Adult Sailing Lessons 2024/2025 Season

The program is designed to give participants an enjoyable time on the water while gaining the skills to confidently sail a single handed dinghy.   

The course will start with two days of instruction as a group with an instructor on a 6 meter trailer yacht.

This is followed by a theory lesson on the next low tide day.

This is followed by six days of lessons on lasers. A total of nine days.

If you prefer the last six days could be on your own dinghy

Because of the nature of the sport,  weather conditions can change and be unsuitable. Also resources in the form of suitable boats and instructors may also not be available. MPYC make no guarantees as to the availability of resources on any given day 

The Fee for the course this season is $450 which includes one year’s membership to MPYC.

What to Bring

You will need to bring warm clothes. We suggest the following:

For the first two days

• Woolen or polyprop clothing
• A windbreaker
• Suitable deck footwear 
• Hat/beanie, gloves if you are prone to cold hands
• A change of clothes 
• A towel

For day three

• Your own lunch. Tea and coffee are provided 
• Normal everyday clothes as we will be onshore
• This theory day takes about 4 hours

For the following six days

• Wetsuit and buoyancy aid if you have them
• A change of clothes (especially underwear or swimming togs); and
• A towel
• Life jackets and sunscreen are available

The complete course takes nine days normally with two to three hours on the water each day except for day three. 

Hot showers are provided in the changing rooms for your comfort after the lesson and tea and coffee are provided free in the clubhouse after the on the water session. 

When to arrive

Please arrive at the stated time in order to get the yachts rigged and get yourself changed to be able to catch the incoming tide so that you get the most out of each lesson.

Please refer to the Adult Learn To Sail program above for lesson start times.

Topics covered are:

Safety

• Correct clothing
• Fitness and injury prevention
• Personal buoyancy, Check the buoyancy aid
• Stay with boat after capsize
• Weather forecast sources
• Wind direction, Wind awareness
• How to observe ashore & afloat wind & weather
• Describe telltale signs of wind direction
• Tides and currents

Rigging

• How to rig, control & operate mast, sail, rudder, centreboard & vang
• Basic parts of boat, rig and sail

Launching and retrieval

• Hold boat head to wind
• Windward shore
• Leeshore
• De rig in safe place
• Washing down
• Basic Boat care 
• Launching trolley care 

Sailing

• Points of sailing
• Reaching, Tacking, Gybing
• Sail to windward
• Sail downwind
• Slow down & stop
• Hove to
• Getting out of irons
• Sailing Backwards
• Capsize
• Understand the principal of righting your boat
• Capsize and righting the boat
• Close quarters sailing
• Coming alongside another boat
• Man overboard

Rope work

• Stopper knot
• Bowline

Basic Rules

• Keep lookout and avoid collisions
• Opposite tacks Port / starboard
• Same tacks Windward / Leeward
• Overtaking boat keeps clear