Weather or not.... no sailing this week (sad face)

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Unfortunately we still have some issues with boat-handling skills, control, and especially gybing. We also saw a crash or two, which is why we are having more emphasis on the RIGHT-OF-WAY rules! So we did not sail in Monday's 20+ mph winds.

Javelin donated by the son of the late Jimmy Coxe of Trent Woods, sailing with the New Bern skyline in the background (Cornford photo)

Cadets, do you know what to do to fix this problem (not sailing in moderately strong winds)? Hint- it does not involve controlling the weather!

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Meanwhile we have some more excellent photos of last weeks' action.

Here's a Javelin sailing thru a pipeline gate (link) close-hauled. Nicely done! Of course when you have the Brigade C.O. as crew, it provides motivation to not screw up. You can see that Coach Hittner is feeling the pressure!




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Here's some FJ action- along with some tips on how to sail better!

First of all, sit in the right places within the boat. This FJ is dragging it's transom, which will lead to water coming in thru the bailer (tennis ball). It's also slow, and makes the boat more difficult to keep under control.

Now let's look at the pointers in the photo:
1. Yarn on the side stay, this is always a very good indicator of wind direction and thus which point of sail you should be on.
2. Close-hauled: jib and mainsail should be pulled tight, slightly inside the gunwhale of the boat.
3. The front edge of the jib will be the fine-tuning for the skipper to steer by. There are yarns there to tell the air flow over the sail, and a lifting or bubble in the front of the sail means that the skipper is trying to steer at too close an angle to the wind.

In the above pic, the cadets are actually doing pretty well.
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Here's a beginner skipper at the helm of an FJ... and doing OK! Now, we need to work on keeping control of the boat in tacks, and steering with the hiking stick will help with that.

Yes steering with the hiking stick feels awkward until you get used to it, but it is the only way to be able to keep your weight where it needs to be in the boat -AND- keep full control of the tiller ie steering.


Don't worry, we will get more practice!


... all photos by Assistant Coach Fred Cornford
... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King