This year’s SQ Instructor Conference was nothing like we all expected. The last Instructor Conference was held in 2019 prior to the Covid -19 outbreak, so we have had a gentle start back.  However, the weather this year has been a significant influence in Queensland, with record levels of rainfall, which was why we were extremely pleased that we had 25-30 attendees. Thank you to everyone who braved the elements, car-pooled (no pun intended) and travelled fair distances in the constant downpour on the day to the Southport Yacht Club’s Watersports Centre at Oxenford, Gold Coast.

The appalling conditions also meant that we were unable to run any on water activities.  However, this did not dampen our levels of fun and enjoyment.  The Senior Instructors provided valuable information, learnings and presentations in a down to earth way that involved everyone. Using the fantastic ‘Instructor mindset’, the Senior Instructors also rigged a Tackers boat indoors to enable some ‘on water’ demonstrations, group feedback discussions and self-reflection, which had everyone on their toes and laughing!

Instructors were keen to learn about the additional Professional Development options available to them and the online learning resources, which have grown over the last 2 years. They enjoyed being given advice on understanding the nature of learners so that they could implement this with their learn to sail students. Eyes were opened as to the importance of following the Learn to Sail Curriculum and actually using the resources – making life so much easier for the Instructors in their role.

New to the Instructor Conference this year was the Building Excellence in Discover Sailing Workshop. We invited all current Discover Sailing Centre personnel and clubs thinking about becoming Discover Sailing Centres to join us in discussions on subjects relating to providing the best possible learn to sail programs.  These topics were chosen by the attendees as they registered to ensure the focus was on what was important for them- retention, building a strong team of Instructors & more.  After the workshop, the group were able to join in with the Instructors’ sessions to gain insights into what Instructors learn and benefit from when they attend this annual Instructor Conference.

Overall, the 2022 Instructor Conference provided opportunities for Instructors from different clubs/centres to socialize generally and to chat and learn about how they run the learn to sail programs. Adding the workshop attendees into the mix allowed for interactions between the younger Instructors and centre principles, committee members or older/more experienced Instructors, hopefully creating a culture of building a great team. Superb catering with wraps/rolls, fruit, grazing platters, and plenty of hot and cold beverages helped to lubricate the conversations, which had almost everyone staying on to socialize to the very end!