Successful Women's Sailing Clinic
on Tuesday August 2, 2022 10:17PM
FBYC welcomed a lovely group of about 20 ladies to the club this weekend for the Women’s Sailing Clinic. Beginners and more experienced sailors, members and non-members alike gathered for two gorgeous days on the water. Coaches Holly Sears and Caroline Patrick lead the morning classroom sessions for the Racing Fundamentals class and the Sailing Basics class respectively, and then everyone set sail in a combination of club-owned and personal Flying Scots, as well as a couple of Melges 15s, a Front Runner and a Laser.
The wind Saturday was light initially but built mid-morning as both groups headed out on the water. The beginners took off two to a boat, each with an on-the-water instructor and a student in the driver’s seat; they covered the points of sail, sail trim, boat speed and got plenty of tiller time. Holly got the racing group going on short starting sequences to practice boat handling, timing, and rule situations. Sunday brought a little more wind and a little more confidence in the skills the students learned on Saturday. Boats got closer together around marks, pushed harder on the start line and overall, everyone got more comfortable at the helm. At the end of the day, both groups came together with the instructors to debrief, share stories, and socialize on the Fishing Bay waterfront.
Sunday afternoon was full of good spirits, a sense of accomplishment and high praise for the coaches and instructors. Whether she showed up to learn to sail independently, to gain confidence on the tiller or to just give it a shot, the weekend was a success and we’re looking forward to doing it again next year.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped on the water and kindly lent their boats for this program: Rick Peterson, Tracy Schwarzschild, Mike Karn, Caroline Budwell, Parker Garrett, Andrew Spencer, Jon Deutsch, Bill Kitchens and Joe Roos. Thank you to Ron Jenkins for getting the club boats rigged, launched and hauled. We couldn’t have done it without you all.