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Welcome to OnBoard e-News, the e-news service distributed to Yachting Australia OnBoard participants and clubs whose e-mail details have been provided either by the individual or sailing club. Articles are sourced from OnBoard Participants, Club Coordinators and State and Territory Yachting Associations - their logos are located at the end of this page, with links to the respective home pages.
Welcome to the February edition of the Yachting Australia's OnBoard e-News, the e-newsletter developed to provide encouragement and inspiration for new sailors to stay on the water no matter what the activity.
It has been a busy start to the new year with many clubs become OnBoard Partners and offering services to novice sailors, so it's a big welcome to all our new partner clubs. Welcome also to our new OnBoard participants who have registered online or have recently completed sail training. If you missed our first issue of the OnBoard e-news then visit the Yachting Australia Website at www.yachting.org.au and search under services for newsletters and issue one.
This month we also introduce a new section 'What's That Boat' to help all our new sailors identify the types of boat available to help you enjoy the pleasures of sailing. We also introduce the first of our Yachting Australia Training Schemes designed to help new sailors acquire the skills to make sailing both safe and fun.
Yachting Australia would like to make this your newsletter but do this we need your help with stories, comments and photos. So for your chance to win some fabulous prizes and show off a bit, email chris.mamo@yachting.org.au or write to OnBoard e-News, Locked Bag 806, Milsons Point NSW 2061.
Happy sailing!
Chris Mamo
National Development Officer
Yachting Australia
OnBoard is Yachting Australia's national participation program, supported by the Australian Sports Commission, which highlights pathways and opportunities for all Australians to participate in sailing, and will help you find the right type of sailing activity to suit your lifestyle.
By participating in the OnBoard program, you will be able to access many of the activities offered to new sailors by our OnBoard Partner yacht clubs including twilight sailing, try sailing days, family days, trainee regattas and many more. No matter what activity or experience you are looking for, OnBoard will help you find it!
FREE ONBOARD
Joining OnBoard is now easier than ever. For a limited time, Yachting Australia is offering FREE participation in the OnBoard Program (normally valued at $10 inc gst).
If you are not a club member and would like to join OnBoard, or you know someone who is interested in finding more information about sailing and club membership, simply visit the Yachting Australia website www.yachting.org.au and go to OnBoard to register online and receive all the benefits of the OnBoard program.
Who's OnBoard is all about you. If you would like to send photos, share your introduction to OnBoard, or any recent sailing experiences with other OnBoard participants, just write to chris.mamo@yachting.org.au and have your experiences published on the national OnBoard e-News. You will also have the chance of winning a Yachting Australia sports bag and OnBoard hat from our friends at BlueGum Clothing & Merchandise for the Letter of the Month. Monthly winners will also go into the draw for the grand end of year (2004) prize of a BlueGum pack full of Yachting Australia apparel for any occasion.
No stopping Nico! (we need more letters/comments to give Nico a bit of competition!)
Dear Chris,
We were going through the emails this morning and read with great interest that you published our son's story about his first big sailing trip entitled 'Sick but not sorry'. He was so excited about being in print and about his lovely prize of a hat and bag. Funnily enough we were going out to buy a new backpack for him today as school starts back in Tasmania tomorrow. Thanks so much! We have just returned from 2 weeks away sailing and Nico was re-reading a book that may be familiar to you entitled 'Swallows and Amazons' by Arthur Ransome. It was a favourite of his dad's and a must for all young sailors.
Thanks again,
Denise Armstrong (mother)
Nico Reeve (still aged 8!)
Thanks again Denise and Nico. Glad we could help. If anyone else would like to follow Nico's inspiration you can find out more about 'Swallows and Amazons' at http://home.earthlink.net/~swier/sanda.html
| Nico wins a fantastic Yachting Australia backpack and OnBoard hat thanks to our friends at BlueGum. Nico also goes into the draw for the Letter of the Month grand prize.
 
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Grand Prize: Yachting Australia all weather jacket, fleecy top, polo twill shirt, polo t-shirt, rugby jersey, t-shirt, peaked cap and bucket hat
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Our 'What's that boat' section is designed to help all our budding sailors understand the many and varied boats and sailing opportunities out there. Over the coming months we will focus mainly on 'dinghy's' as a good starting point for novices but we will also look at larger 'keelboats' for cruising and crewing and how you can get involved.
This month we start off with the Pacer: The Pacer is a 3.8m one design sloop rigged family dinghy, complete with spinnaker. The Pacer is the ideal performance family yacht, it has a lightweight hull, capable of high planing speed yet is safe and stable. Its wide beam and not excessive amount of sail allows this performance to be had by mum and dad or the kids.
Pacers are easily built using the stitch and glue method, from either plans or kit. It can also be purchased in low maintenance fibreglass. The Pacer weighs in at around 62g, light enough for two people to lift and may be car-topped for transportation. Many clubs and sailing schools use Pacers as their training fleets, they are ideal for beginners and experienced alike and are sailed by all ages. They may be rowed or fitted with a small outboard motor, a great family all-rounder.
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| Skyrider: The Skyrider is a small single handed dinghy recently designed for kids to learn to sail. Skyriders are seven feet long and have a small sail, they are excellent as a training boat with many good safety features.
Thanks to Botany Bay Sailing School for the Skyrider pic |
How can I start sailing a dinghy?
The Yachting Australia 'Get into Small Boat Sailing' training scheme makes learning to sail a fun and educational process. The syllabus is clearly defined and presented in a highly visual and bright logbook that students can use to record their progress through each of the five modules of the syllabus.
'Get into Small Boat Sailing' is for those wishing to learn the basics of sailing dinghies or catamarans. It is designed to teach students how to sail, starting with the essential skills in the first module, 'Basic Skills 1'. More advanced skills and techniques are gradually introduced as students progress through the syllabus so that by the end they will be ready to start racing at their local sailing club. While it is not essential to start at the beginning, it will be harder for students to master the more advanced skills if they are not familiar with the basics. To find a Yachting Australia Training Centre that offers 'Get Into Small Boat Sailing' Courses click here.
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ONBOARD COORDINATOR OF THE MONTH |
Our OnBoard Coordinator of the Month section is about recognising the valuable contributions our volunteers make to the OnBoard program in helping OnBoard participants find the right type of sailing experience. Whether you are a Club or an OnBoard participant, you can nominate an OnBoard Coordinator.
| This month we feature for the first time three volunteer OnBoard Coordinators. Terence O'Donnell, Don McKenzie, Ian Fox have put their collective hands up in an effort to help new sailors become involved, not only in sailing at Albert Sailing Club, but in the club's family atmosphere also.
A big thank you goes out to Terence O'Donnell, Don McKenzie, Ian Fox for giving up their time to help develop and promote the sport of sailing.
Well done!
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Yachting Victoria's State Development Officer Michelle Pickford with OnBoard Coordinators (Terence O'Donnell, Don McKenzie and Ian Fox) from Albert Sailing Club. |
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ONBOARD CLUB OF THE MONTH |
Our OnBoard Club of the Month section recognises the initiatives and activities Yacht Clubs around Australia are introducing to assist OnBoard participants and create pathways to further sailing opportunities. Just write to chris.mamo@yachting.org.au with any of your Club initiatives.
This month we introduce the Albert Sailing Club in Victoria, one of the latest clubs to become an OnBoard Partner. The Albert Sailing Club has been nominated as Club of the Month for the way it has enthusiastically embraced the OnBoard program.
The Albert Sailing Club located on the shore of Melbourne's Albert Park Lake, was founded around 1948 as the first non-discriminatory sailing venue in Australia. The membership base of the club is in the hundreds with the club focus being dinghy racing
Aerial picture of Albert Sailing Club
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Sydney 2000 Olympic Gold medallist Tom King and Sydney 2000 sailing team member Melanie Dennison both began their sailing careers at Albert Sailing Club. This club is a 'Nursery' club, with emphasis on youth and strong family promotion - Training in all aspects in a friendly safe environment.
The Albert Sailing Club welcomes all dinghy sailors. Any monohull boat under 5.5 meters is allowed to sail on the lake. The club provides training on Saturday mornings, and is usually run under simulated racing conditions, with coaches providing assistant to boats and skippers as needed.
The following boats have a regular fleet each Saturday: 420, 470, 125, 145, Europe, Fireball, Flying Ant, Impulse, Laser, Minnow, Mirror, Moth, OK, Sabot, Sabre and Tasar. More information regarding the Albert Sailing Club can be found on their website: www.albertsc.org.au
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Welcome to Your Virtual Sailing World
Yachting Australia would like to introduce our OnBoard participants to their virtual sailing world – MySailor. MySailor allows you to access, via a secure user name and password, the members only area of the Yachting Australia website to manage all your personal contacts and sailing information.
MySailor provides you with the ability to:
- View and edit you personal details on the National Membership Database that had previously been entered by their club. Update your contact details at any time to ensure your current email is recorded, ensuring you will always receive the latest OnBoard e-News and other important emails from your club or training centre
- View and print all your Yachting Australia qualifications.
- Maintain a virtual record of your sailing activity, especially that required for Yachting Australia accreditations in MyLog.
- Record all racing results to build up your personal biography in MyResults.
- Record your interest in special interest groups. This will allow Yachting Australia to develop newsletters and services for particular sailing segments, such as offshore, cruising, officiating and many others.
- Change your password at any time to ensure security of your information and
- The ability to list yourself as available crew on Yachting Australia’s online classifieds listing.
When you receive the Yachting Australia OnBoard Participation card, it will include notification of your user name and password. This will allow you to gain access to MySailor immediately.
MySailor will continually be developed to add additional features that will be of value to OnBoard participants, so please keep coming back to look at the enhancements. To begin using MySailor simply visit the Yachting Australia website and follow the links on the front page.
New 03/04 Yachting Australia OnBoard Benefits
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For those of you over 18, a case of Crown Lager comes free with every Yachting Australia mixed dozen purchased from Cellarmasters, and there are big savings on any Hertz hire car rentals. If you are in the market for a commercial or residential loan talk to our friends at Mortgage Force who will set you up with the right product to met your needs. For every loan taken out by a Yachting Australia OnBoard participant, a commission comes back into the sport to support affiliated club development and management activities.
 
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As part of the new 03/04 Yachting Australia
OnBoard Participation benefit, each month the OnBoard e-News will feature a 'Partner of the Month'
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Mortgage Force
Clubs Benefit from the Mortgage Force Alliance!
Clubs are continuing to benefit from the alliance established by Yachting Australia and Mortgage Force, one of Australia’s leading Mortgage Broking companies.
Under the banner 'Come on board with Mortgage Force & your favourite sport will benefit too' the rebate is helping Yachting Australia and the clubs in a practical way while, at the same time, giving club members the independent and professional assistance they need to find their best loan alternatives.
Mortgage Force is supporting Yachting Australia and local clubs by rebating a portion of the up-front commission earned on any Yachting Australia member’s referral back to the sport for national and club development.
Importantly each club member can be assured 75% of the rebate goes directly to their club with the remaining 25% used by Yachting Australia for national club development initiatives.
Mortgage Force has been visiting clubs Australia wide in recent weeks and the response has been excellent according to Hayden Folbigg of Mortgage Force ,
'With many clubs welcoming the extra dollar it is such a simple way for members to support their club and at the same time take the opportunity to receive the expert and professional service from the Mortgage Force Team. And remember, the offer is open to friends and family of Yachting Australia members as well.'
For further details simply call 13 14 97 from anywhere in Australia and mention 'Yachting Australia' or you can email Mortgage Force at info@mortgageforce.com.au or visit their website at www.mortgageforce.com.au | |
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