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The Marquette Junior Yacht Club Junior Sailing School is dedicated to ensuring the safety of your child during their participation in sailing classes. There are two main areas of safety concern:
Each instructor has specific duties and responsibilities in the instruction and care of all program participants. These responsibilities are dependent on the following factors:
When exercising general supervision, our instructors are immediately accessible to participants. They are constantly alert for deviations from normal procedures, potentially hazardous conditions and are able to react accordingly. If an instructor has to divert attention from the overall supervision of a class, to make a rescue, administer first aid, or to effect a repair, another instructor will watch the class. Our supervision will not be left to chance.
Our instructors rehearse emergency procedures' dos and don'ts. All are CPR and first aid trained.
Our staff takes great care in selecting the appropriate activity for a class on a given day. In addition to taking into account the level of skill and ability, size and age of the students, they consider criteria such as weather and other potential hazards when deciding how to conduct a class.
The weather directly affects the safety of the sailor. Our instructors understand the weather and local environmental conditions. We monitor a weather radio and receive periodic reports through the Internet. Once bad weather is predicted, the staff acts conservatively and plans alternate activities to keep a class onshore.
All students must be able to swim before entering the class. We do not require students to take an onsite swim test because of the temperature of the water in Lake Superior. We do however require that students have passed swim lessons to a high enough level to be able to easily swim 50 (fifty) yards and tread water for 1 (one) minute. If students do not have proof of this we will administer a swim test.
It is possible and normal for boats to capsize, so students should be comfortable being in Lake Superior for a couple of minutes. Please make sure that your child has a towel and a change of clothes.
Personal flotation devices (lifejackets) must be worn at all times when on or near the water. These must be U.S. Coast Guard approved and must be properly rated to an individual's size and weight. Lifejackets must be worn by students and staff when participating in any activity that takes a person into a boat, on a dock, ramp, sea wall or launch area adjacent to or alongside the water.
The lifejacket needs to be properly identified with the owner's name and should be inspected regularly to ensure that it is in good functioning condition (no missing straps, torn zippers, exposed or waterlogged flotation). If a lifejacket is unsafe or of questionable value, it must be discarded and replaced immediately. A whistle on a lanyard (string) should be attached.
Shoes that cover the toes and encircle the feet must be worn at all times. This includes land activities as well as on the water work and involves everyone - students, instructors, aides and program administration.
All of our equipment is periodically checked, some such as safety boats, on a daily basis. If a piece of equipment is broken, we repair it immediately and maintain a maintenance report.
All instructors are required to pass a safety boat test before they are allowed to operate the safety boat for instructional purposes.