barriers to racing

Could you spare 30 seconds to complete the questionnaire at the following site

http://sailing.fireclaw.org/

I am particularly interested in what would encourage newcomers to dinghy sailing getting involved in racing, while accepting that not everyone wants to race for all sorts of reasons, many clubs' sailing tends to revolve around the race series.

If I get anything meaningful I will publish the results on the web so others can benefit from the information.

Thanks

Garry

Edited by Garry

right, well the reason i said i didnt race was coz i didnt own a boat.... and for level i put down 3, is the ISA SBSS(small boat sailing scheme (i think!)) level 3 the equivelant to the RYA lvl 3?

its a level and an exam short of being an instructor.

Originally posted by Garry I was surprised by was the number of experienced sailors thinking training would be useful and encourage them to sail more.

A couple of classes I have sailed have run regular training sessions where the class hot-shots share their secrets. Everybody gains from this, even if you have been sailing for years. If anyone knew it all, they would win every time, and there aren't many classes where that happens.

are the RYA certificates and badges really that important (in the sailing world, not the questionare)???
I don't have any and it hasn't effected my sailing, so what are they actually for??

Sarah

I don't really think it's that important to have the badge, but doing an RYA course is an easy way into the sport for a lot of people. Furthermore, if a club is running a course along the same lines as the RYA then you might as well include a certificate to those who complete it successfully. I also think providing some tangible measure of success encourages younger sailors.

however, I do think it's important to be qualified if you teach, for two reasons:

1. If you had a serious accident it makes demonstrating your competance much easier
2. It gives parents (in particular) and course participants some confidence that the training will be safe

That is not to imply that training run by unqualified caoches and instructors is not as good or that it is unsafe. Although I don't think you can get instructor/coach insurance unless you're qualified - which could leave you a bit exposed if something went wrong (even if its not your fault).

I seem to have drifted off the point...