Camps & Clinics

Camp Descriptions:

Find out more about what our courses involve and what you need.

In the winter we use our SailBase island as a sailing center with its warm weather, allowing us to run a number of camps and clinics at this time of the year. SailCoach has a proven Track Record of Performance Enhancement with two Olympic Medals and highly experienced coaches in the development of Olympic, Youth and Master sailors.

SailBase offers a great range of training conditions as the weather patterns are remarkably good for the Mediterranean in the winter. The Westerly winds like our "Sea Breeze" and "Mistral" both provide large waves and when we get the offshore Easterlies they provide us with shifty conditions and flat water. The other added advantage of being basted on a quiet holiday island is that it’s very conducive to getting into the right focus for training.

Base Camp

The BaseCamp concept has proven very successful over the years. One month of hard training with access to some of the worlds best coaches and sailors! 

So what does it involve?
BaseCamp involves sailors staying for a month on the island and taking part in all clinics and training camps during that period. The beauty of BaseCamp is that sailors get to experience and practice in every type of sailing conditions as the weather varies throughout the month. Also, athletes can get into the routine of a true Laser professional involving sailing and fitness schedules.

Often sailors make the biggest improvements and jumps in performance during BaseCamp sessions as athletes get to work with a coach for a prolonged time and therefore perfect specific techniques. Also sailors commonly make huge gains in their fitness or address body weight issues as they have a considerable and consistent time frame to achieve such goals.

Another major bonus of the BaseCamp program is that sailors become members of the SailCoach ‘family’. Friendships are formed with training partners and coaches as the SailCoach team live and eat together allowing for a great mixture of cultures. These friendships and cultural interactions can be important for the development of individuals both in their sailing and in life experience.

Furthermore, English is the first language of Team SailCoach with all coaching and island life conduced through English. This gives BaseCamp sailors the chance to develop the language and often they return home with a much improved vocabulary.

Ten unlikely benefits of BaseCamp...! :

1. You’ll learn to cook
2. You’ll sail downwind in 30 knots and stay alive
3. You’ll actually enjoy island tranquillity and feeding goats
4. You will forget TV ever existed
5. You will learn to say ‘cheers’ in minimum 5 languages
6. Talking about Mistral will become your most important pastime
7. Traffic jams become a distant memory
8. Hiking is your new favourite way to sit
9. You have dreams about surfing downwind
10. Your Laser becomes your new lover

What the sailors say:

Anders Nyholm, DEN, Olympian, Youth Worlds medallist

“These BaseCamp's are ideal for regular training throughout the winter. Throw in the odd clinic for some intense analysis an you have a near perfect winter programme”

Gareth Blankenberg, RSA, Olympian, ISAF Youth Worlds champion

“BaseCamp gave me the opportunity to meet other training partners and coaches that weren’t available back home. The friends I met on the island are lifelong and we’re still in touch today.”

What You Can Expect

• access to good training partners
• informal discussion after training sessions
• debrief  Video Analysis of your sailing
• shuttle to and from a top class very well equipped gym

Gold Clinic
Gold clinics are coached by experts Laser sailors, Olympic, World or European Medallist and staffed by experienced SailCoach coaches. Sailors will receive input of the highest standard both on and off the water. In addition, students will have the opportunity to train with some of the best Laser sailors in the world today and meet informally to question a particular styles or technique.

The aim is for the class to learn from the guest Medallist first hand as they demonstrate certain techniques. As part of this Gold Clinic each sailor will receive, at least, two individual lessons along with daily debrief video analysis of their sailing.

• Why take part?
         
           - to learn from experts in the field of Laser sailing
           - to be mentored by experienced top sailors and coaches in the class
           - to have privileged access to top sailors and coaches
           - to present your ideas in briefing sessions
           - to have an intimate view of each top sailor's technique and style

Pre Clinic Entry Experience
This Clinic is designed to take young up and coming sailors and prepare them to be a top level Laser sailor. Students should have experience in the Laser class and be able of getting results at a good national level or thinking of moving up to International standard.

Downwind Clinics

Our Downwind Clinics will concentrate on the art of sailing down wind in a Laser, which is what separates the men from the boys…! SailCoach prides itself on our ability to improve downwind speed, you don’t have to be the most gifted sailor to understand what makes a Laser go fast downwind.

After you have that understanding the rest is practice, practice and more practice. We give you this under the watchful eye of our coaches and with the help of video analysis you can see where to improve upon your downwind technique.

Our coaches will look at the principles behind:-

·        Sail Trim

·        Crew weight positioning

·        Steering to get the most out of waves

·        Sailing by the lee/downwind angles

·        The Rules and downwind sailing

·        Downwind tactics

Pre Clinic Entry Experience
The focus of this four day Downwind Clinic is to provide a strong platform for sailors who have been active in their national sailing circuits or other classes of sailor how would like a better understanding of downwind techniques seen through the eyes of the Laser class.

In this clinic we will focus completely on downwind, so make sure you bring a towrope for those long tows back home…!

The focus of this five day Highfliers Summer Camp is set up to provide a platform for sailors who have been active in their national youth sailing circuits or Optimists sailors would like to make the transition to the Laser Class.

The camp is designed to help improve boat preparation with the most recent developments in the class, sail settings and advanced boat handling skills including roll-tacking, roll-gybing and mark roundings. The Highfliers Summer Camp will look hard at developing both Upwind and Downwind speed with extensive use of video analysis.

Pre Clinic Entry Experience
The focus of this five day Highfliers Summer Camp is set up to provide a platform for sailors who have been active in their national youth sailing circuits or Optimists sailors would like to make the transition to the Laser Class.

SailCoach believes strongly in the multi-national training concept and this one week of hard training will give sailors the opportunity to push themselves hard against competitors from other countries.

It will also provide young sailors with the opportunity to be coached by the most experienced Laser coaches available, including coaches who have been members of the Team SailCoach squad at the Athens Olympics.

The camp is designed to help improve boat preparation with the most recent developments in the class, sail settings and advanced boat handling skills including roll-tacking, roll-gybing and mark roundings. The Highfliers Summer Camp will look hard at developing both Upwind and Downwind speed with extensive use of video analysis.

The camps daily schedule will combine classroom lessons with on the water exercises offering healthy competition and is followed up with debrief of tactical and strategy situations. Sailors will receive individual attention both on the water and with video analysis.

SailCoach hopes you’ll be as excited as we are about this new Highfliers Summer Camp. You will meet people from around the world who like you are “mad about sailing” and will become life-long friends in our sport.

This clinic has become an annual fixture with a lot of you. The Clinic will help Laser Master sailors over 35 year olds to brush up on their skills before the coming season as well as enjoy the unique atmosphere at SailCoach's South of France SailBase.

The SailBase gives you the opportunity to practice within a quality training group with World Class coaching as well as providing excellent sailing conditions at the Ile des Embiez base.

The schedule involves four days of intensive sailing with time each evening to enjoy the traditional French restaurants and bars and the islands south coast ambiance.

We will push you hard, but don't worry you will still have time to enjoy the local restaurants and sample the fine wines of the French Rivera.

You Can Expect
Rediscover your old speed
Catch up on the latest developments in the class
Ideal surroundings for family, plenty of local activities and beautiful scenery
Return home fitter and feeling 10 years younger! (or older if it's been a windy week..!)

SailCoach can now offer you the opportunity for French lessons in small groups and sailing time on the water with two different programs over this winter for teenagers.

The itinerary will be sure to provide the right balance of both developing new confidence in French and developing racing skills while building group camaraderie…!

The course includes five, four hour French lessons a week with fully-qualified, native French teacher, plus six race training sessions an week and a number of excursions.

While this programme offers personal growth, new friendships, new skills, and lifelong memories, while providing unique opportunities and challenges. We make it a point to combine fun with learning and responsibility, a combination that has made SailCoach a favourite for 12 years.

Class sizes are small – with a maximum of six students, so our students will receive plenty of individual help and attention and gain confidence with each day.

As well as the regular SailCoach experts we invite guest coaches in to run specialised training camps throughout the year. Seven times Laser World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Robert Scheidt is a regular visitor to the island.

As interest grows for other classes SailCoach will design suitable training camps throughout the rest of the year. Register your interest.

Coaching Philosophy
The SailCoach coaching philosophy is similar to that of a University, where the sailor is encourage to take responsibility for their own learning and to use the coach as a facilitator.  We use this tried and tested method because over the years we have found that sailors retain the knowledge better.

We believe strongly in the multi-national training concept. As most of today’s top sailors at Olympic level come from multi-national training groups. SailCoach was the first to develop the concept in sailing.

The SailCoach Centre of Excellence provides a platform for you to push yourself hard against competitors from other countries. Combining the strengths of different countries takes you to a level impossible to get on a National scale. Time on the water is maximised thanks to the great climate and sailing conditions.

You can now get access to some of the Worlds best coaches and sailors! All of our clinics include the use of video for accurate feedback and analysis.