Iowa Sailing Club

Ratings Structure, Lessons, and Requirements

The UISC has a set of ratings, signifying the sailing competence of each member. The purpose of this system is to define each member's skills and limitations to him/herself and to the club. All instruction and testing takes place in the Flying Juniors (FJ's).

Club Ratings

• Novice (N) - Little or no knowledge of sailing and/or club procedures.

• Crew (C) - Knows the parts and is able to rig an FJ. Familiar with club rules and boat signout procedures.

• Light Weather Helmsman (LWH) - Able to sail away from the dock and back, tack and jibe, right a capsized FJ, and pass the man overboard drill. May sail FJ and Laser in winds up to 15 mph.

• Advanced Light Weather Helmsman (ALWH) - Must have 15 hours supervised sailing time. Must demonstrate sailing ability in winds 12 mph or higher. May obtain a key to the boathouse.

• Heavy Weather Helmsman (HWH) - Able to do all of the above in winds over 15 mph, plus have raced in at least three races (club or intercollegiate). May sail in winds up to 30 mph.

• Skipper (S) - Pass oral and/or written exam on boating rules, racing, trailering, first aid, etc. Race in 12 races and set up course. Able to sail all club boats.

• Windsurfer (WS) - Restricted to using the windsurfer boards. Must wear a PFD unless the swim test is passed. Familiar with club rules and boat signout procedures.

The basic rating for the club, and the goal of most new members, is the LWH rating. This is the first rating allowing a member to check a boat out on their own, and to help teach novices the basics they've just learned provided they are supervised by club members of a higher rating. From knowing absolutely nothing about sailing, to obtaining the LWH rating takes around 1 to 1 1/2 hours of shore training and 2 to 4 hours of on-the-water instruction.

• Shore Training:

  • Basic Knots

    1. Bowline

    2. Double Half-Hitch

    3. Clove Hitch

    4. Square Knot

    5. Sheet Bend

    6. Figure 8 Knot

  • Rigging and Derigging the FJ

  • Basic Sail Theory (points of sail, how the boat goes into the wind)

  • Club Policies and Procedures

   

• On-The-Water Training:

  • Tiller Training (steering the boat in a straight line)

  • Sailtrim Training (speeding up and slowing down using the sails)

  • Tacking and Gybing

  • Man Overboard Drill (picking up an object in the water)

  • Docking

  • Righting the Boat after a Capsize (very simple, and actually quite fun!)

TESTING:

Then, once the training is complete, and the student-member feels confident with the shore and water skills, he/she will take the LWH test. The test merely consists of performing the skills above for a member who has an ALWH rating or above. After successful completion of the test the member's log book will be updated to reflect the skills they have demonstrated, and the official progression to the next rating is recorded by the membership chair in the members log book as well as in the club's records.

 

Note: If you come to the club with the skills listed above, the process is simple - you will just go out in a boat with a member with a HWH rating or better, and sail around, demonstrating your skills. In this case, you can forego the training program.