The Sailor Development Program (SDP) is a series of programs to assist people who have completed the Learn to Sail course, or have equivalent sailing experience, to further develop their sailing skills to be “race-ready” as crew, and also if desired go on to skipper a sailing boat. The SDP is member service program at South of Perth Yacht Club (SoPYC). The programs cover:
Program units and content
Spinnaker handling: symmetric and asymmetric: launch, gybe and recover spinnakers, trimming sheet and brace, as well as helming under spinnaker.
Duration: Introductory evening 2-hour seminar, then 4 weekly on-water sessions of 4 hours each. Total 18 hours.
Racing: sail and boat trim, racing rules and “colregs”, teamwork and personal preparation. Starts & racing practice.
Duration: 2 evening seminars, 3 hours each. 4 weekly on-water sessions, 2 in boat handling techniques and 2 in racing practice, 4 hours each. Total 22 hours.
Skipper: Departing and arrival at a pen and a jetty, anchoring and mooring, helming skills, MOB recovery, towing, under power, risk management, COLREGS and Racing Rules, chart work, intro to GPS, basic maintenance.
Duration: 2 evening seminars, 3 hours each. 3 weekly on-water sessions, plus a river night navigation exercise. 4 hours each. Total 22 hours.
Segment: Navigation and night navigation: Seminar on local chart work and GPS. Bring your own Swan River Chart, if you have one. Night navigation exercise on the river – Your boat or ours!
Duration: 1 evening sem
NB: The seminars in each program are an integral and required component. The racing and skipper programs are available to sailors who do not wish to sail with spinnakers, such as JAM (jib & main only) and mid-week fleets.inar, 3 hours; plus 1 evening sail on the river, 4 hours
You may elect to undertake any single program or complete all three programs.
The programs operate on a rotation basis (as we complete one program, we will commence the next). The schedule at SoPYC for the next few months is shown in the table below:
| Spinnaker: Introductory Seminar | Mon 08 Feb | 1830 – 2030 | SoPYC Heritage Room | |
| Spinnaker: On-water | #1-4 | Sun 14 Feb; 21 Feb; 07 Mar; 14 Mar | 0800 – 1200 | SoPYC |
| Racing: Seminars | #1 | Mon 22 Mar | 1830 – 2130 | SoPYC Heritage Room (1) |
| #2 | Mon 29 Mar | 1830 – 2130 | RPYC Dinghy Division (1) | |
| Racing: On-water | #1-4 | Sun 21 Mar; 28 Mar; Sun 11 Apr; 18 Apr | 0800 – 1200 | SoPYC |
| Skipper: Seminars | #1 | Thu 13 May | 1830 – 2130 | SoPYC Heritage Room (1) |
| #2 | Thu 20 May | 1830 – 2130 | SoPYC Heritage Room | |
| Skipper: On-water | #1-3 | Sun 09 May, 16 May, 23 May | 0800 – 1200 | SoPYC |
| Night navigation | Mon 24 May | 1730 – 2130 | SoPYC |
Note: (1) Includes both SoPYC and RPYC trainees
All programs will operate with a minimum of 3, and maximum of 5, trainees on each boat.
At the completion of these programs, your coaches will introduce you to the next stages at SoPYC for longer-term development of your sailing skills. Racing skills development continues at the club year-round in fleet, match and teams racing.
Participants must be a member of South of Perth Yacht Club. Crew membership can be arranged with the club which currently offers an Introductory Crew membership (limited to 2 years) costing $153 pa (pro-rated monthly from July each year). Full crew membership is also available.
There are no formal course fees. The program is provided by the S80 WA Association, which owns the S80 Grand Piano as a training boat. The coaches are volunteers from the S80 fleet, and other keelboat fleets. However, donations to the S80 Grand Piano Maintenance Fund are most welcome.
For more information, please visit the S80 WA website: https://www.revolutionise.com.au/s80yawa/home/
or contact either:
