Instructor Certification Course

Course Goals 
The Bahamas Sailing Association Level 1 Sailing Instructor Certification Course is designed to provide sailing instructors with information on how to teach beginner and intermediate level students safely, effectively, and creatively. The goal of the program is to produce highly qualified instructors, thereby ensuring the students’ enjoyment of learning how to sail and 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, communication with students and parents, conflict resolution and CPR/First Aid.

Course Length
This is a 5-day, 42-hour course. Attendance at all course sessions is mandatory. Absence from any portion of the course excludes the instructor candidate from evaluation.


Minimum Age Requirement
All Candidates must have reached their 16th birthday within the calendar year in which the course is being held. Students under 18 years of age who complete the course will be designated as an Assistant Instructor until their 18th birthday. Please be aware that lying about your age is a violation of the terms of this registration and is grounds for revocation of any or all BSA Sailing certifications

Prerequisites for entrance into the course

  • Sailing experience
    Sailing experience in small boats, such as prams, dinghies, multihulls or daysailing keelboats.

  • Experience operating a safety boat. 
    Participants are expected to have some experience with the operation of a skiff or other motorized dinghy. A limited amount of time will be spent on teaching safety boat skills. However, all candidates will be tested on this skill. Instructor Candidates lacking adequate experience should either seek opportunities for practice or attend a formal powerboat handling course. Contact BASRA for this.
    Ability to swim 50 yards both with and without PFD. 
    The accepted swim strokes are: front crawl, breaststroke, side stroke, elementary backstroke, back crawl and butterfly, as defined by the American Red Cross. Floating and treading water are not considered to be swimming strokes, and sculling or finning as a way of moving through the water while floating or treading is not considered to be a swimming stroke.

  • Completed course registration form accompanied by appropriate course fees (and any late charges)

Requirements for successful completion of the course

  • Ability to exhibit appropriate personal and interpersonal skills.
    Attendance at all portions of the course. Absence from any portion of the course excludes the instructor candidate from evaluation. 

  • All participants are expected to be on time every day. 
     Personal and Interpersonal Practical Skills: Demonstrate professional conduct, an open-minded, positive and enthusiastic attitude, appropriate appearance (clothing, footwear and tidiness), participation in discussions, collaboration skills/team player, confidence and ease of manner.

  • A positive evaluation by the Instructor Trainer.

Passing all Practical Exams

  • Sailing Skills Practical Test: Execute, with comfort and confidence: Rigging, leaving a dock/beach, starting, stopping and speed control, safety position, getting out of irons, sailing backward, tacking, jibing, steering with sails and weight, proper sail trim, judging laylines, capsize and overboard recovery, returning to dock/beach, unrigging.

  • Safety Boat Operation Skills Practical Test: Execute, with comfort and confidence: system, equipment and starting checks, leaving and docking, high and low speed maneuvering, holding position upwind/upcurrent, backing, pivot turn (360 degree turn within boat's length), anchoring and/or making fast to a mooring, overboard recovery and landing alongside a moored boat. (Tip: view animations of maneuvers)

  • Swim/PFD Practical Check & Rescue: Swim 50 yards in instructor clothing both with and without a PFD, tread water two minutes while performing a minor task (such as tying a knot). The accepted swim strokes are: front crawl, breaststroke, side stroke, elementary backstroke, back crawl and butterfly, as defined by the American Red Cross. Floating and treading water are not considered to be swimming strokes, and sculling or finning as a way of moving through the water while floating or treading is not considered to be a swimming stroke. Students will also be taught and tested for water safety and rescue.

  • Marlinspike/Seamanship Practical Test: Demonstrate ability to tie the following knots and hitches: Figure-8, bowline, square/reef knot, sheet bend, clove hitch, two half hitches, rolling hitch, cleat hitch. Also coil and throw a line. 

  • Classroom Presentation Practical Skills: Demonstrate lesson preparation, with clear, logical and accurate content, good voice enunciation/clarity/volume/pace/pitch, good non-verbal communication (gestures and body language), effective visual aids, good timed presentation(s) with introduction, conclusion, demonstration, clarity and use of notes, use of multiple pathways techniques, and ease in handling questions.

  • Land Drill and Water Drill Teaching Practical Skills: Demonstrate good class positioning, control and positioning of safety boat, demonstration skills, effective on-the-water communication, evaluation, and feedback technique.

  • Passing the Written Exam: One closed-book exam on material presented during the course. (BSA and ISAF information, basic Racing Rules of Sailing, Safety and Rescue, Powerboat operation, Sailing techniques and rigging, teaching techniques on and off the water. All written tests are mainly multiple choice. A passing grade of 80% is required on all exams.

Course outcomes

The practical and written tests each stand on their own, and each must be passed in order to pass the course. The determination as to whether a candidate passes or fails rests with the Instructor Trainer. In addition to Pass or Fail, a third option is a Plan of Improvement. Re-testing for Plans of Improvement carries a $50 re-testing fee; re-tests are scheduled with specific representatives of BSA and must be performed within 60 days of the last day of this course.

Training materials
There is an abundance of material to read, so plan on studying prior to and each night during the course. Reading material will be excerpts from the following: 
• Coaching Fundamentals (ISAF)
• Teaching Fundamentals for SailingInstructors (TF)
• Basic Powerboating, Safety and Rescuemanual
• Learn Sailing Right!Beginner student book
• Other handouts and course information as applicable.

Also, students must be familiar with the following websites:

  • Bahamas National Sailing School site – BAHsailingschool.org

  • BSA site – BAHsailing.org

  • World Sailing site – sailing.org

 Validation of Small Boat Sailing Level 1 Instructors

  • Validation will be for three years providing First Aid, CPR, and BSA membership are kept current. Instructor validation is renewable. Visit the website or contact Bahamas National Sailing School for more information. 

  • Current First Aid and CPR. We will accept First Aid and CPR from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or equivalent in The Bahamas as well as Doctor’s Hospital or Princess Margaret Hospital.


Course Fees- $350

Registration is on a first pay basis. BSA will not reserve spots without full payment.

Cancelation Policy
Course fees are nonrefundable but are transferrable to another course/date if the Training office is given two weeks advance notice.

Register
Register by downloading the form above and returning it to Director - Bahamas National Sailing School, Nassau Yacht Club.  Tel: (242) 357-3959.