Prestwick Sailing Club
Open meeting 27 November 2008 to discuss Training and increasing club membership
Attended by
Mike Goodall, Elaine Goodall, Ian MacMaster, Chris Clow, Tom Smith, Neil Beveridge, Malcolm Downie, David McClay, Norman Day, Peter Carr, Carol Goodall,Tom Carey, Robbie Briggs, David Donaldson, Alan Henderson, Andy Myerscough, Harald Bartl
Notes from the meeting
Membership of PSC fell this year. Our RYA courses are normally the source of many of our new members. However this year’s courses were not as successful as hoped in training sailors, or on keeping them sailing, and converting them into active members of the club. Aim of the meeting was to look at ways of improving retention of members/ trainees from our RYA courses.
Mike gave a presentation showing the current training setup and his proposal for change for next year. (see Mike’s Powerpoint presentation).
This proposal is to run training over 20 weeks on Saturday afternoon. This will allow for more flexibility, the emphasis being on learning to sail and enjoying sailing as much as getting a certificate. There will also be less pressure to sail in poor weather conditions. It will avoid a gap in activity between end of first course and beginning of second, so all will know that there are Saturday sailing opportunities throughout the main sailing season.
Other proposals and observations were made as follows
- To run Saturday sailing from May till September will require greater commitment from club members to maintain the programme throughout the season. The general feeling was this would be possible
- Cadet parents need to be more actively involved even if only on shore duties
- If new approach is agreed, S/ Capt would consider putting members on rota for RIBs on Saturday afternoons
- Run Cadets as a group to encourage more of a team spirit and make sailing on and off the water more of a social event
- Aim in the longer term to train older cadets as assistant instructors
- Follow up last year’s new members to encourage them to rejoin and to find out what they are hoping for from the club and to give them a planned programme of cadet events for this year
- Ask experienced racers to be mentors for new members to encourage and help them after initial training to start racing
- Run some coaching and sailing development on some Sundays rather than the normal racing programme. This proposal had a mixed reception.
- Last year cadets and trainees did not make use of free club boats and turnout other than at organised events was poor. The organised events were very successful.
- If the RYA formal training is run over 20 weeks on a Saturday afternoon then the training will use all the club boats and there will be none for cadets and others who do not as yet have their own boats and will be unable to sail
- Look at reducing the numbers being trained in the hope that focusing on a smaller group will result in retaining more members
- In 2007 race and race starting instruction was given on Tuesday evening and was well attended and seemed very successful however none of these people have progressed to club racing.
- It was proposed that Tuesday evening continue as a coaching evening
- Little use has been made of club boats in 2008 season other than at formal training sessions.
- Increase the number of club boats
- Encourage more people to train as assistant instructors to increase the training capacity of the club
- Sailing in the City events were discussed. PSC got no spinoff from this
- Talk to the active schools coordinators regarding cadet training through schools.
- Look at other ways of marketing to encourage adults i.e. through technical colleges. Should we give higher priority to recruiting adults?
- Some feeling that if racers sailed two person boats instead of singlehanders, this would facilitate introducing learners to racing via crewing
- Should Sunday mornings be used for training, so that people can remain then join in with Sun pm racing?
- Opportunities with RYA Scotland included hiring fleet of Picos at low cost. RYAS also has list of approved instructors
Conclusions/ agreements
- 20 weeks of Saturday afternoons formal RYA/less formal training
- Diary more organised events like cruises for trainees after their initial courses
- Appoint mentors to encourage trainees, help move them into club racing
To do
- Look into whether the 20 week Saturday pms causes any clashes with cadet or racing activities
- Check manning available for this
- Recruit and brief mentors
- Develop cadet programme for current cadets