NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: FREDDIE SARGENTS FIRST SEASON AT CLUB VASSNEW KID ON THE BLOCK: FREDDIE SARGENTS FIRST SEASON AT CLUB VASSAfter several visits to the legendary centre at Club Vass on holiday, Freddie Sargent decided to take the plunge and ask for a job as an instructor. From visa battles and pre-season setup to boardshorts rash, party night performances and sailing every day surrounded by some of the best windsurfers around, Freddie talks us through the journey from being a guest to Club Vass crew memberand what its really like being the new kid on the block.Photos: Protography!WINDSURF: How did you get the idea to do a season at Club Vass and what were you hoping to gain from the experience?FREDDIE: I guess the idea first came up when I was on holiday here over two years ago. I have been coming as a guest to Club Vass for probably the last 10 years give or take. A windsurf season is one of those things Ive always wanted to do and it just made sense to it at Club Vass because I already know a lot of the people.WINDSURF: How did you get the job?FREDDIE: I first talked to Ollie (Scott) about getting a job here 2 years ago, but I only really had a proper discussion with him last year. He was fairly relaxed (as relaxed as you can be running a resort in peak season) about the whole thing and just asked me to come and find him for a chat at some point during my stay. He was very approachable and he offered me a job on the spot on the condition that I tackle the list of qualifications required.WINDSURF: Did you already know a few of the instructors and did you have an idea what the job entails?FREDDIE: I knew most of the instructors but I had absolutely no idea what the job would entail, I worked for Simon and Jane at 2XS so I knew what it was like to work on the beach and teach windsurfing but working at Club Vass is very different to 2XS in a couple of ways. I actually read Dan Barringtons article that he wrote for windsurf magazine the week before I came out to try and get an idea of what the next 4 months of my life might look like.WINDSURF: What training was involved and what courses did you have to do to be qualifiedhow tough were the courses etcFREDDIE: I already had the beginner windsurfing instructor RYA qualification which I would say is the most important qualification. I had to get a couple more certificates though in order to work here: the RYA ICC (international certification of competence), the RYA PB2 and rescue boat qualification to be able to drive the rescue boats here at Club Vass. Ollie wanted me to get my intermediate windsurfing and my beginner wing foiling instructors but unfortunately I wasnt able to get either of those. The biggest hurdle however was the Greek long stay working visa which was a proper mission for everyone this year and required multiple trips to the global visa centre and the Greek consulate office. Ollie and Benita however where very helpful and supportive for all of us during the process.WINDSURF: When did you arrive in Vass and how was it settling in?FREDDIE: I arrived on the third of May and Ollie books all of his staff a taxi from the airport. I arrived before the season started so I had a couple of weeks of working to get the club into ship shape before guests started to arrive. Settling in was fairly easy as I already knew a lot of the people and I was sharing accommodation with everyone I didnt know so I got to know them pretty fast anyway.WINDSURF: How much rigging and set up did you have to do to help get the centre ready for the season?FREDDIE: We stock three brands at Club Vass: Severne, Duotone and Goya. I arrived after the Severne kit delivery but before the Duotone and Goya deliveries so I didnt have to as much rigging as some people but still did a lot especially as this year we have basically got all new gear and havent kept much gear from last year. I had blisters on both my hands from screwing foot straps into boards.WINDSURF: What was it like the day that Club Vass openedwas it all hands on deck etc?FREDDIE: It wasnt so bad, it was a little stressful but in the first week we only had around 50 guests and in peak season we would normally have around 350 so even though we didnt have as much staff as we would during peak the centre still felt quite quiet and I feel like we coped pretty well.WINDSURF: How did the first week go for you and how did you settle into the teaching?FREDDIE: In my first week I was shadowing Alex Roe who is another instructor at Club Vass who is on his third season now and is very good at it. Spending a week watching him work set me up very well for taking a class of my own and I wasnt thrown in the deep end, the responsibilities were introduced slowly which was great.WINDSURF: What is a typical day / week for you like for you so far?FREDDIE: In a typical day we have a morning meeting at 10 and then meet our groups at 10:30, we teach until 12 and then break for lunch then teach again from 2:30-4:30 depending on the class. After the afternoon class finishes we velcro our names to a board in the beach hut which allows us to track and operate a rotation system where we all get to go windsurfing for 40 minutes at a time if its windy. After the last windsurfer is in we put the cages back on the racks and close the centre for the night before enjoying a cheeky half in the sun with the team and the guests at the beach bar.The weekly routine depends on what class we are teaching but generally Mondays are for meeting the group and finding out what each individuals goals are for the week. Tuesdays and Wednesdays we go out on the water and film either with a GoPro on the head of one of the instructors or on a camera from a little floating platform in the middle of the sailing area. Thursdays we are down in the video room analysing the footage from the last couple days, before going on the water in the afternoon with the feedback still fresh to try and see as much improvement as possible.Friday we try and get as much time on the water as possible as it is usually the last day of sailing for the guests. This time is really good to cement the progress made over the week.WINDSURF: What is the toughest part about the job?FREDDIE: I cant really think of many bad bits about the job, we get loads of time on the water and everything is free, but if I had to pick something I would say the boardshorts rash is no joke.WINDSURF: Do you have to do the party night duties and how did you find that?FREDDIE: Yeah we do the entertainment every Friday night. Some of the performances are fairly tame (usually when we have kids staying) and some performances are a little more far out, but they are always a good laugh for the guests and for us.WINDSURF: Was it embarrassing or did you find it fun?FREDDIE: The first rehearsal in the first week of the season was a little awkward because it was new and I didnt know anyone very well but the beach team are all super close now. So its not really embarrassing when we are rehearsing and then when we go on stage to perform its fine because we are all up there together. I think if had to perform on my own I would find it embarrassing though. It helps that its a very well trodden route and I know that everyone working here has done all of the performances at some point.WINDSURF: How much time do you get to sail yourself?FREDDIE: We have a rotation system so when we have finished teaching our lessons we put our names on the board and everyone takes turns to sail for 40 minutes. The lessons are great as well especially if you are teaching intermediate or advanced groups because you get to go windsurfing while you are teaching to follow the guests around. This is also a great opportunity to try out all the club kit.WINDSURF: Are you enjoying the sailing and learning.FREDDIE: 100% more than ever, Im improving so much quicker than I ever have before here because I am sailing every day and am surrounded by people that are better than me. The team are all very willing to offer tips about tricks which is great, and everyone is very motivated to improve.WINDSURF: What do you love about the job so far?FREDDIE: I wasnt expecting to love the area as much as I do, it is a really cool place and theres mountains everywhere you look. I never really noticed how beautiful the place actually was because I am usually so focused on the windsurfing when Im here. Ive also discovered loads of new places that I didnt know existed in the area. Theres also the obvious reasons I love the job to do with the windsurfing. Not having to cook is great as we get three meals a day for free.WINDSURF: How have you fitted in with all the crew?FREDDIE: Pretty well I would say. I already knew a lot of the people from coming on holiday here. There are a couple of new members of the beach team this year but they are all really nice and we all see each other a lot as part of the job.WINDSURF: Is there any initiation for new kids on the block at Club Vass?FREDDIE: Not any more, its fairly tame these days but Ive heard some rogue stories about how it was in the past.WINDSURF: What do you love about Club Vass so far?FREDDIE: Everything is great but it has always been about the windsurfing, so I would say just the chance to windsurf every day in boardshorts. The social side of it is also great though.WINDSURF: Have you got friends and family coming on holiday during the season? FFREDDIE: My family is coming out in July for a couple of weeks, which will be great. I had a mate come and visit me a couple of weeks ago for 4 days which was really nice, and I have another group of friends coming out in August.WINDSURF: How many days a week do you work and what do you do on your day off?FREDDIE: We work six days a week. Half of the beach team is off on Saturday and the other half is off on Sunday. I am off on Saturday so I usually spend the morning sleeping off Fridays legendary Club Vass BBQ. If its windy in the afternoon I go windsurfing and if not we find something in the area to. There are a lot of nice beaches near by and they are very quiet in the off season so it is nice to visit these and swim.The post NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: FREDDIE SARGENTS FIRST SEASON AT CLUB VASS appeared first on Windsurf Magazine Online.