The Academy provides a range of opportunities for young people to participate in the sport of sailing in Canberra and compete interstate, develop leadership qualities, and attain recognition for their achievements.

Introduction

The Canberra Yacht Club Sailing School operates a five level Junior Sailing Program. The levels progress from a basic introduction to sailing, to an introduction to racing to finally a full racing program. The first four levels of this program are taught through the Youth Sailing Academy, the final level is taught as part of either the Optimist Race Squad or the
Junior Youth Race Squad. There are 4 groups which make up the Youth Sailing Academy. These classes are discussed below. It is important to note that in all classes spaces are
limited and positions in Gold and the Optimist Training Program are by invitation only. At the end of each term of YSA a progress statement will be produced for each student.
If you are unsure which class best suits your child, please contact the Sailing School Office on 6273 4777 for advice.

Bronze: Saturday 9.30 am - 11.30 am

This course is aimed at students who have very little or no sailing experience. It will cover the basics of sailing small dinghies. It is hoped that by the end of the program students will be competent with the contents of Level One of the Canberra Yacht Club's Sailing School Program. Students,
who show an aptitude for sailing, will be moved into the Silver Program.The majority of this program will be sailed in Toppers.

Silver: Group 1: Saturday 12 noon- 2pm & Group 2: Saturday 2.30pm- 5pm

NOTE: The second course is longer as it includes putting all the equipment, the same amount of time is spent on the water. The Silver program is aimed to extend student's sailing skill to a pre-racing level. Participants in this course will continue to develop and refine the skills that they have learned in Level 1. Successful completion of the Silver program will involve the fulfilling of the requirements of Levels 2 and 3. These levels are competence based and as such the rate at which students move through the material will vary.The majority of this program will be sailed in Toppers.

Optimist Training Program: Sundays 10am-12am

This program is designed to allow students to develop their sailing skills in the International Optimist dinghy. There are significant restrictions on the size of students who can sail Optimists. As such, this program is offered as invitation only. The aim of this course is to enable students to develop their skills so that they can meet the requirements of Levels 3 and
4. It is hoped that students who complete Level 4 will move into the Gold program, the Optimist Racing Program or the Junior Youth Racing Squad depending on the Coach's recommendations.

Gold: Wednesday 4pm-6pm (Plus club twilight racing)

This program is designed to introduce students to racing. As part of the course students are required to participate in the Canberra Yacht Club's Twilight Racing (occurs directly after training) and to keep a log of these races. Because of the need for students to have access to the best possible
instruction and to be able to safely compete in the Twilight Races entry into this group is by invitation only. The course is designed to enable participants to complete Level 4 and act as a bridge between the Youth Sailing Academy and the Junior Youth Racing Squad. Progression to the Youth Racing Squad is at the discretion of Canberra Yacht Club's coaches and may
have to be delayed until boats become available. A coach will discuss your child's path into the Race Squad when it is appropriate.

Each student will be allocated a dinghy & shall be responsible for that dinghy throughout the program.

For all the dates and times please download the following program documents: YSA Term 1 2009.pdf

sailschool@canberrayachtclub.com.au

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The Canberra Yacht Club gratefully acknowledges the generous support provided to the Youth Academy by
The Canberra Southern Cross Club and the many volunteers, family and friends of the Academy.