The 2019 Victorian Instructor Conference took place at Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC) on Saturday 27th July. It was a beautiful winter’s day in Melbourne with light breeze and sunshine forecast.

The day began with Australian Sailing staff providing an update on all things Discover Sailing. The Instructors got a pat on the back for another year of strong growth in Victorian Discover Sailing Programs, particularly in Tackers and Keelboat Programs. SYC received special mention in the Keelboat Program proving their ‘Season Pass’ membership scheme to be successful yet again. Chelsea Yacht Club and others were commended on their efforts in making Sporting Schools an effective way to boost the participation and exposure of Sailing.

Guest Speaker Sarah Ogilvie then provided an engaging session on the importance of daydreaming. Sarah covered her journey in sailing, from her humble beginnings in a Minnow to her high performance triumphs and tribulations. The dual Olympian noted the importance of creating ‘lifers’ in the sport, people who will stay with the sport not matter what level of performance they reach. This can be achieved by giving Tackers kids the freedom to daydream as Sarah once did in the pond at her home club at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron (BYS).

After morning tea everyone broke out into their elected discipline for the first practical session. The Keelboat group consisted of more than half non-Keelboat Instructors who were either prospective instructors or instructors from another discipline. Senior Instructors Leigh Brennan Smith and Sean Hogan believe this created a great learning environment where everyone could share their knowledge from a wide range of experiences. Senior Instructor Gordon Hyde ran the Powerboat group going through various activities and topics both on and off the water. Light winds encouraged most groups to stay ashore, but all groups still enjoyed the sunshine!

Following a long lunch with plenty of networking amongst the DSC Principals, Instructors and prospective instructors, the groups broke out for the second practical session. Winds remained very light meaning most groups didn’t leave the pond, but the session topics allowed for plenty more learning and knowledge sharing. Sarah Ogilvie joined Senior Instructor Bruce Carter to discuss the importance of session planning while Dinghy Senior Instructors Sean Bly and Jack Lloyd hit the water to share some fun Green Fleet games. Dinghy Senior Instructor and Club Services Officer Adam Gristwood delivered a hands-on session in the boat yard covering the delivery of Day 1 – Session 1 with valuable sharing of tips and tricks.

The day wrapped up with some really constructive feedback and collaborative thinking towards future professional development for Instructors. This year’s Instructor Conference had more diversity amongst the group than ever before which we aim to continue improving year on year. A big thank you to all the DSC Principals who promoted and supported the event to engage more Instructors. Well done and thank you to the Senior Instructors, Instructors and prospective Instructors for attending and making the day such a success.