1877 Sailing Vessel Elissa Seamanship Training And Sea Trials 2007 – 2008

Seamanship Training 2007 – 2008 will begin on July 21, 2007, and will consist of 19 day-long sessions and one half-day session (Class I), the last of which will be on March 15, 2008. The schedule takes into account holidays, so that there are no more than two weeks between classes, except for the Christmas and New Year periods.

Attendance: Seamanship Training classes are designed to build upon what was learned in previous classes: Class attendance is crucial to develop the necessary skills, experience, and knowledge. All trainees will be allowed to miss up to four non-consecutive classes, with prior approval of the waterfront manager and the chair of the Ship Operations Committee. All trainees are urged to attend as many classes as possible. Volunteers MUST attend 16 out of 20 sessions.

Crew Selection: Sailing crew selection and allotted sailing days will be based upon the following criteria: volunteer hours, class attendance, availability to sail, test scores, and overall proficiency in square-rig sailing skills. A committee composed of mast captains, sail training administration, waterfront manager, and TSM director will make the final crew selection. In addition to sailing days, volunteers will be scheduled for night watches, dock line handling, and shore support.

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Volunteer Hours - Please read this section carefully

• The minimum number of volunteer hours required to qualify for the sailing crew is 130, accumulated between April 1, 2007 and March 16, 2008. PLEASE NOTE that hours spent in Seamanship Training classes count toward satisfying this requirement.
  
• Volunteers will be allotted seven hours for every full day of Seamanship Training and 3.5 hours for half days attended. Partial attendance at a class will be rounded to the nearest half or whole day.
  
• Volunteer hours spent in any sanctioned capacity may be used to satisfy the hours requirements for sailing crew.
  
• Everyone who intends to qualify as sailing crew must put in a minimum of 10 hours between February 10, 2008 and March 16, 2007, regardless of how many hours they acquire between April 1, 2007 and February 10, 2008. (Example: Let’s say you may have accumulated 150 volunteer hours of ship maintenance by January 31, 2008. You must still put in a minimum of 10 additional hours between February 10, 2008 and March 16, 2008.) PLEASE NOTE: This requirement is easily satisfied by attending more than one training session during this period.
  
• Since so much is based on the number of hours donated, it is vital that volunteer hours are recorded in the logbook in accordance with the guidelines of TSM.
  
  

Work Days: In order to satisfy the minimum requirement of 130 hours to make sailing crew, you should attend all 20 training sessions. To make sure that you meet the essential standards, and since the maintenance needs of ELISSA frequently exceed our minimum requirements, volunteers are encouraged to sign up for additional work days. Ongoing schedules of the work to be done and desired completion dates will be posted during the preceding month.

Review Sessions: We will offer review sessions on the second Sunday of each month, starting in August (except that the February review will be on February 3, 2008). These day-long classes may be used to make up two missed seamanship training sessions (please consult a member of the Ship Operations Committee for details) or to receive further instruction in subjects that prove to be difficult.

Top Ten: As a way to reward those who contribute hours well in excess of the minimum requirements, the ten volunteers with the most hours contributed between April 1, 2007, and February 10, 2008, will be allowed to invite a guest for a sail during the Spring 2008 Sea Trials. These “top ten” contributors do not have to be enrolled in seamanship training.

Shakedown Sail: All volunteers—not just those who complete Seamanship Training—who are not designated as shakedown sailing crew or included in the top ten above will be ranked by hours contributed between April 1, 2007 and February 10, 2008. Invitations to sail on the shakedown will be offered to these people until we have filled all available slots. Volunteers must, however, have acquired a minimum of 65 hours between April 1, 2007 and February 10, 2008, to be considered for the shakedown sail.

Sailing as a “Standby”: Volunteers who have accumulated at least 65 hours between April 1, 2007 and February 10, 2008 may daysail once, and only once, as a “standby guest.”

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