SAIL RACING FOR ALL
Junior Sailing
Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club (SPASC) is an accredited Australian Sailing Discover Sailing Centre with several certified dinghy instructors, providing kids with a safe and supportive facility to practice and develop sailing skills.
Unlike other clubs, we don’t push kids into racing before they have the ability and maturity to enjoy it. We have a series of programs designed to incorporate fun, games and adventure to develop the fundamental skills of sailing. Our objective is to fully develop the foundation skills of sailing before racing is encouraged.
Juniors begin their sailing journey using club-provided equipment (boats and lifejackets), and progress to being independent sailors over about two sailing seasons, where equipment can be hired from the club or juniors transition to using their own boats. We have club boats available for all the family to enjoy sailing on our beautiful Lake Macquarie.
The club pathway diagram below shows the path options available at Speers Point Sailing club. We encourage kids to get involved as assistant instructors and instructors as the best way to learn something is to teach it.
Membership
To participate in our junior programs, the participants will need to be a member of the club. Junior Membership is $100. Once your membership is confirmed, you can register for our junior courses.
The $100 membership is for the child participating. Should the whole family like to join the club family membership costs $350.
You may use NSW active kids vouchers to pay for membership and our courses.
Handbook
We have gathered information, frequently asked questions, and resources into our Handbook for New Junior and Youth Families.
Junior Courses, Coaching, Race Series and Regattas
Step 1: Start Sailing 1 & 2
For kids aged 8-16 years with no or minimal sailing experience
The juniors in this program progress through two levels to learn fundamental dinghy sailing skills. They will build confidence on-water, confidence in themselves and have lots of fun! The program is deliberately designed to give the juniors time to develop the foundation sailing skills, build friendships and learn lots. The kids learn through games and activities on and off the water.
Syllabus: Principles of sailing, learning the names of the parts of the boat, rigging the boat, launch and return, tacking, capsizing, reaching, close hauled sailing, knots, understanding weather forecasts, gybing, rights of way, running, sailing a circle and sailing a triangle.
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Club boats and lifejackets provided
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18 x 3 hr sessions
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Mid October to mid March 2023: Every Saturday morning.
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Fee: $250 (or $150 if you bring your own Optimist, O'pen Skiff or Laser)
Sorry this course is fully subscribed, please email our junior sailing manager (Andy) on clark.a@inbox.com to be added to the waiting list for October 2023.
Step 2: Green Fleet
Now it’s time to learn to sail around a course and become a little more independent! Learn new skills and be introduced to sailing around a race course.
Green Fleet is where the juniors move towards being independent on the water. You’ll be amazed at just what they achieve on their own on the water, and you’ll see this transfer into life!
Juniors will gain independence and become more responsible and resilient. Green Fleet focus is again on fun and creativity, to teach introductory racing skills and extend the skills already learnt. Through spending time on the water with friends and having fun in boats, they’ll also become active club members.
Green Fleet introduces kids to racing in a fun and game-sense delivery, with modified rules, challenges, activities, and even adventure races if the winds are fair! Green Fleet juniors are encouraged to use their own boat. If your family is not ready for boat ownership, the club has a couple of boats available for hire at a reasonable fee.
Syllabus: Better sailing, wind shifts, sail trim, gusts and lulls, gunwale capsize recovery, start tactics, centre-board position, racing rules, roll tacks, roll gybes.
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18 x 3 hr sessions
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Mid October to mid March 2023: Every Saturday morning.
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Fee: $150 (or $250 if you require to charter a club boat)
Sorry this course is fully subscribed, please email our junior sailing manager (Andy) on clark.a@inbox.com to be added to the waiting list for October 2023.
Step 3: Friday Junior Twilight Race Series & Coaching Program
The Friday Twilight Race Series provides an entry point to junior racing with a coach on the water to provide advice before, during and after the race. Each session consists of a single race followed by a coaching session or adventure sail. When possible, game-based learning will be used in the coaching session. This race series is held on Friday evenings during daylight saving. Eligible classes are: Optimist, Open Skiff and Laser. Sailors can charter a club boat or bring their own.
Our Junior Friday Twilight Sailing Series is designed for competent junior sailors aged 10 to 17 that have completed the Green Fleet Program or who can demonstrate competent sailing foundation skills in winds of 15 knots or more.
Syllabus: Boat trim, balance, centreboard position and sail adjustments, steering without using the tiller / rudder, roll tacking, effectively approaching and rounding marks, gunwale capsize recovery, roll gybing and positioning and tactics for a race start.
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10 x 2 hr sessions
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Mid January to end March 2023: Every Friday Evening
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Fee: $50 (or $180 if you require to charter a club boat)
Step 4: Saturday Junior Race Series
The Saturday Junior Race Series is held on a Saturday afternoon. There is no official coaching associated with this series. Sailors are expected to be competent, know the rules and have their own boat, although club boats may be available for charter. Eligible classes: Optimist, Open Skiff and Laser.
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40 to 60 Minute Races
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September to April Every Saturday Afternoon
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Fee: $90 (or $300 if you need to charter a club Optimist, Open Skiff or Laser)
The Lake Mac NSW O'pen Skiff Champs 2023
SPASC will host a two day O'pen Skiff Regatta over the weekend of 25 and 26 March 2023. The regatta will promote the spirit of the O'pen Skiff class with a strong emphasis on sailing for fun. This regatta will feature the “Bridge of Doom”, a large inflatable arch on the course that sailors can only navigate by heeling their boats to a 45 degree angle!
JUNIOR PROGRAM Sponsors
SPASC acknowledges and appreciates the generous support of Lake Macquarie City Council and the following sponsors of its Junior Sailing Program:
The above organisations and persons shall not have any legal liability because of their association with this event.