Programs and Training
Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club (LCSC) has been an accredited Discover Sailing Centre for over 10 years. As a Discover Sailing Centre, the club offers a variety of courses ranging from introducing beginners to the sport of sailing through to the ongoing skill development of experienced dinghy sailors.
In recognition that attending a formal training course is not for everyone, we also offer one-on-one training and coaching options which are designed to complement the more structured Australian Sailing endorsed courses.
Specialised courses such as race management, power boat handling, course laying and sailboarding are also available on request.
Unlike some other organisations, Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club, does not offer these courses as a money-making exercise but rather our motivation is to attract new participants to our sport and to develop the skills of existing sailors. Although fees do apply, these are set at a competitive level and are designed to recoup our costs rather than to make a profit.
Discover Sailing Centres are located at clubs that have been accredited to deliver Australian Sailing learn to sail, or powerboat programs, through instructors who have been accredited by Australian Sailing. To retain its status as a Discover Sailing Centre, LCSC must adhere to standards that ensure safety, customer satisfaction and consistency between centres. We are audited for compliance to these standards on an annual basis and it is only clubs that pass the audit that can display and promote the Discover Sailing brand.
We have structured our learn to sail programs to meet the needs of the following categories of student:
• Adults
Families
• Juniors
Once you have learned the basic skills necessary to sail a boat safely you will want to consider what you want to achieve as a sailor. There are many pathways open to you, and we will assist you to identify what best suits your specific objectives. For example, you might want to take a boat for a leisurely cruise across the lake to Tewah Landing for a picnic with the family. Alternatively, you might have the urge to enter club races and compete on a regular basis with other like-minded sailors. You'll be amazed how much you can learn from competing against more experienced people who are always willing to offer assistance and provide informal coaching so you can develop the skills to continually improve your ability on the race course.
As you improve as a club racer, you might want to consider entering regattas (at LCSC or at other clubs) or even compete at State, National and International Events. This level of skill development can be greatly assisted by engaging the services of an accredited coach. For example, at LCSC we have a youth development squad which comprises a group of youngsters training to compete at the National and International level in Open Skiff dinghies. They receive training and support from one of Queensland's leading coaches every two or three weeks with the focus being on the development of the skills required to do well in larger fleets of competing boats.
If you like the thought of being able to sail a boat but you are not sure what's involved or even whether sailing is the right sport for you? We've got that one covered as well. Come long to one of our Discover Sailing days and we'll provide you with an overview of what sailing is all about and how you can start your very own learn to sail journey. We'll also give you a tour of our club so you can appreciate the resources that are available to club members. Attendance at Discover Sailing days is free.
Learn to sail students are not expected to invest in their own boats. The club has a range of dinghies that we use for the various categories of training. These include:
These are larger but very stable sailing dinghies best suited for teaching groups of adults or adults with children.
Optimist dinghies are affectionately known as "Optis". These are small, simple dinghies with a single small sail. They are used to train younger children how to sail and are great fun.
Lasers are now officially called ICLA dinghies. These are single handed boats which come with three different sized sails which makes them suited to a wide range of ages and body weights. The Laser 4.7, with its small rig is ideal for older youngsters who have learned the basics of sailing and want to improve their racing abilities. The Laser Radial (medium rig) and the Laser 7 (full rig) are more suited to adults young and old who want to develop their racing skills in a boat that suits their body weight.
We have a range of Sailboards, club owned, which are used for a range of purposes from teaching beginners through to full on racing.
These boats are also available for casual charter by competent club members who might want to enter a club race or simply to mess around with friends. For safety reasons you'll need to pass a competency test before being able to take out one of these boats unsupervised.
Once you've taken advantage of the availability of the club boats for casual charter, we're confident that you'll soon be looking around for your own boat. We can help you identify the best options for you and provide guidance as to the best place to find boats for sale and the price you should be paying.
LCSC is a volunteer only club which means we are dependent upon members volunteering their time to undertake the tasks that are essential for the efficient running of the club. We are always looking for new people to assist in this way, especially to support our on-water activities. We will help you develop the skills to undertake a range of roles including:
To develop these skills we have access to a range of courses (online and face to face) which are complemented by practical experience on the water undertaking the various roles.
Lake Cootharaba is not only an extremely safe and relatively sheltered stretch of water, it also attracts some of the best sailors in the country because of its large size and the reputation of the club to put on professionally run regattas. The lake is relatively shallow, especially close to the shore, which makes it popular with parents looking for a safe environment in which their kids can learn to sail. At most times, a adult can stand up almost anywhere in the lake and even younger kids need to go a fair way off shore before they are out of their depths. The club has recently celebrated its 80th anniversary and credits its ongoing success to being a family friendly club which has found the balance between having fun and running sailing events as professionally as the larger better funded clubs in the larger metropolitan areas.