UISP Sailing and Training: kicking off the Tour of Italy with Luca Sabiu

Never before in Italy has there been an appetite for sailing, in the most beautiful, genuine and intense sense of this discipline. The one that follows the lure of open horizons, travel, sailing offshore, challenging the natural elements and oneself. But because sailing, however attractive and rewarding, is still a technical, sometimes risky activity that requires knowledge, practical experience and respect for the sea, the best way to get started is through training. In short, relying on “good teachers.”

UISP Sailing and Training

In Italy there are many: institutional like the Italian Sailing Federation, public like the Naval League, private like the Caprera Sailing Center. Then there is Uisp Vela, the largest national sports association with hundreds of affiliated clubs throughout the country, which among its objectives has precisely the dissemination of maritime culture in our country by offering the greatest number of people the opportunity to approach the fascinating world of boating.

A “traveling” sailing workshop from the Tyrrhenian to the Adriatic.

For 2023 Uisp Vela in order to improve its educational program and raise the level of sailing education of the membership community has decided to organize a very special training aimed at all its sailing instructors. It is a Uisp Instructor Training Tour of Italy divided into 3 stages that starts on April 15 from Chiavari (Ge), in the Tyrrhenian Sea and closes on May 6 in Venice, in the Adriatic Sea.

The goal of the Uisp Vela project, which sees among the partnership the marine weather forecast center Navimeteo, the network of “green” ports MarineDi, the historic brand of technical sailing clothing Veenvind and the nautical equipment shop MagellanStore, is to provide Uisp sailing instructors with skills in running a boat independently, knowing about equipment and materials, preventing and managing any emergency situations in the best possible way, and above all, conveying all this in a simple and effective key to their future students. But who trains the trainers?

Luca Sabiu, the Italian expert on sail coaching

Uisp Vela has entrusted this delicate task to Luca Sabiu, a great expert in sailing and especially in sailing instruction, all focused on mental approach, competence and safety. In fact, Luca comes from solo ocean racing, big ocean sailing, and technological boats such as Class 40s that he personally outfits and aboard which he has had all kinds of experiences, including shipwreck. But Luca is above all a state-of-the-art trainer, one who has created and developed a teaching method that is absolutely unique in Italy, inspired by the great tradition of French and English ocean navigators: lots of miles, practical study, planning, problem solving, working on oneself, and complete autonomy when out at sea. “There are many ways to do one’s work,” explains Luca, “I chose to focus on and make central one valuable asset: people. ”Training people who train people’ is one of the things I love most about my job, and being able to give to people is a great blessing that rewards both the recipient and the giver. For years now, training instructors has become my target audience, and it is always challenging for me.”

And it is precisely the cutting-edge training of its skippers that is Uisp Vela’s main aspiration: “Our goal is to have sailing instructors who are increasingly qualified and up-to-date with respect to the practical needs of sea-goers,” explains Loris Causin, Uisp National Sailing Coordinator – today’s boats are full of technology, and people now sail with computers and smartphones in front of their eyes, so we need to give even in sail training the right space to this new dimension. In this sense, Luca Sabiu is the right person, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and he has the perfect boat, modern, well outfitted and super up-to-date. We run about 150 instructor courses each year, but this is a completely new training experience for us as well and one that we believe in very strongly.”

Technical lessons and demonstrations on the ground at each stage

The Giro d’Italia Formativo Istruttori Uisp 2023 is divided into 3 stages from Liguria to Veneto according to this schedule: Chiavari-Palermo (April 15-22), Palermo-Brindisi with subsequent transfer to Ancona (April 22-May 04), and Ancona-Venice (May 04-06). At some of the stops, special “Clinics” on weather management and safety on board will be organized within the host port(Marina di Chiavari, Balestrate and Marina Dorica).

During these meetings, emergency procedures, equipment and facility troubleshooting, the use of devices such as Epirb, Dsc, Plb, Ais Mob, and Sart will be explored in depth, up to hands-on demonstrations onabandoning ship, opening and using the life raft. In addition to embarked crews, other Uisp instructors interested in expanding their skills in theoretical and practical terms may also take part in these “dry” lessons.

The Class 40 “Flow” sailing instructors’ gymnasium

In the sailings between legs, Uisp instructors will instead grind out many miles under the careful guidance of Luca Sabiu aboard his Class 40 “Flow.” In this kind of boat “workshop” each crew will be dropped into a true “full immersion” covering all aspects of sailing: knowledge of the boat and its parts, use of the maneuvers and the placement of the outfitting, sail trim, anchorages, weather analysis and course planning, knowledge of on-board instruments, charting, and autopilot use. These are all fundamentals that will also be coupled with an in-depth study of the mental aspects of sailing, including skipper leadership, acting under stress, crew roster management, and the rights and duties associated with the responsibility of steering a sailboat. Those who want can follow Flow ‘s location live on the link https://share.garmin.com/flowclass40, while for news and updates on the Giro d’Italia, the reference point is Luca Sabiu’s official website at https://lucasabiu.com.

The sailing instructor profession is moving into the future

In short, the Tour of Italy Training Instructors Uisp 2023 in collaboration with Luca Sabiu represents an opportunity for comprehensive, up-to-date and effective training that will surely lead every Uisp sailing instructor to fully understand where the sailing of the future, as well as to better interpret the meaning, potential and true goals of one’s work.

Sailing is an ancient art that to survive must also be contemporary, adapting to technical evolutions and new ways of experiencing the sea universe. And it is this complex link between tradition and modernity that captivates those who discover and cultivate this wonderful discipline.