Slow learner

   Why don't you write to the organisation that endorses their courses with your experiences. I think it was the NZ equivalent of the RYA wasn't it. They can at least log it or at best investigate it if they feel it is serious enough.
You never know they may just have a file already on these people and are already monitoring them to see if there is a trend in their behaviour. That is what happened with the sailing school in England that was shut down. The Coastguard agency were also involved.

From what you have said this sounds serious enough to at least write a letter giving your view of things.

Don't give up on the sailing just find somewhere calmer to enjoy it.

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Contender443 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 01 Oct 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1211	Post Options Post Reply Quote Contender443 Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Slow learner Posted: 29 May 13 at 10:04am
	Why don't you write to the organisation that endorses their courses with your experiences. I think it was the NZ equivalent of the RYA wasn't it. They can at least log it or at best investigate it if they feel it is serious enough. You never know they may just have a file already on these people and are already monitoring them to see if there is a trend in their behaviour. That is what happened with the sailing school in England that was shut down. The Coastguard agency were also involved. From what you have said this sounds serious enough to at least write a letter giving your view of things. Don't give up on the sailing just find somewhere calmer to enjoy it.
	Bonnie Lass Contender 1764

Moet Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 12 May 13 Location: New Zealand Online Status: Offline Posts: 21	Post Options Post Reply Quote Moet Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 29 May 13 at 11:07am
	Yes I could do that but as Pondmonkey said in an earlier post, I run the risk of being considered a trouble maker (I suspect I already am). It's a tiny country, well the physical size is the same as the UK but there are only 4 million people and you want to be sure that you have a good case before doing anything that might mean no one will sail with you. The instructor said that while the winds were strong they were acting within their operating parameters, so presumably there is an agreement with someone, maritime safety perhaps, that sets the limits of what they do. You see I don't know - most of the other students, who had had much more sailing experience than me - it was a cruising course - were ok in the rough conditions, and all were certainly better than me at handling it. And this is a nation of pretty amazing sailors (just about every Am Cup team has NZers in it) so maybe they do push the boundaries here. I'm getting over the awfulness of being dunked in cold water and then the heavy winds last weekend, and wondering still what to do about it, if anything. But I will think about writing a letter, once I have sorted out to whom . I could also talk to the director of the school and ask what the "parameters" are. The instructor said that it was important to put people in the kind of conditions that cruising could put them in, which I agree with. My argument is just that it was far too soon for me to be in those conditions. Oh and I lost a woolly hat and one shoe when I went overboard!

MerlinMags Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Admin Group Joined: 19 Mar 04 Location: UK, Guildford Online Status: Offline Posts: 585	Post Options Post Reply Quote MerlinMags Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 30 May 13 at 10:50am
	Every member of the crew should have been wearing a harness in those conditions. For that fact alone I think a letter should be written. Doing so will not cause any sane person to reject you as a crew in the future. Once you manage to find the right instructors I think your dream of enjoying sailing will come back to life. But you have had a bad start through no fault of your own. Do stick with it!

pondmonkey Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 12 Aug 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2202	Post Options Post Reply Quote pondmonkey Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 30 May 13 at 11:14am
	I fear I may have clouded your judgement. From your first posts, I did offer a cautious response for fear of being 'branded troublesome', however your very recent experience is plain dangerous and changes the game some what. You should NOT be out there in that wind, whatever level of experience there is aboard. It is one thing competing in an Ocean Race and encountering such extreme conditions, it's totally different to knowing go afloat in it, especially with a novice crew. The added fact that your were under-equipped and not wearing harnesses is frankly a joke.... s/he may never had had a man overboard in 25 years until they met you, but that instructor is A LIABILITY, don't make yourself another one of their statistics to recount at 'the bar' (legal or alcoholic however it may turn out for them). Report them- trade bodies, yachting NZ, local press, whoever will listen... the first duty of care as a sailor is to look after our own. You may as well learn this, if nothing else from the course. Unfortunately that starts now, and is something you really ought to do given your most recent experience. For the benefit of whomever you report it to, write down the date, approximate time and location of the Man Overboard situation. They will then be able to look at local weather stations, and pre-sailing forecasts, to assess whether it was safe to go afloat. Also provide them with the ratio of students to instructor, the level of the students (hours sailing by best estimate) and detail the safety gear and offshore clothing provided and instructed to wear. Edited by pondmonkey - 30 May 13 at 11:17am