Classes begin !!! Mondays R 4 SAILING

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From now until the end of the semester, Monday afternoons are SAILING days.

We have already had class sessions, if you missed out then you can still catch up. We will have a written assignment on this coming Monday (Feb 21).

As one beginner put it, "This is like a real class, and stuff." Yes it is!

We have a few cadets who started last fall that are almost qualified on the basics, and are ready to take on the Blue Book. This is for those motivated few who want to earn their sailor's aiguillette.


What is the Sailor's Aiguillette, you ask? We should probably cover this (briefly) in class... the aiguillette is (as any cadet should know) a special uniform decoration. The New Bern NJROTC awards one to members of the Sailing Squad who have qualified to not only skipper a small sailboat for an afternoon of fun, but to teach, to plan, to navigate, to use radio communications, to perform rescue operations if necessary... in other words, the full range of knowledge & skill to take command of a vessel & crew.

Earning this qualification is a serious undertaking. We have several cadets who been working on it for 3 semesters and more; a few are getting very close. This past Monday (Feb 14) was the first time that a classroom session on Navigation was taught. We will have at least one more classroom session, when possible we will have advanced classes for those who are qualified.


Do you have to take it this seriously? Sailing is FUN after all!!

The answer is no... any cadet is welcome to join the sailors but we take safety seriously. It takes teamwork to get the fleet underway, and that is part of the enjoyment.

I hope this sunny weather is getting you all to thinking about going out on the river.

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

Sailing Lessons On-Line... Table of Contents

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We have sailing lessons included in this web site, but this is a BLOG so they're not together nor in order. Here is a way to find them...

Glossary- Makes it easy to look up those funny sailing words

Basic Boat Parts (link) ... the Hull

Basic Boat Directions (link)  ... which way?

Basic Boat Parts (link) ... the Rig

 Basic SAILING- ....How sailboats GO ... or not ... (link)

                               Tacking 01 (link) 

.                            How to STOP (link)  when you don't have brakes!

Our Capsize Drill (link) ... all the gory details, how to do it right plus what NOT to do

Basic Sailing- Ropes & Knots ... (untangling it all) (link)

Right-Of-Way Rules (link) ... yes, you need to study these

More Boat Parts (link) ... slightly advanced lesson on the Rig

Basic Aerodynamics (link)

Sailing Upwind Efficiently (link)

Buoyancy & Stability, part 1... all boats obey the Laws of Physics

More Aerodynamics: the FOIL part 1 (link) ... where does Wind Power come from?


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Basic Lesson... Parts of the Boat , chapter 1

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Learning to sail requires learning a new language.

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It is romantic to consider 'the language of the sea' but it is practical to realize that -all- specialized fields such as medicine or engineering also have their terminology. A person could not get far as a doctor if they said "those air-thingies" instead of "lungs" (or better yet, referred to pulmonology)... and you will not be able to sail very well if you don't understand what the other sailors are talking about.



You already know some nautical terminology (link). In the same way, and for the same reasons, computer terms are becoming a common part of the language nowadays.

And when we think about computers, we generally do not think about all the parts at once, as seperate items. It is much easier & sensible to think of components & systems & subsystems... the video card, the main bus, the power supply... each of these is made up of smaller parts within it, and we identify these smaller parts both by their function and which system they fit in.


It helps to do the same with sailboats. We can easily divide the sailboat (any sailboat) into two major systems: the HULL and the RIG. It is so obvious that you can see even small children do it.


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The Hull: it's purpose is to keep everything afloat (duh). Some people think of it as the "body" of the boat. We could use a big waterproof box as a hull, but it works better if it shaped to move thru the water easily... so it has a pointy end. It also works better if it has the shape and the width to have stability (more on stability in the advanced section).


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The HULL has a few basic parts we need to know: the BOW (rhymes with "wow") or front, the STERN or back, the GUNWHALES (pronounced "gunnels") which are the outer edges all around, the DECK, the TRANSOM (which is the flat section across the very aft-most part), and the THWART which is a cross-piece inside the hull.


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Basic sailors will also need to know the CENTERBOARD, the RUDDER, and the TILLER although these might not technically be parts of the hull, that is the overall system they function with.

When learning the names of these boat parts, keep in mind their location within the boat, and also their function. For example, the GUNWHALE (rhymes with "funnel") is sort of like a rim around the hull, it is a structural part which increases the strength of the hull, and it has a rubber strip which protects the hull from smacking into things like another boat or a dock.

(link) Next Lesson on Boat Parts & Terminology


... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

Basic Lesson... Directions On A Boat

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Are the directions on a boat the same as on land?


In one way... yes!

In another way, HECK NO

We still have up & down, east & west, north & south, faster & slower (aren't these directions too?). On a boat, we still have Ahead & Behind but we call them different names.

Is this silly? Yes and no, there are a lot of things on a boat which are totally different from anything on land, or on any other type of vehicle. So of course they have very different names.


When a person says "Forward" you know what they mean, if they said "Fore" you could probably guess which direction it mean. If they said "aft" or "astern" then you might be able to guess or you might not.


Two entirely different & new directions: "Starboard" and "Port"


These are the right-hand side (starboard) and the left-hand side (port) of the boat, and they remain the same FOR THE BOAT when it turns around. In other words, when you're facing forward in the boat, starboard is to your right. When you are facing the stern, starboard is to your left.

To be a sailor, you will have to -know- these without even thinking about it.