Overview

Overview of WSC Sailing and Sail Training Programs 

A. Saturday Series Races

Saturday Series racing is intended for adults and juniors interested in regular, competitive racing. The Series is governed by the associated Notice of Race (NOR) and Sailing Instructions (SI), available both on the WSC Notice Board and on the WSC website. Visitors are welcome to join in any of the races.
All races count towards each of the following four series: Club Championship, All-fleet Handicap Championship, Class Championship and Class Handicap Championship, these series thus span the entire season.
Details of the Series are available within in the Calendar. Series racing does not occur on Saturdays within long weekends or within the Christmas / New Year holiday weekends. Races start at 1:30 pm (first Division start time on the water), with a Pre-race Briefing at 12:30 pm. Attendance at the Pre-Race Briefing is mandatory for all skippers and/or their crew. 

B. Social Sailing 

Social Sailing takes place intermittently throughout the season, typically on the Saturdays of long weekends. The intended format for each social sailing day depends on the weather and the number and mix of participating boats.

C. Supported Green Fleet Racing

Supported Green Fleet Racing SFGR is open to all Green Fleet club members and to the Junior & Novice Fleet, and takes place on selected Saturdays. It runs as part of the Saturday Series, with participants being in Division 6. On SGFR days, support will be offered to participants before, during and after the race.

D. Club Regatta

WSC holds a regular Club Regatta, typically during the last weekend of April (see Calendar). Regatta races are held on both the Saturday and Sunday and the Regatta is open to visitors.

E. Junior Sailing

Junior & Novice Fleet and Tackers Fleet on Saturday mornings is supervised sailing that aims to provide children & beginner adults with a fun, safe and affordable way to get into sailing through games on and off the water.
Sailing runs from 9:30-11:30 am on most Saturdays of the sailing season (October to May).
Tackers Fleet is for beginner sailors in the Ozi-Optis - these are indestructible boats, owned by the Club and used in our Tackers courses. Ozi-Optis can be taken out single-handed, or by pairing an inexperienced kid with a more experienced sailor. No prior sailing experience is required for Tackers Fleet.
Junior & Novice Fleet is for any sailors that have graduated out of the Ozi-Optis and are capable of sailing on their own in their own boat, either in a single- or double-hander.  For Juniors this is usually a Minnow or a Mirror (but can also be International Cadets, Optimists or Open Bics) and for Novices this is usually a Sabre or Pacer (but can also be Lasers, 125s or other classes).
Tackers Fleet targets 7-12 year olds, however, some children who sail are older or younger than this age bracket.
Junior & Novice Fleet targets 8–16 year olds with a bit more experience or inexperienced adult sailors.
Junior & Novice Fleet and Tackers Fleet are free for members, and non-members can participate three (3) times before the Club requires them to become members. This is a great way to try out sailing and see if it is for you.

F. Parents in Pacers

Parents in Pacers are taster sessions for non-sailing parents to get out on the water and try sailing.  These are run on selected Saturday mornings in parallel with Tackers Fleet and Junior Fleet. 

G. ’Teens & Twenties’ Coaching

Coaching days for Teens & Twenties sailors will take place intermittently throughout the season. These are intended to build the skills of our younger Cub members and provide fun social interaction.  Exact times and formats will be determined, but will generally include BBQ breakfast or lunch.

H. Friday evening Juniors, ‘Teens & Twenties’, and Novices racing

The Club race series every other Friday during term1 (January to March). This race series is focused on juniors, teens & twenties, and novices (i.e., you need to be an under 30-year-old skipper or first-year skipper to enter series), although anyone else is welcome to come down and sail in the race.
Friday Night Series Racing is governed by the terms and conditions in the associated Notice of Race (NOR) and Sailing Instructions (SI); these will be made available on the WSC Notice Board.
Race briefing is at 5.00pm (Attendance at the pre-race briefing is mandatory for all skippers and/or their crew) and the race starts at 5:30 pm. There will be a single race on the Williamstown side of the shipping channel (number of laps & course will be dependent on wind direction and strength) and boats will be off the water by 6.30pm. After racing the bar will be open from 6:30 pm, and there will be a BBQ or a collective takeaway delivery at 7:00 pm.

I. Beginner training for adults: Learn to Sail (LTS) course

Learn to Sail is our introductory training program for anyone interested in learning the basics of sailing. Both WSC members and the public are invited to register for this program. It consists of three (3) evening theory classes and six (6) on-water practical sessions. More detail is available on the web site.

J. Beginner training for kids: Tackers Courses

Tackers 1 and Tackers 2 run in the school holidays and are accredited Australian Sailing courses. 
Tackers Level 1: Having Fun!  This course aims to provide children aged 7-12 with a fun, safe and affordable way to get into sailing.  Tackers 1 is an introduction to fun sailing and is all about building confidence on the water for those just starting out. The kids sail in pairs in small boats and learn the basics of sailing through games on and off the water. It’s a great way to meet new friends and sail in a group. 
Tackers Level 2: Tips & Tricks.  This course aims to build on the fun participants had in Tackers 1, to progress their sailing skills.
These courses are run using club boats (Ozi-Optis).  There is a separate charge for the Tackers 1 and Tackers 2 courses, with a discount for Club members. 

K. Beginner training for teenagers: Start Sailing for Teens Courses

Start Sailing 1 for Teens and Start Sailing 2 for Teens run in the school holidays and are accredited Australian Sailing courses.
Start Sailing 1 for Teens is open to all 12-17 year olds and introduces participants to dinghy sailing and its fundamental skills so they learn terminology and equipment and practice launching and returning to shore and capsize recovery. It’s a great way for teenagers to meet new friends, sail in a group, and discover a new sport.
Start Sailing 2 for Teens builds on Start Sailing 1 and equips participants with boat rigging knowledge and sailing skills to sail a dinghy on their own.
These courses are run using club boats (Pacers).  There is a separate charge for the Start Sailing 1 for Teens and Start Sailing 2 for Teens courses, with a discount for Club members.

L. Novice & Intermediate training for kids & teenagers: Get Moving and Go Faster Courses

Get Moving runs in the school holidays and provides an opportunity for junior & teen sailors to further develop their confidence, sailing and racing skills as they transition into their own boats.
Get Moving is a club event rather than an accredited Australian Sailing course, with the aim of encouraging our junior & teen sailors to increase their skills and confidence while having fun on the water – it is designed to be next step on from Tackers 2 or Start Sailing 2 courses.  This will help young sailors in the process of transitioning boat classes: OziOpti -> Minnow & Mirror (or Optimist, O’pen Skiff, Sabot, International Cadet), Minnow -> Sabre (or Laser), Mirror -> Pacer & 125.
Go Faster runs in the school holidays and is designed for intermediate level junior & teen sailors to further develop their confidence, improving their sailing skills and honing their racing skills in their own boats.  This will be tailored to the needs of our junior sailors.
Go Faster is a club event rather than an accredited Australian Sailing course, with the aim of encouraging our junior & teen sailors to increase their skills and confidence while having fun on the water – it is designed to be next step on from the Get Moving transition course.
Participants need to provide their own boats and need to sign a Club safety declaration (https://www.williamstownsailingclub.org.au/club-racing/safety-documents/) which includes declaring that the boat is insured. There is a separate charge for the Get Moving and Go Faster courses, with a discount for Club members.

M. Novice & Intermediate training for adults: Learn to Races (LTR) course

Learn to Race (LTR) course is a club event rather than an accredited Australian Sailing course and is designed to provide the key skills and confidence required for novice sailors transitioning into our Club’s afternoon racing program. Participants will learn how to rig a boat for performance, understand boat trim and balance, centreboard positions and how to round marks effectively. They learn about the racing flags and signals, how to identify line bias and different course configurations.
Each course will be followed by a Supported Green Fleet Race (SFGR) which is held at the same time as our afternoon race.