Red: Better Sailing and Start Racing

Sailors normally start in Blue and progress through to Red the following season. However, if sailors have some prior sailing experience, such as a summer sail camp or two, Red group may be the right place for them to start, and where sailors are progressing more quickly we encourage them to progress to the group that suits their level of skill.

The club has a fleet of "two-handers" in Manly Juniors (MJs) and Flying 11's, plus "single handers" in O'Pen Skiffs and Spirals. To complete all the aspects of the curriculum the students will be gain experience in each of the boats in training fleet.

Skills include:

• Able to sail around a triangular course with limited or no assistance
• Be able to preform rolling tacks and gypes
• Can set and tune the sails, including spinnaker,  to suit direction and wind strength
• Understands and uses communicaton onboard
• Can "read" the wind and allow for gusts
• Understands starting sequence to race.
• Basic rule knowledge (Port and Starboard, windward and leeward)

This group uses our experienced instructors and racing coaches to train and mentor each sailor. On completion of both courses they are invited to moving into our Gold "Novice group". It is not unusual for our Red sailors to be asked to crew for our more experienced skippers.

The more time that sailors can spend on the water ... the faster they will learn.

Red Group Course Registration page

Boat Ownership

The club has a training fleet of single & two handed boats that are used in Blue Group. Once sailors progress to Red Group they purchase their own boat or seek to crew for a skipper who owns a boat, or split ownership of a boat between the skipper & crew. Familiarity with a specific boat accelerates the learning process, and ownership leads to better maintenance and importantly better understanding of the workings and mechanics of the boat. Critically, parents will also learn a lot, and the experience for the sailor is greatly enhanced with a well maintained boat that is overseen by the parents. 

Purchasing a boat turns out to be a relatively simple process. It’s typical for parents to purchase an entry level second hand boat for a novice sailor, and then upgrade every couple of years according to the skill & size of the children. Parents should expect that they will be able to sell a second hand boat for about the same they purchased it for after a few years’ use. The amount of maintenance required on a boat largely depends on the state of the boat as purchased, with a well maintained boat requiring little expenditure over a couple of seasons. 

Depending on the class of boat, parents can expect to spend between $1,000 - $4,000 on a good second hand boat. Beware that a very cheap boat (eg: < $1,000) may not sail well and require significant maintenance costs. There is no shortage of free boats, which are offered in good faith, but are typically far more trouble than they are worth. If in doubt reach out to other members, the club & class captains for advice.

Many boats are bought & sold between club members, with most boats offered for sale via their class association websites:

Manly Junior: https://www.revolutionise.com.au/nswmjsa/for-sale/

O’pen Skiff: https://openskiff.org.au/organisation/#buyABoat

Flying Eleven: https://www.flying11sailing.com.au/

This PDF document provides details on classes, recommended sailing paths, guidance on the right class for your child and links to association websites.