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Mentoring Program Next Steps by Ted Wallace Thanks for you interest in the club. The best of luck in attaining your skipper's rating. I would prepare by going to the mentor page and clicking on the test line to drop down and print out the test. I encourage you to sit and take the test privately. Then grade yourself, clearly marking right, wrong, and don't know. This will eventually become your study guide for the rest of your endeavor. Notice the test in three parts. Harbor knowledge, Vessel Knowledge & Sail skills, and Club Operations knowledge. Part three (Club Ops) is easy, you drop down everything on the club web site and read it. Michael has been writing articles for 15 years and he has stored them all right there. Part one (Harbor Knowledge) is relatively easy to obtain. You get a chart and roam up and down the harbor gathering knowledge. There are several key questions on the test you will need to answer chart and harbor knowledge. But there are many other details you need to know about charts and our harbor. So I always encourage sailors to investigate charts from land and sea. I.e. take your chart on the Staten Island ferry, or any other ferry while identifying key points of navigational interest, or even imagining you are at the helm. Drive the belt parkway or the east river, identifying points of navigational interest. Also, buy a copy of Eldritch Tide and Pilot book for 2007. Learn how to read the tables for our area. Part two is the most challenging and the most rewarding; Vessel Knowledge & Sail Skills. This is where we define your current level of practical experience, and plot a course for your goal of becoming a Skipper with the club. Every Skipper is required to know all the boat parts by proper name and the function of each part. Every Skipper is required to take the boat out and bring the boat back, proving proper procedure and control, while departing and returning from and to North Cove. Each and every Skipper will need to exhibit and explain proper rigging of the J24, proper sailing skills to safely operate a J24, and proper communication techniques while out sailing our J24s. Okay, so much for the overview. I also encourage everyone to take formal instruction for the following categories in order to gain knowledge in Basic Keelboat, Coastal Navigation, USCG Safe Boating, Bareboat Chartering, and Intermediate Navigation. These courses are not required but the knowledge contained within them is required to pass this exam. Always remember, our club requires safety and be first and foremost in the minds and hearts of all our Skippers. This rating with the club is a privilege which carries responsibilities. You are required to be responsible for the safety of your crew, and the safe return of the club owned vessel you will be operating. The terms of this contract are available on the Mentor's page; Skipper agreement. When you feel you are ready to be evaluated, contact myself or one of the other Mentors on the list and ask for a time slot. T K Wallace |
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