Training
TRAINING
Are you interested in Learning to sail ?... Look no further, you should find all the information you need on this page.
Budworth Sailing Club aims to provide a fun and sociable learning environment so members can develop sailing skills, knowledge and confidence. We are an RYA accredited Recognised Training Centre (RTC) which recognises our high standards and we follow the RYA adult and junior syllabuses. Training is provided by BSC club members who are all RYAqualified instructors, friendly, approachable and very knowledgeable. They are all experienced sailors and active racers.
There are two streams to our training Adult and Family training and our Junior training program.
More details on our Junior program can be found in on the Junior page.
Adult and Family training program
Budworth Sailing club has developed a training program that enables new members to engage with the club and progress into our activities at your own speed. The last few years have proved a few things to us, but the most important message to convey to new members is :
As with anything in life, the more you put in to it, the more you will get out and the faster you will progress.
There is a clear progression path for training and a support network that should enable you to really enjoy your sailing. We are primarily a volunteer run club, but we are keen to hear from you so please do give us your feedback.
What we offer The training pathway
STEP 0 - Come and meet us
On Saturday mornings and Friday evenings (in the summer) there is normally an experienced sailor who can explain what we offer as a club. If you are interested in finding out about Learn to sail, then please email training@budworthsc.org.uk so that we can find a suitable training slot for you.
To access Budworth's training program, you will need to be a member of the Sailing club. You can see the membership details and how to join up here
STEP 1 - Learn to Sail courses - £160 - approximately 16 hours tuition (2 days or four evenings)includes boat hire and buoyancy aids.
The Learn to Sail course is the introduction to sailing that follows the RYA Level 1 and 2 syllabus, this is run by our experienced Senior Instructors and Dinghy Instructors. This will enable you to rig, launch and sail a boat in moderate conditions safely. Progress on all courses is dependent on weather conditions and how quickly sailors pick up the skills. In two days we will normally achieve a level 1 for most people and cover some aspects of level 2.
For adults we teach this course in Fusion dinghies as single handers and also in our Laser Bahia and GP14 fleet as double handed dinghies.
The courses are run either over 4 weekday evenings (16 hours) or 2 full Saturdays (16 hours)
STEP 2 - Better sailing course - £160 approximately 16 hours tuition, boat hire and buoyancy aids.
The Better sailing course, enables you to use what you learnt on the LTS course and hone and build skills. It will progress you through RYA Level 2 and and some aspects of level 3 (again progress is dependent on multiple factors).
The course continues to use our Fusion, Laser Bahia, and GP14's, but we also progress members in to the clubs boats (GP14's, Snipes, Lasers and Fireflies) if of course you have already invested in your own dinghy (please note the club does operate a strict fleet policy).
STEP 3 - Friday eve and Better Sailing Saturdays progression and practice (Boat hire costs only)
Key to progressing in sailing is practice and we provide un-supervised sessions on Friday evenings (Summer) and supervised Better Sailing sessions on Saturday mornings. New members can hire club boats (£10 for a single handed dinghy or £15 for a double handed dinghy) and use the lake to practice your skills. We aim to have an experienced member or Instructor on site available to provide advice on conditions and to discuss routines to work on, and of course to provide safety boat cover as well.
STEP 4 - Crew for an experienced club member in racing
You will gain a lot of experience and tuition from experienced members by crewing in racing. This can be quite daunting, but you will learn a lot about Dinghy racing and have a lot of fun.Talk to the club instructors or fleet captains about finding someone
STEP 5 - Fleet training days
Once you have either bought a boat or you have teamed up with someone as a crew, you can join in with fleet activities. Your fleet captain will normally organise a couple of special fleet training days, where the focus is on how that particular boat sails and advanced skills to drive the boat as quickly as possible in racing.
What's Normal
Some people progress through these steps in order in months, others take a little longer. It is up to you how you progress. But like learning anything, the more time you commit to going on the water, the quicker you will learn.
Training course dates and booking
The Learn to sail courses have now been revised, however because this is single handed only, we have limited slot. Please contact training@budworthsc.org.uk
Booking and paying for these courses can be done on the web site up to 2 months before the course starts.
Preparation for Learn To Sail Courses What to wear
Staying warm is an important factor in enjoying sailing! If you only sail in good weather then a T-shirt, shorts and old trainers will do, although it is always a good idea to have waterproof coat/top and over-trousers and a change of clothes to hand for changeable weather. For those who are not just fair weather sailors, you need to consider a spray top/ waterproofs, wetsuit, wet suit boots and a hat. If you don't have a wetsuit, bring a set of clothes and shoes to travel in and two warm sets of clothes to sail in (eg fleece or tracksuit bottoms and beach shoes/ trainers that can get wet) so that you can change and carry on sailing if you get wet early on in the session. Swim wear and towel are also needed. You should avoid cotton, wool or natural fabrics as these tend to take on water.
The sun is stronger when on the water than on land, so plenty of sun block and sunglasses are a good idea when the sun is bright.
Many people choose to wear gloves as ropes and water can cause blisters if its windy. You can get sailing gloves with reinforced grips or gardening gloves will do the trick (but need to be snug fitting).
Buoyancy aids are essential, these are provided on the Family Learn to Sail, but you will need to buy your own when you are not under tuition.
We have some wetsuits, waterproofs and buoyancy aids that you can borrow, but make no promises to provide all sizes, or the condition they are in! Decathlon or ebay are good sources of cheap gear.
How the courses run
Saturday courses start at 9.00-9:30am and will normally finish around 4pm-5pm
Evening courses are either on Mondays or Thursday evenings and start at 5.30pm6pm in the spring and autumn and a little later during summer months. We aim to finish the evenings by 9pm, but we do end up in the bar and it can become quite social! (When covid allows)
The courses are run by our RYA Senior Instructors and Dinghy instructors. Budworth is currently actively applying for RYA training centre status, to enable us to be a supported training centre to be able to provide RYA dinghy sailing certificates as well as Power boat courses.
Other things you need to know
Like most inland lakes, Budworth Mere does sometimes get blue green algae in the mid summer, however this doesn't generally stop activities. We provide information on safe use of the water and precautions that you can take, and we rarely see any issues.
What can we sail
Learn to Sail is completed in the available training boats (Laser Bahia's, Laser Pico's, Toppers but after this training would normally be in your own boat but, if you don't have one, we have some club boats (Optimists, Toppers, Laser, GP14, Snipe and an RS Feva XL ) that can be hired while you decide whether you like sailing and/or the type of boats before committing to a purchase. These boats can also be hired at other times during the week or for racing.
Please note: We operate a restricted fleet policy at Budworth. This means that if you wish to keep and sail a boat at Budworth, then it must be one of our adopted classes, these are:
Adult fleets
- Laser/ILCA
- GP14
- Solo
- Snipe
- Firefly
- RS200
Junior fleets
- Optimist
- Topper
- Feva
- Mirror
Youth Fleet- 42
We promote this policy because it enables the club to maintain good fleet racing, where boats of the same class race against each other.
Etiquette for training sessions
Be there for the start of the session and make sure you are changed and ready to go. Everyone, except beginners, is expected to have their boats rigged and ready to sail AND be changed and ready to sail by the start time. This will take longer than you think give it an hour, at least!
If you are unable to attend a session, please let us know, then we wont be hanging around waiting for you.
Further details from the club training co-ordinators (links below) and in the scheduled events section below.