Learn to Sail / junior coaching programmes
Wakatere Junior Programmes
Wakatere Boating Club has a strong focus on family participation in sailing and
particularly junior sailing (Ages 10-15). Our coaching programme has two
components with Learn to Sail, followed by our Sunday Morning Coaching
programme for those who have completed Learn to Sail. The Learn to Sail
has two intakes per season and is conducted in the Waterwise optimists
which are provided. The Sunday AM programme requires each participant to
provide their own optimist.
Learn to Sail
Two courses are run each season, the first during the
October school holidays, and the second during the summer school holidays. The course has recently been changed to run as a 4 day block course - dates will be confirmed as part of the registration process.
The idea of this course is to bridge the gap between Waterwise and our
Sunday Morning Coaching groups. Making sure the children can:
• Right, bail and sail their own capsized optimist, unaided.
• Be comfortable in the water (will always be wearing a buoyancy vest).
• Sail back to shore in an offshore wind, unaided.
• Know how to leave and approach the beach with onshore waves, may need help in bigger waves.
And, most importantly, enjoy sailing enough to want to come back for
more. The minimum age is 9 years, no maximum age although you need to
be able to physically fit into an Opti.
Enrolment for Learn to Sail:
Enrolment for Learn to Sail at Wakatere is fully booked for summer 2012, we will open booking for our October 2012 courses in early February, 2012. If you are interested, please re-visit this page in February when we will have enrolement facilities activated. The cost is $388 for the programme and includes a junior club membership for the year.
Sunday Morning programme
This programme commences mid October and runs through to end of April with a break for Christmas. You must have your own Opti and sailing gear including an approved personal floatation device and a wetsuit is recommended pre-Christmas. Children are graded at entry to the programme into one of three groups being:-
1. Confidence One
2. Confidence Two
3. Learn to Race
The club provides a coaching coordinator for this programme (to be advised)
supported by a pool of experienced club members who act as coaches.
Confidence groups are expected to be at the club on Sunday mornings by
8.30am to rig so that they are ready for briefing and coaching to
commence at 9.00am. Sailors are back ashore by 11.30am.
Learn to Race groups are expected to be at the club by 9am for a 10am briefing and continue with club racing in the afternoon when not away at regattas.
Enrolment for Sunday morning programme:
Participants must have completed a Learn to Sail course, be club
members (see the website for application forms, junior membership is
$138) and be able to meet the minimum swim requirement.
The cost of the coaching programme is a further $150 for the full season
or $85 for post Christmas entry. Applications can be made through the club by going by making online contact: http://www.wakatere.org.nz/cms/index.php?option=com_seminar&Itemid=109. This must be confirmed prior to joining a group.
Click here for the Sunday morning coaching programme word doc download
What's the ideal size for an Opti? Click here to download a page from the International Opti Magazine summarising the sizes of Opti sailors at the 2002 Worlds.