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This afternoon was the first day of real sailing. Most of the class had never been out on the river before, much less under sail, but fortunately the coaches and the "old salt" experienced cadets were there to make it go smoothly. The weather was bit grey but the cold of winter has lost it's grip, there was a nice breeze, and the boats were REALLY SAILING !!
Coach Gormley on the tiller, steering the boat out of Bridgeton Harbor. With new (fall 2012) sails, the Javelins have good power and hustle right along... when the sailors knows how!
The advanced cadets set out in the Flying Juniors, carrying out a variation of the Clock Drill (link) and refreshing their skills. Most have not sailed for a couple of months, even though the sailing clubs on the Neuse River are active thru the winter, our sailing program stands down to give the students time to study for exams.
Wind from the SSW makes the river a bit choppy and makes the railroad bridge into a potentially disastrous "lee shore."
Coach Hittner and his crew of newbies just getting out into the river.
If a cadet was sailing this close to the bridge, the coaches would be very unhappy. Coach Hittner sails this Javelin close-hauled and tacks to get the boat a safe distance upwind of the RR bridge.
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Coach Jackson and two cadets in our third Javelin. The sails are eased out and the boat in on a BEAM REACH point of sail.
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For today's sailing exercise, Coach Murphy brought his own boat. At 15 ft it is only slightly longer than the 14' Javelins, but obviously with a ballasted keel, a cabin, and motor, it is a much bigger boat in other respects.
Now let's see what the advanced cadets are doing. Looks like a gybing duel!
Who has Right-Of-Way here? What maneuver are they doing? How do you get your boat going a little faster, so you can pass the other boat?
By the end of the sailing semester... hopefully before then... the newbies will know these answers, and will be sailing almost this well!
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Here's why the FJs are the sports cars of our little fleet. They are faster, can sail very close to the wind, and very responsive.
These cadets are good but not perfect: sit a little further forward in the boat, match the trim of the jib sheets to the main, and HIKE the boat flat.
Looks like a lot of fun!
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After a bit of coaching, the FJ sailors got in the groove sailing CLOSE-HAULED. Note where sails are: pulled in tight but not too tight. The mainsail in just inside the transom corner, the foot of the jib is on the foredeck.
Although it feels good & exciting to let the boats heel 'way over, it is faster & easier to control when held flat, as you see here. This photo was taken during a lull in the wind, for most of the afternoon these cadets were hiking out.
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Just after a tack... skipper is hiking out, crew is still getting organized... get those sails IN and get going, FJ#1 is getting further ahead!
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Newbies putting their Javelin away after an excellent time sailing.
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The advanced cadets put their FJs away.
You can see that all of this; getting underway, handling the boats skillfully, and putting the boats & all gear away properly; takes a strong team effort.
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... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King
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