• Calendar option is generally the easiest to see all sailing events coming up by month

• For a quick check of your registrations use the My Registrations menu option

• Use the Member Resources menu option to get to this members and crewing information site. 

• Unless advised otherwise - meet at the ship berthed on the North side of Elizabeth St (looking across to MAQ 1 / Regatta grounds) 

Codes used to list sailing events 

• TSTA stands for Tasmanian Sail Training Association which is the organisation that manages the Lady Nelson. It indicates an event organised by the association like our public sailings and training events rather than a private charter even (that you can also volunteer to crew on)  

• TSTA HS x 2:  The 'HS' code is for a 90 minutes public Harbour Sail (HS). The x 2 means we are running 2 sails on that day (usually departing 11am and 1pm) . 

• MSR is the code for Marine Safety Refresher which all crew need to do once every 6 months. You may see TSTA MSR + HS which would mean an MSR crew only training plus a single harbour sail for the public. 

• Times listed on the sailing summary are departure and arrival times - not the times you need to be onboard or when the crew will be done after the sailing has completed. 

Unless you receive a communication providing information about times to be on onboard, use the following guide:  

• For harbour sails (HS) and passenger voyages  - please be on board at least 1 hour before the start / departure time .

• For non-passenger sailings such as training and marine safety refresher (MSR), 30 min before the scheduled departure is OK but we do encourage you to come on board earlier to go over line positions and what they do.

• When you register, it's an expression of interest (eoi) - in the week leading up to a sailing, the crewing officer will review the list of registered eoi's and update to either 'accepted' or 'not required' depending on the type of sailing (harbour sail, multi-day voyage), the number of eoi registrations and the crewing mix of experience.  

• The system currently does not auto email a confirmation when 'accepted' (something we are looking into). We recommend you login and check the status of your registrations leading up to the sailing date.

• For multi- day voyages the crewing officer will email  confirmed crew and 'not required' crew who will be on the standby list. 

• Sometimes we need to cancel due to bad whether or the client charting the ship cancels. We will always try and contact confirmed crew by mobile SMS but we strongly advise a good habit is to check the sailing before you leave home.

• For all passenger based trips it's preferred crew wear Lady Nelson blue uniform such as shirts or jacket. These can be purchased from the office once you have decided to crew regularly. 

• Sailing gloves are needed as soon as you can - basic gardening  gloves or similar will do for the short term but most crew get sailing gloves that leave the fingertips uncovered. Closest place to buy gloves near the ship is  Peter Johnston Ship Chandlers (21 Morrison St). They cost upwards of $25 - Burke Leather Sailing Glove – Peter Johnston Ship Chandlers .  

• Bring warm clothes - it can get cold out on the water and the weather can change quickly.

• Bring rain gear if there is any suggestion of rain (good idea to just always bring rain gear)

• Lunch

  • If we are out all day and it's a public sailing, the day trip will likely be catered for (that information is usually advised to you). There is usually a small food levy for these trips

  • If we out all day for a crew training sail - bring your lunch. There is fridge and microwave.

  • If it's a harbour sail (HS) day or an MSR Training + Harbour Sail day where we return to the wharf around midday you can buy your lunch from somewhere close by but it's typically a short break of 30 minutes so most crew bring their lunch so it's quicker to eat.  

• Important: bring your blue log book and yellow competency training book  - if you have not been given either of these, talk to the bosun on your next trip.  

• When you arrive, let the Master know and place your blue log book on the Chart table in the aft cabin. Crew generally help out the Master by adding the date in to the current row. 

Do's

• Treat your sailing colleagues like you would your work colleagues. If you wouldn't say it work, it's probably not appropriate onboard.

• Talk to passengers - they love to hear the stories about who you are and why you have joined the Lady Nelson

• Do be on time or even a little earlier so you can just walk around the ship and remind yourself what lines do what.

• Do tell us if there is something you are not happy about - we can usually fix the problem.

• Do speak up if you notice something you think is not correct or potentially a treat to safety. Frame it as a question if you prefer e.g. "Should someone have told the person on the helm we are heading directly for a buoy" 

Don'ts

• Don't go aloft with things can fall - cameras, tools etc  need to be tied on to your person. Objects dropped can be VERY dangerous

• Don't be too quick to start mentoring other new crew  - leave it for the more experienced crew 

• Don't squeeze past people unless you check they are ok for you to do that - particularly in the galley and saloon

• Don't enter the galley area in front of the stove if there is a cook is working in that space - it's their area to manage.

•  Don't throw things overboard like fruit peel - they will float for a long time before decomposing. The rule for discharging food scraps is:
  Food scraps cut into 2.5 cm pieces and when we are greater than 3 nautical miles from shore       

Training is an essential requirement for all crew - both for your safety and the safety of the ship and passengers as well as developing your skills to be a competent crew member.

TSTA internal training qualifications:

• Trainee - all new members start as trainees following your SIT (Safety Induction Training program) 

• Deckhand - basic sailing and ship competencies  

• Senior Deckhand - advanced competencies 

• Engineers Assistant - competencies specific to the ships systems 

• Bosun - second in charge under the master and manages the deck 

AMSA Qualifications

• Engineer - Responsible for the ships engine and systems - minimum MED2

• Master - Full responsibility for the ship - minimum MASTER 5

You will receive a training competencies book that details the various competencies for each of the TSTA training levels. 

Each competency has a date and 2 signature sign-offs by a Bosun or Master to record completion.  The two signatures ensure you can demonstrate the competency on two different sailings. 

Training days and multi-day trips are the ideal opportunities for mentoring and sign offs.

The short 90 min harbour sails are also an opportunity if you are proactive and tell the Bosun what you need to achieve but are dependent on meeting the needs of passengers as the priority

In addition to general training days, the following formal training programs will be scheduled during the year:

• MSR - Marine Safety Training - requires every 6 months

• ESS - Elements of Shipboard Safety - Nationally Recognised Training - recommended for senior deckhands. 

• First Aid - recommended for all crew. Run by St Johns Ambulance, we regularly schedule sessions where crew attend as a group 

When you first start sailing on the Lady Nelson you will be assigned a mentor/buddy on the day who will show you what to do. This may be for the entire sailing or just some specific tasks such as a skill from your training book you are working on. The mentor will be an experienced crew member.

Tips for being mentored

•  Mentors are usually assigned by the Bosun on the day - if you want one and one has not been assigned, ask the Bosun to assign someone (you can request someone onboard as well)

• Be in control - if you have something you want to focus on, let your mentor know

• If you need more or less instruction, let them know

• Be aware that everyone wants to help and you may get told different ways to do things - check with the Bosun or a senior crew member to clarify the correct way.

• If your mentor is not giving you enough time to work things out for yourself - tell them you learn better when you can work out for yourself and you will let them know when you need to be shown.  

The TSTA and Lady Nelson Office is located on level 4, 24 Davey St.

This where you can pick up uniforms or pop in and say hello (or volunteer to help!!)

Enter via the doorway 100m up the hill from the intersection of Elizabeth st and Davey St - use the intercom to get the door street level door opened. 

The office is staffed on a volunteer basis - call 6234 3348 to see check if someone is there 

Contact email for the office: enquiries@ladynelson.org.au

Current Office Volunteers

• Heather Forrest

• Maureen Lum

• Ann Benda

• Richard Shaw

When on board the Lady Nelson, the Master is in charge of the ship and the Bosun is second in charge.

The Bosun runs the deck and should be the first point of contact if you have any concerns or questions your fellow crew members can't answer.  

It's essential you familiarise yourself with the association's policies and procedures .

In particular:

• Code of Conduct

• Working with vulnerable persons (you need a Working With Vulnerable People card)

• Covid 19 policies

• Drug and Alcohol policy

• Conflict Resolution  

We take your safety extremely seriously. Ships are by their very nature dangerous working environments.

• Follow any request from crew, Bosun and Master regarding safety

• Stay alert, the ship can move suddenly 

• You must wear a harness and clip on anytime you leave the deck. You will be trained before climbing.  

• If you hurt yourself or have a near miss you need to fill out an incident/accident form. 

• These are located in the aft cabin.  These forms go to the Safety and Training Committee to see if there is any need to change our practices or change the training.

• They also will form part of the documentation for any future claim on the ships insurance; as a record of what happened. 

• Our insurance covers medical expenses that are not covered by Medicare and any private health cover you may have.     

• Any treatment must be under the direction of a doctor ·        

• If you are injured or have a claim against the insurance you need to be medically certified “fit” to be able to rejoin the vessel.

Incident Report Form

• For all passenger based trips it's preferred crew wear Lady Nelson blue uniform such as shirts or jacket. 

• These can be purchased from the office once you have decided to crew regularly. 

• Bring warm clothes - it can get cold out on the water and the weather can change quickly.

• Bring wet weather gear if there is any hint of rain on the weather forecast .     

• Sailing gloves are needed as soon as you can - basic gardening  gloves or similar will do for the short term but most crew get sailing gloves that leave the fingertips uncovered. Closest place to buy gloves near the ship is  Peter Johnston Ship Chandlers (21 Morrison St). They cost upwards of $25 - Burke Leather Sailing Glove – Peter Johnston Ship Chandlers .  

• Street parking - there is limited free street parking on Saturdays, more available on Sunday (Argyle St opposite the maritime Museum is the closest)

• The closest multi-level all day parking is Market Place ($8 on weekends) or Argyle St.