This exciting ‘double whammy’ began with a Dinghy Instructor (DI) development day in 2021. Gabby asked a lot of questions, and pushed herself to the point where the coach suggested she went for the SI course, even though she couldn’t make the SI development day first because of university work. He was proved right:
“I learnt so much,” said Gabby. “It was great meeting other instructors and learning from them too. It was just the best two weekends – normally once you’re an Instructor you don’t get taught that much, so learning how centres work was a particular highlight, and will help with the two jobs I’ve got now.
“I would say to anyone, go for it! I don’t come from a sailing background, and I didn’t think I’d pass my DI because I came to it late, so I hadn’t even thought of doing the SI course before I did that development day. I had an amazing time. I thought it would be a lot more pressure than it was, and it was one of the best courses I’ve ever done!”
Being able to continue her university studies while teaching and supporting sailors means Gabby can follow both her dreams at once!
Look out for CPD days and SI courses on the RYA website or by following the RYA South West on Facebook.
