Learn to Sail FAQs

Learn to Sail FAQs

Do you have to be a member of Williamstown Sailing Club to participate in the Learn to Sail course?

No, this course is open to the general public. Of course, we hope you enjoy the course and sailing so much that you want to join our club after the course and become an active member of our sailing community.

After completion of the course, we give you all the details on how to become a member of our club.

What pre-requisites do I need to do the course?

We ask that every person feels comfortable enough in the water to be able to swim 50m, fully clothed and with a life jacket on! There is no time limit on this task so a good doggy paddle will suffice! This is to ensure that if you fall out of the boat you will be able to swim back to the boat.

What level of fitness do I need?

A basic level of fitness and reasonable mobility. You must be able to move comfortably within the boat, lean out over the edge and get back in the boat if you capsize. We give excellent training to make getting back in a boat relatively easy.

More importantly, you need a good sense of adventure and fun.

What type of boat will we be sailing?

You will be sailing in fibreglass Pacers with two sails. These are 12 feet (3.7 m) boats that easily holds two adults. They are very stable boats and are recognised across Australia as an excellent boat in which to learn how to sail.

Do I need to complete the course with a friend because you sail in two-person boats?

No, in fact we will break up partners!  Throughout the course we mix and match people frequently, so you get the opportunity to experience all the tasks involved in sailing the boat and as well as sailing with different people.

Do I need any special clothing to participate in this course?

No, there is no special clothing needed and we supply and fit you with life jackets. However, a few items of clothing will make your experience more comfortable:

• A waterproof/windproof jacket
• Old enclosed shoes such as runners
• Sailing or other fingerless gloves (such as bike gloves) that are suitable to get wet
• A wet suit if you have one, not essential

We give you more details during the theory sessions on appropriate clothing.

How can I ‘experience’ sailing before I do the course to know if I will like it?

There are two ways to ‘experience’ the joy of sailing. You can come along to a Discover Sailing Day or you can register to go out on our club trailable boat named "The Pearl", which can take up to 5 beginners.

What pathways are open to me after I finish the Learn to Sail course?

Our LTS course combines the first two Australian Sailing accredited courses. At the end of the course you will have been introduced to all the basics of sailing, both as a skipper and a crew member. To further improve your skills, it just takes lots of practice, as with any new skill. This is why we encourage you to join our club following the course so we can further support you in your learning.

Once you join our club, we offer our beginner sailors other supported sailing activities to help improve your skills: our in-house Learn to Race course will give you all the basics you need to participate in our afternoon races;  we hold Supported Green Fleet Races wherein you compete in our afternoon race with additional guidance and support; social sailing days also will offer training and twice a season we hold an Adventure Sail designed specifically for the more inexperienced sailor (see Novice Sailing  for more details)

We also encourage you to regularly sail in our afternoon races in our Green Fleet Division and there are often opportunities for you to crew for other more experienced sailors. Volunteering to help out on our rescue craft is another good way to experience how the club works and it is a great way to observe the skills of other sailors.

Do I need my own boat once I join the club?

No, not initially. Our club Pacers are available for hire by our LTS graduates. You can hire a Pacer on a daily (Saturday) basis, or you can hire a Pacer for an entire season of Saturdays. See Boat Hire for more details.

We do encourage you to purchase your own boat at some stage, or team up with other friends to purchase a boat. Sometimes we find a number of people will purchase a boat and then rotate amongst themselves as to who is available to sail on a given day.

There are many people who belong to the club who don’t own a boat and regularly crew for other people.

Who do I contact to find out more?

Please email us  

Once you join our club, we offer our beginner sailors other supported sailing activities to help improve your skills: our in-house Learn to Race course will give you all the basics you need to participate in our afternoon races;  we hold Supported Green Fleet Races wherein you compete in our afternoon race with additional guidance and support; social sailing days also will offer training and twice a season we hold an Adventure Sail designed specifically for the more inexperienced sailor (see Novice Sailing for more details)

We also encourage you to regularly sail in our afternoon races in our Green Fleet Division and there are often opportunities for you to crew for other more experienced sailors. Volunteering to help out on our rescue craft is another good way to experience how the club works and it is a great way to observe the skills of other sailors.

Do I need my own boat once I join the club?

No, not initially. Our club Pacers are available for hire by our LTS graduates. You can hire a Pacer on a daily (Saturday) basis, or you can hire a Pacer for an entire season of Saturdays. See Boat Hire for more details.

We do encourage you to purchase your own boat at some stage, or team up with other friends to purchase a boat. Sometimes we find a number of people will purchase a boat and then rotate amongst themselves as to who is available to sail on a given day.

There are many people who belong to the club who don’t own a boat and regularly crew for other people.

Who do I contact to find out more?

Email: training@williamstownsailingclub.org.au