of the use of sheets, halyards, winches, clutches, mooring lines and cleats.
Can coil and stow a rope.

4. Sailing Skills

Understands the theory and basic principles of sailing including tacking and gybing.
Has basic wind awareness.
Can steer a boat on all points of sail under supervision.
Can trim sails on all points of sail.

5. Man Overboard

Understands the correct action to be taken to recover a MOB.

6. Rules of the Road

Has awareness of the basic rules of the road.
Can maintain continuous lookout.

Here's more information: Course overview

Upcoming course dates and booking forms
Month	May 2013	June 2013	July, 2013

Start Helming

This Course is designed to improve your sailing skills by building on your practical and theory knowledge.This course is aimed at a yacht crew with some sailing experience, experienced dinghy sailor (converting to keelboats) or prospective trailer sailor or yacht owner.

Length

12 hours (3 x 4 hr days)

Syllabus

1. Safety Equipment, clothing and safe practices

Understands the correct use of safety equipment on board.
Understands the importance of the correct fitting and wearing of personal flotation devices.
Understands the importance of appropriate clothing and footwear.
Knows the location and correct operation all safety equipment on board.
Understands and complies with the rules for wearing of PFD’s.

2. Sail Handling, rigging and ropework

Can prepare the sails and rig the boat.
Knows correct use of halyards, sheets and associated deck hardware.
Ability to tie the following knots and know their correct use: figure of eight, bowline, round turn and two half hitches, clove hitch, reef knot.
Can reef and shake out reefs whilst underway.

3. Sailing Skills

Can helm and trim sails effectively on all points of sail.
Can helm effectively around a triangular course.
Can tack and gybe effectively as helm.
Can heave to.
Understands the effect and importance of heel and trim.

4. Man overboard

Can recover a man over board under sail as helm.

5. Rules of the Road

Has a working knowledge of the General, Steering and Sailing rules and their application.
Knows how to source information on local regulations.

6. Meteorology

Understands where to obtain a weather forecast.

8. Emergency situations

Knows how to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency.

9. Anchoring

Understands how to anchor a boat.

Here's more information: Course overview Course booking form May June July 2013

Start Spinnakers

A spinnaker is the colourful lightweight downwind sail sometimes seen at the front of a boat. This Course includes all aspects of handling and trimming (adjustment) of symmetrical and asymmetrical spinnakers and is aimed at a yacht crew member with some helming time, a new foredeck person seeking further training or skipper seeking greater understanding of sailing with modern spinnakers.

Length

12 hours (2 x 6 hr days)

Outcomes

Learn how to rig, hoist, fly, gybe, drop and pack a symmetrical and asymmetrical spinnaker.

Syllabus

Symmetrical Spinnakers

1. Hoisting

Can rig sheets, braces, halyards and control lines (tweakers).
Can set up the pole.
Knows the correct pre hoist procedure for attaching spinnaker.
Can hoist efficiently.

2. Trimming

Understands the importance of correct pole position and height on all relevant point of sail.
Use of sheet/control lines on all relevant points of sail.

3. Gybing

Knows the correct procedure for Dip-pole gybing and end-for-end gybing.

4. Dropping

Can set up a headsail prior to dropping.
Understands different drop techniques e.g. hatch, letterbox, float …
Can stow spinnaker gear efficiently after drop.

Asymmetrical spinnakers

5. Hoisting

Can rig sheets, tack line, halyards and control lines.
Knows correct pre-hoist procedure.
Can hoist an asymmetric spinnaker efficiently.

6. Trimming

Use of sheet/control lines on all relevant points of sail.

7. Gybing

Knows the correct procedure for Inside and outside gybing.

8. Dropping

Can set up a headsail prior to dropping.
Understands different drop techniques e.g. gybe, windward, letterbox etc.

9. Can pack a spinnaker

10. Helming

Can helm effectively on all relevant points of sail.
Understands optimum downwind angles for differing wind speeds /types of spinnaker.
Can helm whilst gybing.

Here's more information: Course overview

For more information contact Leigh at the Royal Melbourne Sail Training Academy based at St.Kilda on 9534 0059 or Leigh 0412 196301 or via email: training@rmys.com.au

New YA Keelboat Crew course Sunday 27 th March 2011	New YA Keelboat Crew course Saturday 26 th March 2011	Cafe latte (J80) is one of the Squadrons training yachts	Keelboat training RMYS Sept 2010
Instructor Leigh Brennan-Smith helming "Deliverance" in Bass Strait Dec 2010

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