The cost of the course was $50.00 to GCYC member students
and included a US Sailing "Start Sailing Right"textbook,
US Sailing Junior Sailor membership and rules book, and a subscription
to Sailing World Magazine. A swim test/parent orientation meeting
was held at Club Sierra Sports and Fitness Center in Grass Valley,
where the students performed a 25 yard swim, floating, and donning
a life jacket test while treading water. Five Sunfish sailboats,
two safety boats and the new GCYC Clubhouse were used for the
on-the-water lessons at Scotts Flat Lake. The ten sailors ranged
in age from 6 years old to 15 years old. The 30 hour course was
taught by US Small Boat Sailing Instructor Lynn Buchanan and Assistant
Instructor Tish Buti with assistance from GCYC member volunteers:
Jerry and Cameron Lewis, George Dresbach, Gary Wade, Dale Buchanan,
Wayne Buti, Gordon Fellows, Bruce Cutshall, Frank Nin, Doug Epperson,
Ron Kent, and Stuart Beach.
Students received US Sailing Start Sailing Right textbooks
and were instructed in knot tying, water safety, sailing terminology,
weather, caring for and rigging a sailboat, rules of the road,
capsize recovery, points of sail, tacking, jibing, departing and
returning to docks and beach departures and arrivals. The winds
were light to moderate during the four days on the water. The
last day of lessons offered skills contests in mark rounding,
racing and the pirates game. For the pirates game, each boat was
given a water cannon and then sailed to the instructors anchored
safety boat and got to shoot off three of their best shots. The
prizes for Best Shot were movie theater tickets for the winning
team. The last day ended with a potluck BBQ with the students,
parents, instructors, and volunteers followed by trophy presentations
to the students.
Sponsors
The Junior Sailing program is sponsored by Marina Village
Yacht Harbor and local corporations Litton Engineering Laboratories
and Tri-Continent Scientific.
