Hi An exciting, new initiative is being launched in the Western Cape - the Zeekoevlei Training Centre (ZSC). In a nutshell, ZSC is a grassroots programe that will teach dinghy sailing to youngsters from previously disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape, beggining with Grassy Pary and Lotus River, and then extending across the South Peninsula. Specifically, ZSC will use double-handed boats such as the Mirror, Sonnet, 420 and Dabchick, as well as Saldanhas. ZSC is the brainchild of Jimmy Baigrie and Lorna Norris from ZVYC, will be directed by David Rae, and has Ian Ainslie and David Hudson as the founding patrons. During the next 5 months David Rae (and co) will be setting up the Centre from scratch, in preparation for the first intake of new sailors in September 2008. For more information please see the attached document. It would be great if you could spread the word and let as many people as possible know about the Centre. SAS, yacht clubs and class associations - please could you send the attachment out to your members via your e-mail distribution lists. If you have newsletters, I would really appreciate it if you could include the attachment in your next newsletter. And finally, if you have a website - would you be able to post this announcement on your site? Thanks so much Kind regards Dale Rae
ZEEKOEVLEI SAILING CENTRE ORIGINS: Over the past four years Jimmy Baigrie and Lorna Norris have doggedly pursued this idea of creating a training centre at Zeekoevlei. After many false starts and much perseverance their vision is becoming a reality.
MISSION: · To introduce and make accessible the sport of sailing, with its related life skills, to schools and communities in the formerly-disenfranchised communities closest to Zeekoevlei and the False Bay Ecology Park, as well as other schools and communities in the Cape Town South Peninsula area.
OBJECTIVES: · To make dinghy sailing accessible as a school sport from introductory to advanced levels. · Through the medium of sailing, to teach life skills such as teamwork, decision making, sportsmanship, responsibility and leadership. · To open up a sporting career and leisure activity that is not gender-based nor age-restricted, but accessible both socially and competitively from school through to club, provincial, national, international and Olympic levels. · To introduce teenagers and young adults to readily accessible career paths in sailing and in the boating and boat-manufacturing industries that flourish in the Western Cape. · By means of the above, to enable teenagers and adults to change their lives through the sport of sailing.
VENUE: Zeekoevlei, Cape Town. Only 30 minutes from central Cape Town, and from coastal training facilities in Table Bay and False Bay, Zeekoevlei provides safe inland sailing in generally windy conditions. Zeekoevlei Yacht Club (ZVYC) has for many decades been renowned in RSA for its successful junior sailing programmes, as well as the success of numerous members at national and international levels in both dinghy and keelboat sailing. ZVYC actively supports the Centre, which will operate on ZVYC property free of charge, and initially, with training boats loaned to the Centre by ZVYC.
MANAGEMENT: Patron: Ian Ainslie and David Hudson Management committee: David Rae (Director), Jimmy Baigrie (Treasurer), Dale Rae (Secretary), Jennifer Burger, Dave Hudson, Lorna Norris The Centre will qualify as a Public Benefit Organisation in terms of the Income Tax Act, and as a Social Development entity for BEE Target Scores.
FUNDING: The Centre will be responsible for its own fund-raising to cover all equipment and operational costs. Its training programmes will be self-financing from course fees and sponsorships.
TRAINING BOATS: The Centre will focus on double-handed sailing to teach teamwork and good crew skills, and which allows skills transfer from more advanced trainees as coaches to introductory trainees. Dinghies in use from the outset will be Saldanhas, Mirrors, Sonnets, Dabchicks (2-up) and 420s.
SCHOOLS PROGRAMME: These will commence in the 3rd school term, September 2008. Initially, the Sailing Centre will provide local school children with an introductory sailing programme designed to teach them about the basics of the sport. Those that choose to will be taught to race, and there will also be opportunities for the sailors to become coaches themselves, or to learn about boat building, sailmaking, navigation etc.
OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED: · Coaching · Donation of boats (Mirrors, Sonnets, Dabchicks, 420s) and related equipment (dinghy sailing clothes, sunscreen, fittings, sails, boat covers, tools, etc) · Donation of resources (waterproof video camera, TV, DVD player, projector, etc) · Sponsorship for running of the Centre · Join the work party in April 2008 that will level the grounds in preparation for a boat parking area for the Centre CONTACT: David Rae (084 476 2873) • Jimmy Baigrie (083 260 1237) zeekoevlei.training.centre@gmail.com ______________________ dalerae1@gmail.com (021) 650 4577 (work) 083 291 2449 (cell) (021) 689 1954 (home)
