MENTORSHIP & OLD SALTS
JTown is a cooperative club, rooted in its social connections. JTown has no employees and is entirely volunteer-member operated. Members share boats, space, knowledge, resources and more. It often takes more than a shared love of sailing and commitment to a common set of rules to make our club operate smoothly. A strong culture of volunteering and mentorship is one way that JTown continues to thrive sustainably.
No matter your sailing background (or lack thereof), you too can benefit from giving or receiving mentorship at JTown. Mentors can introduce new members, not only to sailing skills, but also to community culture, to other members/mentors, and to club norms/expectations.
Old Salts
JTown uses the expression "Old Salt" to refer to sailors who have completed CanSail 1&2 at JTOWN, or an Albacore - Old Salt Level 1 Test at JTown.
Each year, JTown's nearly 150 Old Salts, participate in welcoming new members, in a variety of ways such as:
- supporting new sailors first few hours in a sailboat;
- helping to lead clinics or classes;
- supporting social events;
- answering questions and orienting new members; and/or
- introducing new members to other members sand club culture/expectations.
Members requiring assistance connecting with mentors are encouraged to reach out to education@sailtoronto.com.
BECOMING AN OLD SALT
One of the benefits of membership at JTown is the revocable sign-out privileges that may be granted for use of one or more of our fleets, subject to the rules and expectations set out in our Membership Handbook. You can apply to become a member, here. Members must be aged 19+ years.
JTown is a community of 200+ people who love sailing, and members without current sign-out privileges are permitted and encouraged to sail while accompanied by any JTown member who holds sign-out privileges.
Most new members will become an Old Salt by successfully completing CanSail 1&2 at JTown. New members with previous sailing experience who are looking to obtain sign-out privileges without taking a course, may apply to complete an "Albacore - Old Salt Level 1 Test".
Successful completion of this test, is a minimum pre-requisite to being granted sign-out privileges for our fleets. Click here for a summary list of JTown's course, clinic, and testing requirements and pre-requisites.
It is strongly recommended that new members seeking to complete an Albacore - Old Salt Level 1 Test, sail a few times with an existing Old Salt on JTown's albacores, to review and prepare to satisfy these requirements, prior to signing up for the Old Salt Test.
Members requiring assistance connecting with mentors are encouraged to reach out to education@sailtoronto.com.
When you're ready to schedule your Old Salt Test, reach out to our volunteer examiner at oldsalttest@sailtoronto.com.
oLD sALT dAYS
Old Salt Days are the first two sessions of a CanSail 1&2 course, where Old Salts are invited to the clubhouse to sail with students to help them enjoy their first on water experiences in a safe environment. This tradition is a fundamental pillar of Jtown's cooperative community. With approximately 16 students in each CanSail 1&2 course, offered about 4 times annually, it takes approximately 64 Old Salts, to provide 1:1 sailing opportunities to new students in their first and second session on the water.
Responsibilities:
The purpose of old salting is not to teach the new sailors.
Old Salts help to ensure a safe first experience on the water (e.g. no uncontrolled gybes).
New sailors will not trim their sail properly, helm haphazardly, randomly tack and not manage their position on the boat.
As long as the safety of people and material is not at risk, old salts should refrain from controlling/explaining/directing everything on board. Just do the minimum to ensure a positive experience.
Requirements:
- Completed Cansail 1&2 at JTown, or Albacore - Old Salt Level 1 Test
- Able to handle an albacore by yourself, with inexperienced guest crew
- Comfortable with some level of chaos on board
- Able to stay calm, accepting of the crew's limited understanding and abilities, and convey a sense of safety to them in all situations
Not required:
- A long white beard, a smoky pipe, a wooden leg and 40 years sailing the seven seas
- An instructor certification, experience or abilities teaching
Tips for Tip Giving:
Old Salts often want to share their knowledge and experience with new sailors. Learning to sail is a challenging and often overwhelming task at the beginning. Sometimes, it may be wiser to skip a piece of feedback, and when we do provide tips, to ensure that the students receive it in a constructive way.
The flow chart below is designed to help Old Salts determine how to act on the feedback they want to provide:
Source: Jenny Green & Julien Meyer