707 Helms

We recognise that our members, in applying to become Accredited helms will bring forward a variety of skills and experience. For us to Accredit each one (i.e. accept them as individuals to whom we will make available club boats), we must be satisfied that they are competent to take out a vessel and use it in a manner consistent with their experience and competence.

It is expected that each helm will show due diligence and due caution in those areas where experience is still being built and where using club 707s is part of building that experience.

As a guide, we want our Accredited Helms to be competent in:

Boat handling under sail: Sail choice, all points of sailing, flying a spinnaker, reefing, sail and boat trimming

Boat handling under engine: Pre start checks, using engine, manoeuvring on/off pontoon

Safety: Safety briefing, lifejackets, VHF radio, MOB procedure

Navigation: Interpreting charts, knowing ‘rights of way’ and small vessel’s responsibilities in confined waters

Racing: Knowing racing rules, safely matching boat handling skills and crew skill levels to the racing conditions (wind, tide, sea state, fleet size etc).