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An Intro Sail is a fantastic way to get a taste for sailing and learn the basics of sailing. Come and join us for a fun and safe three hour sail on Botany Bay, the best waters in Sydney for training. We’ll be sailing on a J24, the biggest racing keel boat class in the world.

Duration: 1 session of 3 hours  What to bring: shoes with white soles, hat, sunny mood, water, sun screen, jacket. Cost: $75  What now? Have you caught the sailing bug? Time to get serious with the Start Crewing Course. If you book a course in the same week you do your Intro Sail, we’ll refund the $75 you spent on the Intro Sail.

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This course provides a good introduction to sailing and also gives students the chance to participate in practice sessions for 3 months after course completion. You’ll receive a starting pack with this course – a logbook and the YA training book ‘Introductory Keelboat’. On completion you’ll have good and basic boat handling skills and you’ll be able to sail a figure of eight or a triangular course under instruction.

Duration: 4 sessions of 3 hours & practice sessions for 3 months. After completion: Certificate of Course Completion, logbook signed off.  Cost: $545, includes YA insruance.  What now? Start Helming Course – book two courses at the same time for only $990, and you’ll receive a discount of $100!

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After this course you’ll be able to skipper a small keel yacht safely on inshore waters. You are aware of hazards and know how to avoid them, you can retrieve a person overboard safely, can heave to, can reef and shake out reefs whilst underway, can steer a boat with only the sails, can pick up moorings under sail and know how to sail backwards.

Duration: 4 sessions of 3 hours, practice sessions for 3 months after course completion & twilight race (in summer)  After completion: Certificate of Completion & logbook signed off. Cost: $545   What now? Time for level 2 – Start Skippering. Book all 3 courses in one package for $1,395 and receive a discount of $240!

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If racing is not your thing, but you would like to further your sailing skills then the Start Skippering course is designed for you. After this course you’ll know how to sail your keelboat safely on and off the mooring and jetty, prepare for a tow, you can handle a boat in confined spaces, come to and weigh anchor under sail, know what actions to be taken in the event of major gear failure and have sound basic navigational skills.

Duration: 4 sessions of 3 hours, practice sessions After completion? Logbook signed off  Cost: $545    Save $ 240 if you book Start Crewing, Start Helming and Start Skippering Courses at the same time What now? Time for some serious fun with our Start Racing Courses.

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Have you finished the level 1 & 2 courses and would you like to get the blood pumping? Then it’s time for some serious fun and excitement with our Spinnaker Course. During two full days you’ll learn how to pack, rig, hoist and drop a symmetric spinnaker, how to gybe a kite and see what it’s like to be part of a racing crew. During the last session we’ll actually take part in a spinnaker race to put everything we’ve learned into practice. This course runs monthly and can also be given on your own yacht to train with your own crew.

Duration: 2 sessions of 6 hours, spinnaker race included on the last day. After completion: Logbook signed off.  What to bring: sailing gloves, hat, some courage, water, sun screen, good shoes.  Cost: $545  What now? Start Racing Course could be the next step if you want to be introduced to the mad world of sports boats and want to know all the ins and outs of racing.

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Do you want to go faster and faster? Then the Start Racing Course is for you. During this course you’ll learn how to handle the oversized asymmetric spinnaker and after completing this course you’ll be ready to crew on sports boats, like the Melges and Flying Tigers or 16- and 18 footers. After this course you’ll also understand ‘Start’ and ‘Finish’ procedures, including flag and sound signals, understands the basic courses and basic rules of racing. You’ll also learn the finer point of trimming, sail shape, hiking and you’ll be competent in each crew position during pre-start procedure, (roll) tacking, gybing and windward and leeward mark roundings.

Duration: 2 sessions of 6 hours, including a spinnaker race on the last day. After completion? Logbook signed off Cost: $545 Save $100 if you book the Spinnaker and Start Racing Course at the same time!

What now? If you would like to try your hand at offshore sailing, join us on Vaya con Dios, a Farr 36, for the Offshore Course. If your ultimate goal is to do a Sydney to Hobart Race or another offshore race then our Offshore Racing Course is the way to go. And for charter fans we’ve got the Bareboat Skipper Course on offer. Please call us on (02) 9592 3565 to tell us about your sailing goals and we’ll help you to get there fast & safely!

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Level 1 Start Crewing 12 hours An introduction to the basics of sailing on a keelboat, including boat handling, safety and sailing theory.

Start Helming 12 hours Designed to improve your sailing skills by building on your practical and theory knowledge

Level 2 Start Skippering 12 hours Advanced sailing skills and safety knowledge to enable you reach a level where you are abe to sail unsupervised in sheltered waters.

Level 3 Spinnakers 12 hours A spinnaker is the colourful lightweight sail sometimes seen at the front of a boat. This course includes all aspects of handling and trimming (adjustment) of symmetrical and asymmetrical spinnakers.

Start Racing 12 hours At this level you can learn the basic racing rules and manoeuvres and gain an understanding of what is expected of a racing crew on a keelboat.