Level 2 Instructor Courses in early June
For your sailing instructors who have one or more years of experience, encourage them to register for a US Sailing Small Boat Level 2 Sailing Instructor course to assure they get trained in enhanced teaching theory and practical skills, together with powerboat operations that assist capsize and entrapment recovery.
Here are the Level 2 Small Boat Instructor courses in western Long Island Sound scheduled before the start of sailing programs in summer 2017:
– June 5-6, Larchmont YC, Larchmont NY
– June 7-8, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay NY
Locate an available course and register at on the US Sailing Course Calendar.
Your junior sailing program can benefit significantly from additional training for your instructors who are returning for their second and successive years. The Level 1 Sailing Instructor course they took before their first instructor job was just the beginning! That course was aimed at getting a new instructor ready to teach sailing effectively and safely. It was the first in a series of courses. The Level 2 Instructor Workshop focuses on developing their knowledge and skill in teaching sail theory, sail controls, introductory management skills, spinnaker and trapeze instruction and powerboat operation for emergency situations. Safety awareness is a major component of this course, with instruction about handling concussions, how to address capsize recovery, and prevent entrapment while operating a powerboat. It is a certification level course that combines classroom and on the water education over two days. More details about the Level 2 course may be viewed on the US Sailing website.
Some JSA member junior sailing programs are beginning to invest in additional training for returning instructors. We spoke with Kyle Hanlon, who took the Level 2 course in 2016. This year, Kyle is the junior sailing program manager at Larchmont Yacht Club. He described how the Level 2 course has benefited him personally, and why his employer wanted him to take this course:
– Advanced teaching skills: Kyle said he developed better clarity, structure and timeliness for his lessons on land and on the water. He learned why it is wise to prepare two or even three versions of each lesson plan in order to deal with the vagaries of weather, boat types and specific students for each class. That enabled him to achieve the lesson objective even if ideal conditions were not available.
– Performance sailing: The instructors were introduced to the basics of teaching performance sailing. Kyle described how he presented a lesson to his group about the way in which sails develop power from the wind and respond to different types of trim that result from using the control lines. He found this to be very useful for all types of boats from the small Optimists to the big boats sailed in distance races.
– Collaboration: During the Level 2 course, Kyle worked with the other instructors to understand how to work together during emergencies. He told how that knowledge proved useful when multiple sailing classes were on the sound outside of Larchmont harbor when a squall alert was received from Commanders’ Weather. Each instructor gathered their boats on tow into the harbor, then when safely inside, some went out again to assist other instructors who were towing from a longer distance.
– Capsize Recovery: the instructors in Kyle’s course were trained to teach their sailors about best practices for minimizing the likelihood of entrapment during capsize and how to self-rescue themselves. Boats that become completely inverted pose particular dangers from entrapment, so the instructors were also trained in the methods of righting various types of boats, ranging from dinghies like the Club 420 to catamarans like the Hobie Wave.
In two days, Kyle and the others in his Level 2 course got a lot of sailing and a lot of classroom time that raised their theoretical and practical knowledge. Larchmont Yacht Club has recognized the benefits of this training approach and has started to require all of its returning instructors to take the Level 2 Small Boat Instructor course.
Read full details about the Level 2 course on the US Sailing website.
