Australian Sailing started the sailing season at Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club by running several courses on 1st, 2nd and 3rd November 2019.

Carl Webster and Dante Olivieri drove down from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains on Friday 1st November and conducted Laser boat handling training for 6 participants that afternoon. Dante ran Dinghy Instructors and Assistant Instructors training on Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd November. Carl Webster conducted the Race Officer / mark laying and Power boat handling and Safety boat courses on the Saturday and Sunday too.

It was a great way to start the Sailing season and improve members’ skills around the club. The courses involved sessions in the clubhouse and on the water. Questions and interaction was encouraged including the training dinghy instructors taking over the class to test their teaching skills.

Carl and Dante delivered another Optimist dinghy to the club, bringing the total Optis in the club’s fleet to 6. They also brought down 4 inflatable buoys which were used in the mark laying on-water practical sessions. The club plans to use these marks in future regattas on Lake Jindabyne.

Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club is building a competitive Laser fleet and sailors who took advantage of the training session on the afternoon of Friday 1st November appreciated the tips provided. All plan to put the skills learnt into practice in the upcoming club races. The Dinghy Instructors course included 3 participants from the club, plus two from local business, Alpine Sailing and one from the Naval Cadets. Junior club members Freya and Hayden Slater also completed the assistant instructor course. The participants also enjoyed wishing Hayden a happy 13th Birthday and presenting him with a club rash shirt on Saturday 2nd November. The club is pleased to have increased its pool of accredited instructors and assistants as its sail training school grows. Seven club members also took advantage of the Power boat handling and safety boat courses to increase their skills and confidence when operating the club’s rescue boat during a race. This training increases the club’s available pool of trained boat operators to ensure the safety of race participants from week to week.

The busy weekend was arranged and organised by Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club’s Head Instructor Alistair Cross. The club commodore, Alan “Barney” Davis and club secretary, Ross Lawley, assisted where required and worked the barbeque to provide sausage sandwiches over the weekend.

Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club appreciates the great support it has received from Australian Sailing’s Carl Webster, Craig Ferris and Dante Olivieri over the years as it builds its members’ skills and confidence while running races, regattas and introducing new participants to our fabulous sport.