Advanced Dinghy Course

Eligibility

• holds a D licence, and
• has been offered a place to the course via the lottery
• has successfully enrolled, and
• has a wetsuit or a drysuit available at the time of the practical classes.

• understand basic sailing terminology;
• have recent practical sailing experience on dinghies;
• be capable of righting a capsized dinghy in moderate winds;
• be able to make the basic knots;
• know the priority regulations on the lake as summarised in the booklet Naviguez sur les eaux suisses !, and given in full in the LNI and ONI;
• know the YCC rules.

Contents of the Course

For example this course could be used as:

• initial preparation for the ED test; passing the ED test entitles you to use the ISO and RS400 as skipper;
• a skill refresher for an ED licence holder;
• an opportunity to improve racing skills;

The course will consist of:

• one theory class;
• two surveillance sessions on the Q boat;
• four outings with the teacher - probably split as two ISO outings and two RS400 outings;

Sailing a double-handed dinghy is a team sport and students will be expected to improve their crewing skills as well as their helming skills. Sailing these boats well demands practice and it is therefore essential for students to make use of:

• Thursday evening practice sessions;
• YCC regattas;
• sailing with YCC members who already hold the ED licence;
• Dinghy training sessions which will begin in early July.

Theory Class

• sailing techniques for dinghies;
• main regatta rules.

Surveillance

Practical Classes

Practical classes should only take place when the Q-boat is available to provide surveillance and teachers/students must "check-in" with the Q-boat skipper before the start of the class.

In general surveillance will be available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday evenings between 18:00 and 20:00 during the period from late April till late September.

Basic skills that should covered by all courses are as follows:

• rigging and unrigging the boat;
• leaving the harbour safely, under control and without colliding with other boats or obstacles in the channel;
• maintaining equilibrium of the boat using body weight and sail controls;
• sailing at close haul, at broad reach and running;
• optimisation of sail trim for each course;
• tacking and gybing smoothly and safely;
• stopping the boat within a few metres of a given place, both with the sails loose and with the jib on the windward side of the boat (hove-to, mise à la cap);
• recovering crew from the water with a man-overboard manoeuvre;
• righting the boat rapidly after capsizing;
• returning to the harbour safely and under control and without colliding with other boats or obstacles in the channel;

Some examples of the more advanced skills that should be acquired during the course are as follows:

• trapezing (ISO only);
• asymmetric spinnaker handling;
• racing strategy and tactics;
• using sail controls (i.e. kicker, cunningham and outhaul);
• roll tacks and roll gybes;

Maintenance