VERO BEACH — The Youth Sailing Foundation is hosting the US Sailing Small Boat Level 1 Sailing Instructor Certification Course May 7 through 10th. Interested persons should contact Dan Thomas, Education Chair, at datverobeach@gmail.com or call Debbie Avery at (772) 925-2521.
The US Sailing Small Boat Level 1 Sailing Instructor Certification Course is designed to provide sailing instructors with information on how to teach more safely, effectively, and creatively. The goal of the program is to produce highly qualified instructors, thereby reducing risk exposure for sailing programs. Topics covered in the course include: classroom and on-the-water teaching techniques, risk management, safety issues, lesson planning, creative activities, ethical concerns, and sports physiology and psychology.
This is a four day, 40-hour course. Attendance at all course sessions is mandatory. Absence from any portion of the course excludes the instructor candidate from evaluation.
All candidates must have reached their 16th birthday within the calendar year that the course is being held in. Students under 18 years of age who complete the course will be designated as a Sailing Assistant until their 18th birthday.
Course requirements include:
• Sailing experience in small boats, such as prams, dinghies, multihulls or daysailing keelboats.
• Current US Sailing Adult Individual, or Family Membership (youth membership is not applicable and only one instructor is allowed per family membership)
• Experience operating a safety boat. This course is evaluative: Powerboat skills are tested, not taught, during this course.
• Ability to swim 50 yards both with and without PFD.
• National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) Safe Boating certification. Candidates who do not hold a NASBLA approved Safe Boating Certificate will not be allowed to operate a powerboat during the course. Online courses that are not NASBLA approved will not be accepted. BoatUS is one provider of online courses. Candidates holding a current USCG full or limited Master’s or OUPV license are exempt from this requirement.
Cost is $350 per person.