Untitled Document

Altona Yacht Club have a Sailing Simulator Frank Bethwaite is the designer of the Tasar dinghy and the author of High Performance Sailing. He has been a major player in the development of the sailing simulator, working closely with Professor Norman Saunders. Extract from Australian Sailing May 2005 by Frank Bethwaite. “The sailing simulator is revealing fundamental differences in technique between the front and back of the fleet.
The sailing simulator is following the path of its flight simulator forebear. The flight simulator started by substituting for the aeroplane, but its usefulness unexpectedly grew to the point where it now routinely does much more than it is safe to do in any aeroplane. The sailing simulator is following the same path. Substitution came first. It is self evident that the simulator keeps going despite calm, gale, darkness or snow outside, so early use was driven by substitution. But as we gained experience we quickly found that the sailing simulator can reveal, measure, compare and record and in these respects it can do more than any boat can do. By far the most important difference between the simulator and a boat is the simulator’s ability to record a sailor’s technique and measure and compare his race time with his opponent’s technique and time or his time for previous races. This has never been possible in a boat because both wind and water are naturally unsteady and small differences can never be measured with certainty in unsteady conditions.” Scienceworks at Spotswood has had numerous hands on sports activities from racing against Cathy Freeman, snowboarding and even where visitors can be a wheelchair athlete. Since 2007 Altona Yacht Club has been training adults, primary and secondary school students the basic skills of sailing using a sailing simulator. It has been extremely beneficial especially for some students with their current limited physical abilities, and those with low self esteem to be able to skipper, without having to be athletic, or having to cope with capsizes or difficult weather conditions. The students are able to gain confidence before going onto the water. Altona Yacht Club’s training team has both male and female instructors, who hold Yachting Australia instructor credentials. I have found it easy to training young students the technique needed to get them on the water without too much effort required. On request the following Learn to sail courses are available: 1/ Short courses in the evening on the simulator. 2/ Women only classes with a Yachting Australia qualified female instructor. 3/ Sunday and Monday morning classes 4/ School holiday programs (minimum 6 students – 8 to 15yo)

The sailing simulator is following the path of its flight simulator forebear. The flight simulator started by substituting for the aeroplane, but its usefulness unexpectedly grew to the point where it now routinely does much more than it is safe to do in any aeroplane.

The sailing simulator is following the same path. Substitution came first. It is self evident that the simulator keeps going despite calm, gale, darkness or snow outside, so early use was driven by substitution. But as we gained experience we quickly found that the sailing simulator can reveal, measure, compare and record and in these respects it can do more than any boat can do.
By far the most important difference between the simulator and a boat is the simulator’s ability to record a sailor’s technique and measure and compare his race time with his opponent’s technique and time or his time for previous races. This has never been possible in a boat because both wind and water are naturally unsteady and small differences can never be measured with certainty in unsteady conditions.”

Scienceworks at Spotswood has had numerous hands on sports activities from racing against Cathy Freeman, snowboarding and even where visitors can be a wheelchair athlete.

Since 2007 Altona Yacht Club has been training adults, primary and secondary school students the basic skills of sailing using a sailing simulator. It has been extremely beneficial especially for some students with their current limited physical abilities, and those with low self esteem to be able to skipper, without having to be athletic, or having to cope with capsizes or difficult weather conditions.

The students are able to gain confidence before going onto the water.

Altona Yacht Club’s training team has both male and female instructors,
who hold Yachting Australia instructor credentials.

I have found it easy to training young students the technique needed to get them on the water without too much effort required.

On request the following Learn to sail courses are available:

1/ Short courses in the evening on the simulator.
2/ Women only classes with a Yachting Australia qualified female instructor.
3/ Sunday and Monday morning classes
4/ School holiday programs (minimum 6 students – 8 to 15yo)

Altona Yacht Club - Sailing Simulator: