What Every New Sailor Needs to Know

While there are many opportunities to learn to sail in Sydney with experienced instructors who have the knowledge to teach you everything you need to know, it does pay to be prepared before you start your lessons. Therefore, before you sign up for a sailing course, here are ten things you should take into consideration.

Learn Basic Sailing Terms
Read up on the basic sailing terms before you start your lessons. You’ll find that knowing the terms ahead of the game will enable you to absorb the lessons more easily.

Start Out in Calm, Quiet Waters
You’ll find that most sailing courses in Sydney will choose calm, quiet waters to introduce their students to sailing. If a potential school suggests learning to sail in rough, open waters or in crowded areas, you may want to try a different school.

Start Small

While you may dream of skippering large yachts, the best way to learn to sail is by starting small. And by small, we mean in a small dinghy. Not only will you find this easier to manoeuvre and more responsive than larger boats, it will help to build your confidence more quickly.

Always Check Conditions

When you learn to sail, you’ll be taught how to read the weather and you’ll soon become a dab-hand at religiously checking weather conditions, the tides and the wind speed and direction before you venture on the water.

Invest in the Right Gear and Equipment

Every sailor should have suitable, reliable clothing and equipment for the sailing conditions. Never set foot aboard without it.

Learn How to Capsize

While nobody wants to end up in the water while they’re sailing, except if it’s for a refreshing swim once you’re moored up, you will need to learn and experience what happens when a boat capsizes. It’s far better to experience this in a controlled environment and when you have expert help at hand.

Respect the Boom

Pay close attention to the boom. It has the potential to cause a nasty injury or even knock you overboard.

Safety, Safety, Safety!

We can’t stress it enough. Safety always comes first when you are sailing, so always inform people on land where you are going and always wear a buoyancy aid. And always ensure that you’re a confident swimmer before learning to sail!

Learn the Rules

Just like driving, there are rules about rights-of-way on the water to ensure that boats have minimal chance of colliding. Your instructor will ensure you don’t fall foul of the rules, but you’ll need to get familiar with them pretty quickly.

Always Be Aware of Where You are Going

We know there are a hundred and one things to take into consideration when you’re just starting out, which will become second nature when you’re more experienced, but always remember to maintain a good lookout using both your eyes and your ears. You don’t want to be involved in a collision.

And there you have it: ten things every new sailor needs to know – even before you head out on the water.

Make 2019 the Year You Sail in a Regatta

If you’ve watched sailing regattas and yearned to join in the fun, this could be the year when your dream comes true.
There are many opportunities to join in races and competitions in the Sydney area, and one of the best ways to get on board and competing is to become a member of a local sailing club.

Many clubs organise their own racing schedules and put together teams to enter larger regattas which makes them the best place to learn about racing in general and racing different kinds and classes of boats.

Can a New Sailor Get Involved in Racing?
 
By joining a sailing club in Sydney, newbie sailors can learn the ropes of racing by taking part in low-key races. These races are often held in the evenings when the winds are light and take place in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.

Most sailing schools are happy to take new sailors as part of the crew and help them to improve both their sailing and racing skills. If you’re particularly keen to race in a particular type of boat, you may have to search to find a sailing club that has the boat that you’re interested in.

You may also find opportunities to become part of a crew by searching online.

The Benefits of Becoming Involved in Local Racing and Sailing Activities

Sailing is one of those sports that has no age limits, so no matter how old you are you should be able to find a suitable race, and with a variety of boats to choose from, there will be a race for every level of fitness.

Just the act of being on the water and trying to control the elements is a natural endorphin booster and spending time in the outdoors offers many health benefits from reducing stress to improving fitness.

You’ll also benefit from being among like-minded people who share a love for being on the water and become part of a tradition that dates back for hundreds of years.

What Equipment and Gear is Needed?

The list of equipment and gear needed to race in the Sydney area is likely to be less than that needed if you plan to race in areas which experience bad weather and sailing conditions.

However, you’ll probably feel better equipped if you have sailing shoes, sailing gloves, a hat, sunglasses and most importantly, sunblock at hand.
Take the First Steps Today

Don’t put off your dreams any longer. Seek out the sailing club that offers the kind of races you wish to participate in and start the ball rolling and who knows, you could be racing in your first regatta in 2019.

Make Your First Experience of Sailing a Positive One

Learning something new, such as sailing, is always an exciting prospect. When you are positively motivated, it’s easier to learn and master the new skills needed to learn how to sail.

However, excitement and positivity won’t get you far if you don’t have the correct teachers and mentors. That’s why it’s important to find a sailing school in Sydney that meets your needs in order to make your first experience of learning to sail a positive one.

If you’re planning to learn to sail, Sydney would-be sailors should always bear the following in mind.

Make Safety Your Number One Priority

Safety is always your number one priority, whether you’re out on the water under the tutelage of a sailing instructor or you’ve chartered a yacht with sailing friends. It’s imperative that before you head out to sea that you can swim.

You should also wear the correct buoyancy aid for your frame and size, just in case you do happen to end up overboard.

You’ll also find that when you sign up for any sailing courses Sydney wide, you’ll be advised about the protocol of always informing someone that you are out on the water, together with your expected time of return.

Understand Weather and Wind Conditions

As part of your sailing lessons, Sydney sailing instructors will give you all the knowledge and skills you need to understand the local weather conditions.

Not being able to handle changes in wind direction or weather is the number one cause of new sailors getting into difficulties. Being proficient in understanding and assessing the weather will make you a much better and safer sailor.

Don’t Run Before You Can Walk 

When you first start out on your sailing journey, you need to be on calm waters, with a relatively light wind. It also helps if there are not many other vessels around.

Don’t try to run before you can walk. Learn to sail in a small dinghy with one sail and then you will be able to progress your skills once you gain confidence.
 
Learn How to Get the Best from Your Sail

Learning how to fine tune and adjust your sail to take advantage of the current wind conditions is vitally important. Your tutors should teach you about the ‘fullness’ and correct shape of the sail, but they should also teach you how to respect the boom.

Being aware of where the boom is and ensuring that all other crew members know where it is too will eventually come naturally, but until it does, you’ll need to keep a close eye on it to avoid a nasty bump on the head.

The Bottom Line

While you can teach yourself to sail, you’ll learn more quickly by enrolling with a local sailing school where you’ll get professional instruction combined with the experience that comes with hours of being on the water.

So You Want to Learn to Sail in Sydney?

You’ve made the decision that 2019 is going to be the year that you learn to sail and so you’ve decided to look for a sailing school in Sydney that will not only provide you with excellent tuition, but that will give you the opportunity to get an international sailing qualification under your belt.

But when you take a look at the market, you can see that there’s a multitude of schools and so many courses to choose from that you’re a little confused about your best option.

So if you’re planning to learn to sail in Sydney in 2019, here are some of the courses that you may want to consider.

Beginner’s Sailing Courses in Sydney

There are many sailing courses Sydney wide that are especially aimed at those who have little or no prior sailing experience. You’ll find sailing schools offering lessons in Sydney Harbour and in the surrounding areas such as Pittwater.

When looking for a suitable school, you may want to consider one that’s partnered with International Yacht Training Worldwide. It’s the world’s leading training organisation for big boat recreational sailing, so your qualification is going to take you a long way.

You’ll find lessons for beginners combined with courses to qualify you for keelboat crew where you’ll spend your time learning to master the ropes. Look for a school that give you a high percentage of time on the water rather than one that makes you do most of your learning in a classroom.

If you’re unsure about the level of course you need, many sailing schools offer an ‘on water’ assessment, so the instructors can assess your current sailing expertise and recommend an appropriate course.

An assessment of this type will also give you the chance to see whether you like their teaching methods and decide whether it will be the right school for you.

More than Just Sailing Lessons

Ideally, your sailing school should offer flexibility around course timings so that they fit in with your existing commitments. Many schools also encourage you to join their sailing club so that you can get in some extra practice and test out what you’ve learned and maybe even join in a race or two.

Once You’ve Learned to Sail

Once you’ve got the basics under your belt and you’ve been bitten by the sailing bug, it’s likely that you’re going to want to improve your skills and knowledge.

Many schools offer more advanced sailing lessons in Sydney, such as International Crew, International Bareboat Skipper and the ultimate accolade of International Certificate of Competence to give you the qualifications you need to charter and sail not only in Australia but worldwide.

So what are you waiting for? Make 2019 the year you get yourself some sailing qualifications.