RYA Wavelength Magazine

This article is jointly written with Sam Ross and is about the types of dinghy and windsurfing kit you might consider for delivering RYA courses. It is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about kit to include: availability, investment, new versus used kit, storage and maintenance considerations and matching the correct kit to the student.

This article is about the RYA 5 Essentials: Sail Setting, Balance, Trim, Centreboard and Course Made Good. It is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about the subject to include: incorporating it into regular teaching, how and why we need to focus on the 5 Essentials, approaches to teaching it at different levels, mixing it up using Opposite Learning Theory, layers of detail to add value to teaching sessions and safety.

This article is about how to make sternway in a safe and reliable manner and is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: the best possible position to be in to get started, centreboard adjustment, controlling power in the sail, keeping the boat flat, steering correctly, how to spin in the desired at the end of the short downwind journey whilst keeping the boom safely over the leeward side of the boat, layers of detail to add value to teaching sessions and safety.

This article is about how to bring a boat safely and with style up to a mooring buoy and how to leave it in the desired direction. It is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about PUM to include: boat and painter preparation, the importance of landing on the mooring under control, Plan-Approach-Manoeuvre-Escape, considerations for differing wind and tide, layers of detail to add value to teaching sessions and safety.

This article is about how to bring a boat safely and accurately back to a person who has fallen overboard and is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: the importance of regular practice, Plan-Approach-Manoeuvre-Escape, specific technique, distances, a reminder of whether tidal considerations matter or not, layers of detail to add value to teaching sessions and safety.

This article is about how to bring a boat safely and with style alongside a pontoon or a moored boat and is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: the importance of coming alongside, Plan-Approach-Manoeuvre-Escape, considerations for differing wind and tide, layers of detail to add value to teaching sessions and safety.

This article is about how to stop a boat and is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: the importance of stopping, when/why a boat might want to stop, how to approach it, layers of detail to add value to teaching sessions, the differences between lying-to and heaving-to, alternative methods and safety.

This article is about the RYA Pre-entry Assessment and is aimed at helping aspirant RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: why we need to check a candidate's core sailing skills are up to speed, what to expect, which skills will definitely be looked at and which skills might be looked at depending on time and the conditions on the day. Overall the message is very clear that it should be a chance to proudly show how good your sailing is as opposed to a nail-biting day for the candidate who knows that their skills have faded due to lack of recent practice.

This article is about follow the leader exercises and is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: when/why to use it, how it puts pressure on a student's sailing skills (which may be useful or detrimental, depending on the core level of ability), safety, communications and group control.

This article is about reefing afloat and is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand more about it to include: fresh ideas for how to teach it, when to reef and how to do it smoothly, safely and quickly.

This article is aimed at helping RYA Dinghy Instructors to understand a little more about the finer detail of side-to-side boat balance to include: the great importance of balance, how this affects steering, how to use balance to your advantage, the clash of forces that occur when it is not used correctly and weather helm.

This article describes the arrival of mainstream dinghy and windsurf foiling, personal experiences, how to get started and what to expect.