Keep it simple...next sailing lessons

I have inherited a gang of 13-15 year olds who have been through a pretty poor sailing school which has not taught them really very well, and they can sail enough to just mess around sometimes.

Last year we came a long way though, but they lack the crack of the losing whip to show them how that they really need to get back on the learning curve.

Firstly I have split them up into two teams of four boats which makes it easier to muster them round instructor boats and keeps the disruption down. It willlead to a bit of internal competition in games and average scores but also a bit of looking over the garden fence: are they doing better? Getting something we aren't?

Our fisrt day out will concentrate on getting used to balancing the boat ...real basics, in a line of ducks behind the motor boat. This may seem strange: they can all sail round a course! But it is fetch-water, chop wood. They will find it actually harder now to slow down and speed up.

I will then drop off and let one lead, with a whistle first becomes last and so on, two blasts, first tacks....Now they are all sailing at a higher level this will actually be harder!

on shore I will take them through the basic coordination: tiller - sheet grasp. harden up, communicate with crew. Use kicker , outhaul, cunningham if you need more than three fingers to grip the mainsheet. Luff (feather) if the gusts are too hard. The ( and they should have been taught this two years ago!) sailing with the tiller behind your back and swapping hands, sheet to tiller.

Then crew: hardening up, hiking out and trusting the helm to take on power and help balance the boat. Trusting the boat can really heel back without capsizing on a beat with fairly even wind. Coming in on the lulls and to adjust kicker, outhaul and cunningham. Falling off: sheet out, come in, kicker off, sheet out more, push boom out.


The next water exercise will be a start followed by a short course with a very simple rule 18. We will sit at 3 boat legnths and tell them who must take penalties.