There are four main duties that operate throughout the year and a few additional ones that just apply to open meetings.
Safetyboat Helm (SBH)
You need to hold an RYA Powerboat Level 2 (PBL2) certificate to helm the safetyboat. The Safetyboat Helm is responsible for opening up the club, getting a RIB onto the water, manning it together with an assistant during operating times to assist anyone who needs help, putting the RIB away and ensuring the club is closed and locked. On a Sunday there is usually more than one safetyboat and one is usually manned from the Safetyboat Specialist team, so they will lead. On other days you will either need keys or to make arrangements for someone else to open up. If there is racing on then the Race Officer has overall responsibility and will work with the safety team. The SBH has overall responsibility for club activities if there is no Race Officer on duty and in this situation may occasionally decide conditions are too difficult to operate, in which case they will inform those on the water or those planning to go out that they are not going to be providing support and it will be buddy sailing only. If there is training activity taking place then the relevant Senior Instructor(s) will take responsibility for the training.
Safetyboat Assistant (SBA)
The Safetyboat Assistant crews the safetyboat with the Safetyboat Helm and helps the Helm as directed. You do not need previous experience to do this duty.
Race Officer (RO)
The Race Officer is responsible for organising and running the racing, ensuring the results are produced, and has overall responsibility for the safety of water users on the day, working with the safety team. If there is training activity taking place then the relevant Senior Instructor(s) will take responsibility for the training. You need some experience to do this duty, or someone with experience to mentor you if you are doing it for the first few times.
Assistant Race Officer (ARO)
The Assistant Race Officer supports the Race Officer and helps record the race results and timings as directed by the Race Officer. You do not need previous experience to do this duty.
Other Duty Roles
There are other roles for some of the bigger races and open meetings like Results Officer, Mark Layer and Shore Officer amongst others. These are usually allocated to individuals with known experience. You should not select one of these if you don’t know what is involved.
Which Duty Should I Choose?
- If you are new to the club or don’t have experience then choose one of the assistant roles – SBA or ARO to start with.
- If you have Race Officer experience, or some racing experience and you can find a mentor, then choose Race Officer as it is one of the hardest for us to fill.
- If you have PBL2 then please choose Safetyboat Helm. If you are new then perhaps choose a Sunday initially as the specialist helm can talk you through the checklist.
- If you are unsure please just ask –