by Kick-Off
The 2018 sailing season was a great kick-off season for Sail Nelson! Spindrift joined us in Nelson from Montreal which enabled us to be more flexible with our schedule and offer as many courses as possible. Read about her cross-country trek here.
The water levels and weather continue to be a challenge as we get used to the Kootenay climate. We were hoping to start our courses in April at the Kokanee Marina, however we were unable to get into our slip until June due to low water levels. Also, we were hoping to go right to the end of October at Kokanee Marina as well, but once again, due to low water levels, Spindrift could no longer get in and out of her slip by mid-September. Something we will be keeping in mind for 2019 scheduling.
Course Review
As for course offerings, we tried to offer evening Basic Cruising courses, only to find that there is not enough wind to complete everything. Next season we may look at a blended delivery that is over 1 weekend and several evenings. The 2-weekend Basic Cruising courses ran just fine and were our most popular option by far. For 2019 we are looking at adding in week day courses as well.
We ran several successful Intro to Sailing courses which provided students a good introduction to sailing including terminology, basic maneuvers and life on a boat for a day. We also offered a couple of seminars (anchoring and docking). We are looking at expanding those seminars for 2019 and also offering more Women & Wind sailing options.
New Courses
For the 2019 season we will be offering an Intermediate Cruising level course out of Vancouver. Our instructor Penny Caldwell will be teaming up with some colleagues on the Coast to get a boat and will take 4 students to the Coast for a week of cruising. If you are interested in this course please contact us to be added to our interest list. We will be confirming the schedule and course fees in March 2019.
We have recently learned that we can offer the VHF Marine Radio course as a home study course. We will be adding the details to our site soon, but if you are looking to get your license this may be a good option for you. Contact us for details. We will also be adding the Coastal Navigation course in the Fall of 2019.
Conclusion
Finally, we are having a year end wrap up at Torchlight Brewing on November 3 from 2 pm to 5 pm. This is an opportunity to get together and reminisce about this past sailing season and to meet some new sailors. Come on out for a pint and some swag!
Hope you all had a great season and happy Fall! Read our year end newsletter and keep an eye on the website for fun Fall and Winter events, we have lots of fun stuff in mind…
Captain Penny
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