SENIOR INSTRUCTOR COURSE PATTAYA, THAILAND (PART 2)

by Lily Reid

Day 1

Our first morning started off with introductions. Nigel, Yani, Mason and I met Nic and Ed, our instructors, as well as the other Dinghy Instructors (DI) participating in the course (11 of us in total). It was great to see a mix of DI’s coming from HK, China, Thailand and Wales. Following the introductions we had a chat about what to expect from the course. This included reminders about teaching methods, running some DI and Sailing Instructor(SI) sessions and of course, as much sailing as possible. After our morning discussion and reminders about what makes a good briefing/debriefing, we had a relaxing afternoon going out for a sail. It was great to get on the water in the dinghies as it is not something instructors have the chance of doing as often. We used a variety of boats including Fusions, RS Visions and a RS Venture. Our afternoon consisted of triangle courses, sailing backwards and using the spinnaker. We switched boats around enabling us all the chance to go single and double handed.

Day 2/3

The following two days were run by the Dinghy Instructors, with Nic and Ed taking a step back encouraging our group to improve our scheduling and organisation. We were split into Group A and Group 1; (Yes, Group A and 1. Nic didn’t believe in favouritism). Group A was in charge of creating the plan for Day 2, Group 1 did the same for Day 3. Each person over the two days would have to run a 20 minute discussion followed by some quick feedback from our assessors. We were all given a few choices as to what our topics would be, this included: Daily Risk Assessments, Assistant Instructor training and sailability etc.

Over the two days we would also have to run a Senior Instructor session. This took the most time but was very important as it is such a large role of the SI. As a SI, we were responsible for holding a briefing in which we assigned our two Dinghy Instructors’s a skilled session. Skills ranged from: Follow my leader, reefing to race starts and backwards sailing. Once our DI’s had completed their lessons we would gather as a group to observe the SI’s debrief of the instructors. Our sessions with feedback from the group and most importantly Nic and Ed about how our debrief went. I personally really enjoyed this format as everyone was given the chance to be a student/sailor, DI and SI. The surprise element was we would not be told who the DI’s were until the start of each session so everyone had to be prepared to teach any of the skills.

The weather over the two days saw some stronger winds and thunderstorms during the morning and early afternoon of the third day which lead to back up plans being used. However by late afternoon the weather had cleared up we had a wonderful session.

Day 4

Our final morning started off with anyone who wanted to practice their SI sessions one more time followed with an early lunch. The afternoon saw us taking a quick quiz from Nic and what to expect with a centre inspection from Ed, finally finishing the course with a recap of our week and our one on one reviews.

We celebrated the 11 new RYA Senior Instructors with a trip to the Go Kart Track where we were clearly better sailors, though still very competitive. Overtaking Kart keep clear!

在這兩天裏，我們還必 須舉辦一次高級教練培 訓。這花費了最多時 間，但由於是 SI 的關鍵 部份，故此非常重要。 作爲一名SI，我們負責 主持簡報會，並在會上 指定兩名 DI 進行技能課 程。技能包括：跟隨領 袖航行、收帆以開始賽 事和向後航行。當我們 的 DI 完成了他們的課 程，我們將以小組形式 觀察 SI 對教練進行的匯 報。最後以小組的反饋 結束我們的課程，最重 要的是 Nic 和 Ed 亦就 我們的匯報進行反饋。 我個人非常喜歡這種形 式，因爲每個人都有機 會成爲學生或船員、DI 和 SI。當中亦有一個驚 喜的元素，那就是在課 程開始之前不獲告知誰 是DI，所以每個人都必須 準備好教授任何技能。

兩天以來，第3天的上午和 下午出現了強風和雷暴， 故需採用後備方案。然而 直到下午稍後的時間，天 氣已經轉晴，而我們也進 行了一節精彩的課程。

第 4 日 最後一個上午由希望再次 練習 SI 課程的成員開始， 之後我們享用了一頓早午 餐。我們於下午接受了 Nic 的一個快速小測試， 以及由 Ed 分享有關中心 檢察時會發生的情況，最 後以這一週的回顧和一對 一的評估結束整個課程。

我們出發前往卡丁車之旅 為11 位新的 RYA 高級教練 慶祝，雖然卡丁車賽場競 爭依然激烈，但顯然我們 還是更適合當船員。超越 卡丁車時，請快快讓路！

In November 2022, HKSF Council member Kevin Lewis presented the first ever Keelboat Training Centre Certificate to Hebe Haven Yacht Club. Allowing recognised centres to run and award keelboat certificates from the HKSF Keelboat Scheme, Kevin explained that “small keelboats are a natural progression for many dinghy sailors, and also provide new opportunities for those who may not want to start their sailing journey in a small dinghy”.

“The HKSF will grant Keelboat recognition after application and inspection, but courses must run out of an existing recognised sailing centre. This ensures good shore-based facilities and suitable on-water safety back up” he further explained. “It’s so encouraging to see Hebe Haven take this step, which not only leads the way for this new recognition, but also gives sailors the opportunity to get a nationally recognised certificate”.

The HKSF Keelboat Scheme is a three-stage addition to the existing dinghy training programme, and includes a beginner “Keelboat 1”, together with a Keelboat 2 “Competent Crew” course that allows direct entry for those who have already passed a beginner dinghy course. The final, more advanced course leads to a “Day Skipper” qualification aimed at giving participants the skills to be in charge of a small keelboat in coastal areas during daylight hours.

by Kevin Lewis