RYA launches online knowledge series for keelboat, team and match racing

by British Keelboat Sailing 29 Sep 2022 18:48 BST

Students, clubs and coaches invited to tap into expertise through weekly sessions

An online RYA Knowledge Series has been launched to give students, clubs and coaches an opportunity to learn more about team racing, keelboat sailing and match racing.

The series will offer six weekly sessions every Tuesday evening at 6.30pm, starting on 4 October 2022, and is a joint is a joint initiative between RYA Coach Development, British Keelboat Sailing and the British Universities Sailing Association (BUSA).

Three sessions will explore how to coach team racing and run a successful event, followed by an opportunity to learn how best to look after your club or university fleet of boats. The final two sessions will provide an introduction to keelboat and match racing.

The series is primarily aimed at university sailing clubs, but schools and clubs and their coaches are also invited to make the most of the sessions. All the details and registration can be found here.

Richard Moxey, RYA Keelboat Development Manager, said: "The series is designed to provide the tools and knowledge for clubs to make the most impact, whether that's how to coach your team racers to win, or ensure your own events are great fun! It also provides an introduction to keelboat and match racing and we're lucky enough to have some of the UK's top experts sharing their knowledge."

• 4th October - An introduction to coaching team racing: Led by Royal Hospital School director of sailing Ed Sibson and RYA coach mentor Nic Wymer, learn about the fundamentals of coaching team racing. Start developing your coaching practice and consider how to approach coaching within your teams.

• 11th October - How to run a team racing event: Expert tips from Emily Robertson and Jack Fenwick - from insurance to socials, how to make your team racing event a success, including financial planning, key roles and responsibilities, required resources and how to avoid common mistakes.

• 18th October - Advanced skills for coaching team racing: Join Ed Sibson of RHS and Andy Cornah, head of sailing at Sevenoaks School, to broaden your knowledge and network with other coaches to explore advanced skills, tactics and strategy in relation to team racing.

• 25th October - Boat repairs: How can you keep your flights in best condition for training and events. Firefly expert Keith Sammons of kSail talks us through maintaining your fleet, saving costs, repairing damage and how to prevent issues.

• 1st November - Introduction to keelboats: British Keelboat Academy head coach Niall Myant-Best talks through what to expect on a keelboat, events to enter and keelboat team racing, and is joined by Ian Walker, Volvo Ocean Race winner, who gives us a flavour of where keelboat racing can lead.

• 8th November - Introduction to match racing: Women's World Match Racing Champion and Olympian Kate MacGregor introduces the quirks of match racing including how to start, rule differences and penalties, then find out more about where this aspect of the sport can take you with seven-time World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams.

The series will take place over Zoom and university teams, sailing clubs and schools are invited to share the details, submit any questions they would like to ask the experts and sign up for a link.