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Home / Member Info / Sailing at TSC / Better Sailing

Better Sailing

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The knowledge, skills and experience of the more established sailors at TSC is one of our greatest assets and one challenge we face is to pass this amazing asset on to the next generation of TSC sailors, so they too can make the most of the fantastic opportunity that sailing at Thornbury offers.

Our new Better Sailing builds on the success of the Challenge Series, which started in 2022. It gives members a great opportunity to sail together outside the established racing calendar and aims to improve our sailing, with the emphasis on participation, building friendships and having a good time.

The aims

The aims of the Better Sailing are:

1.To develop core sailing skills, boat set-up and knowledge of local conditions.

2. To allow novice and intermediate sailors to build their experience and confidence on the water and provide a first step into racing.

3. To improve the club's social life by integrating new members and recently joined members with the more established sailors at TSC.

4.To give all members the opportunity to broaden their experience, sailing different types of dinghy with different people.

5.To offer members instruction on the role of OOD and AOD.

Who is it for?

Better Sailing is for everyone:

- For beginners - we will be continuing with our mentoring, pairing up new sailors with experienced mentors to help them develop the core skills they need to sail at TSC

- For improvers - we are running a series of sailing clinics, looking at developing better sailing techniques, such as sail trim, boat handling, boat speed, tacking, gybing and race strategy

- For mentors & instructors - this is a great opportunity to meet new people, have a great time and get more involved in the club

- For fun - it's a great opportunity for everyone to get out and sail, whether you want to learn, practice, lark about or try something new!

The series has proved very popular with both the less experienced sailors, who developed their skills and confidence in a supported environment, and with the mentors, who found it very rewarding to help out, practice and hone their own sailing skills and make new friends. And the bar is always buzzing afterwards.

How does it work?

The Better Sailing sessions will be run by our RYA Instructors and supported by mentors in the spring and summer. Each session will focus on a different area or skill and will be tailored to the needs / level of those attending (see Events).

They will be about developing the skills, knowledge and experience to get the most out of sailing at TSC. They will include aspects specific to sailing on the tides of the Severn and at TSC, and will include an introduction to racing. The sessions will be led by an instructor whenever possible, but will not follow a formal structure; please note they are not part of an RYA course and there is no accreditation or certification, although they borrow from the RYA Better Sailing content.

These sessions will start with a briefing, followed by on-water coaching and a de-brief. Details and timings will be published on the website before each session. They are about getting on the water and encouraging people to try new things.

Mentors needed! Can you help?

For Better Sailing to work, we need as many of our established sailors to come along as possible to act as mentors. You do not need to be a great sailor to be a great help, the role is more about support and encouragement, than instruction. A friendly face and someone to answer a "silly question" or two is as important as an expert instructor.

And if you don't want to get your feet wet, it would be great to have some mentors on dry land, who can help getting boats set up and on the water, especially for Challenge: Development.

We want to get as many boats out as possible, so come on down and get stuck in.

What happens on the day?

The "start time" in the sailing programme is for the onshore clinic. You should be ready to sail, so with your boat ready and in sailing kit, for the start of the clinic. We recommend that you arrive at least 45 mins before the start time, as there is a lot to do before you get on the water.

The outline timings are:

  • -Get your boat out and pre-rigged (45 mins)
  • -On-shore session (45 mins) - this is the Start Time in the calendar
  • -Get changed, rigged and on the water (30 mins)
  • -On water activity (120 mins)
  • -Get off the water (45 mins)
  • -De-brief in the club house (15 mins)
  • -Social (as long as you like!)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Last updated 17:28 on 6 January 2025

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