3:57 AM Thu 24 Dec 2009 GMT
With 36 sailors signed up for the School Holiday Course, the Youth Sailing Academy at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia was a noisy place on Monday 14 December. Ten coaches, either graduates or current members of the YSA Advanced Squad and several of the Australian Sailing Development Squad sailors, divided everyone into nine Elliott 6s, made a grab for their wet weather gear and guaranteed the sailors that the weather would improve for the rest of the week.
There are three skill levels of sailors at our holiday courses. Experienced sailors who have been in our winter squads and need a summer fix on the Elliott 6. Many of these sailors are looking to step up to the next squad in 2010 and use this program to show the coaches they are ready for the next level. The next group in the program are the sailors who have been to several of these programs or are experienced dinghy sailors and have received scholarships through their dinghy clubs. The scholarship program is sponsored by CYCA member, Ervin Vidor and his Toga Group of companies. Through these scholarships, sailors can experience keel boat sailing in the Elliott 6s and get the opportunity to continue on to harbour and ocean racing on the bigger keel boats. The last group are those who are new to sailing and have very little or no experience when they arrive for the four day course. In this group we had many grandchildren and children of CYCA members as well as several Cranbrook and Scots students who have chosen sailing for their school sport next year and are looking to get a head start.
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With the basics out of the way on Monday, the weather did improve as promised. Tuesday saw the excitement of an afternoon mingling with the Solas Big Boat Challenge competitors on Sydney Harbour give the morning session new focus. After an early lunch, it was back out on the water and training in Rose Bay to be close to the action for the start of the Big Boat race. Following the start and working from Rose Bay up to Watsons Bay, the sailors were able to get close to the big boats and then run down towards Garden Island where they could see the battle for the gun between Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI. At the afternoon debrief there were lots of match racing and spinnaker discussions as these seemed to be the deciding factors for the winner on the day.
With the less experienced sailors' confidence growing after two days of sailing, Watsons Bay for lunch was the schedule for Wednesday. The north easterly built steadily during the day and a long work to Watson Bay with a spinnaker run home was the plan. By the end of lunch the north easterly had freshened to be a bit bigger than expected with 15 to 20 knots greeting the boats as they stuck their noses out from the shelter of the bay. Not everyone got spinnakers up but those who did had a great ride home with only the occasional wipe out.
The final day was a regatta day with a long morning of racing as the forecast looked to deliver too much breeze for any sailing in the afternoon. At the afternoon barbecue, certificates, t-shirts and log books were presented by the coaches to all the sailors who are now much more confident out on the Harbour.
The next School Holiday Course will be from Monday 11 to Thursday 14 January 2010. Further details and application forms can be found on
www.cyca.com.au/editorial.asp?key=3104
by Pam Scrivenor
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