2007 Youth Training
This year has seen a number of very promising new youth sailors come to Carsington. We repeated on the success from last year with pre-course training, which has again proven its worth by ensuring the new youth sailors have a grasp of the fundamental sailing skills.
26th May 2007
Morning
The morning was very calm, with little wind.
All of the Optimist groups took the light wind opportunity to practise their sailing in these conditions and ventured further out into the bay. Use was made of the slalom line, which had been placed close to the dam to avoid the Tempest racers.
Topper/Pico
9:30 The session started with a sailing refresher on technique, along with some tacking and gybing land drills.We then sailed over to the slalom course and practised sailing up wind through the buoys. Once at the top downwind and gybing practise was carried out through the line. As there was little wind each boat came alongside the powerboat, where Suzie demonstrated dry capsizing. Each boat in turn then did a dry capsize. By this time the wind had dropped so the group was towed back to shore.
11:00 After a talk on light wind sailing everyone headed over to the slalom course, where they practised their upwind and downwind sailing. Due to the by now very light wind conditions each boat was taken to the side where they were shown how to dry capsize, again by Suzie. Everyone managed this the first time. By now the wind had dropped off and we started towing the boats back to shore, in order to carry out knotting practise and some theory. Half way back a pleasant breeze developed so the group cast off and sailed over to buoy number 9, before heading in.
Afternoon This week there was no Adult training so we rigged two of the comets and the Wanderer. Patrick set the course, which had to avoid the Tempest racing. We sailed over to buoy number 9 and then to buoys 1,2,3,4 & 5. A lee-shore landing was made just below the pumping tower. For some this was the first time they had carried out a lee-shore landing in anything but a Topper and it showed !! ( more practise to follow).
After everyone was safely away from the shore we raced to buoy 8, then 9, which had to be circled . Buoy 1 also had to be circled, before heading back to shore. All of the comets sailed in very tight formation for most of the course. Once in the bay tactics ensued, which placed Laura and Richard by the dam wall. Alice and Laura W were over by the cruisers, whilst Lewis and James slowed to the point that they rowed and got disqualified. The Wanderer was still in the running, but could not compete against the faster comets.
Final result Joint win Wanderer - Nicholl Joe and Tait with comet Laura M - helm & Richard. Second Alice W and Laura W.
19 May 2007
Morning
We again had a blustery day and the instructors decided not to ask the children to pray for any more wind again !!
It was too windy for the new Optimists sailors to sail and were taken to the left hand side of the club bay. Here they practised their paddling skills and carried out some necessary theory.
The older Topper and Pico sailors came into their own this week, with most sailing exceptionally well !! The effort being put into their sailing was noted on the 9:30 session, where this week Lewis was clearly the star.
The second session at 11:30 started with some classroom theory, where we discussed how to avoid being caught out by gusts, up-wind sailing and also watched the adult course providing capsize demonstrations. Whilst waiting for all the boats to lauch some of the group carried out some tight sailing around a buoy, which Hannah was very good at. During the session Hanna and Jake tried to break the world capsize record !! 
Afternoon
The blustery conditions in the middle of Carsington are no problem for this group and we sailed over to the far shore, just up from Fisherman's Creek, where the Lasers were racing. Here everyone carried out a lee-shore landing and then launched their boat. Nicholl managed to pitch-pole his Topper, whilst kiting it, disproving the theory that he can always do a dry-capsize in under 10 seconds every time !!
We then sailed a course across the water, close to the race hut. Everyone sailed across the water too fast, which would have made the session finish too soon. Instead we sailed back up and across the water before landing. Some of the sailors took the opportunity to take their reefs out in preparation for a race back to shore. After a 1 minute count down everyone crossed the start line and sailed up to no 8, before heading back to shore. Claire, Alice and Laura decided that Saturday was a good day for team sailing ( or something like that). Despite being three up in a Pico they all took turns in helming and sailed the boat very well.
12th May 2007 Photo Gallery
Morning: It appeared that all the children booked the wind and it was rather blustery. This clearly presented little problem to the Optimist sailors and it was a pleasure to see all of them sailing so well. Philip Lee and Patrick clearly cannot get enough water and very kindly acted as moving buoys for the optimists, proving that Carsington has not only Old Buoys, but also Young Buoys.
The Topper and Pico sailors found the weather more challenging and we had a couple of unplanned capsizes. The award for best capsize of the day goes to Nich B. All of the sailors worked very hard on their technique and improvement was noticeable during the sessions. Ruth D also deserves special mention having carried out some very neat tacking manoeuvres.
Afternoon: Gusty conditions continued into the afternoon skills session and we set off through the island for Fisherman's Creek. Most sailors had their boats very well set up and raced through the waves, over to the other side. Alice W, who hates reefing, proved that she prefers to live life on the edge and did a very spectacular capsize, which was very neatly righted. Marcus F hates releasing his mainsheet and discovered that this technique is not the best way to keep his boat upright, which resulted in the inevitable. Tait (only sailor in an Optimist), was sailing exceptionally well this week, took on some water, but managed to keep up with the Toppers and Pico's.
We saw a squall developing, which had been anticipated and made a decision to land and shelter in Fishermans Creek. Everyone sailed a course round Fisherman's Creek until the weather subsided and we then set course for the club. The group tacked across the lake and then up to the pumping tower. Some circling practise was carried out by the lead boats, whilst we waited for everyone to catch up. We then tacked up to the pumping tower, before heading on a fast reach back to the club. Not wishing to be left out Laura W and Joe W decided to practise their capsize technique on the way home.
The smiling faces at the end suggests that squall and gusts are excellent reasons to sail for 2 hours around Carsington, although there are probably a dozen children who slept well that night!!
5th May 2007
Saturday was a very calm day and we really needed slightly more wind for training. The opportunity was taken to practise some knotting, rowing, capsize and buoyancy aid confidence training. Some children were asked to book more wind for next week.
Whilst putting away the safety boats, Tony Allton requested to have his photo taken and put onto the site.