Another Classroom // Parking Lot session

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Well, we did not have the opportunity to go sailing today.

BUT we are committed to improving and learning; we certainly accomplished that. After working at learning parts of the boat, terminology, and getting a chance to see how it all works together, we review a bit to make sure this is truly known & familiar... and we have a couple more steps to take with some new material.




Is this a lot of "stuff" to learn? Yes
Do we need to learn this? Only if you want to actually be able to sail. Look at it this way, you will not be able to drive a car if you are not sure what the pedals do, what that dial means on the dashboard, or what the big round thing does. In order to sail, you need to know the ropes & knots, you need to be able to rig the boat correctly from putting on the rudder to hoisting the sails, and you need to know what the ropes do... when to pull in? when to ease out? ... and of course, what that stick thing does.


Looks like we pretty much GOT that part!

On to really sailing the boat!!!

HERE (link) is our Sailing Lessons On-Line page... just for a refresher, yeah sure...

 < here's a photo of today's practice. Coach Rezab is helping these cadets learn how to TACK (link to lesson) which comes in handy because our river is not wide enough to keep sailing the same direction forever. You have to turn around at some point.


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Today's lesson introduced POINTS Of SAIL.

This is absolutely critical knowledge, along with wind direction. If you know these two things, sailing will be relatively easy. If you don't learn this diagram, expect to be fuddled next time we go out on the water.






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 The skipper and crew each have their places in the boat, and each have their tasks.

Next time we sail, more FJs and (hopefully) more cadets doing some REAL sailing ... ie no coach at your side, telling what to do!




... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King




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More photos ...

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Coach Jackson and his sailing students... assuming the mainsail is trimmed correctly (which we should assume it is, knowing Coach Jackson!), can you tell what Point Of Sail they are on?

BTW this was our first Javelin, donated in 2010





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The advanced students rigging up the FJs













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One of our new sailors (on right) took the opportunity to sail with the advanced crews. This is a great way to learn, the action is a bit more fast-paced, the boats are more responsive... also more tippy!

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Here is Coach Rezab in our 2nd Javelin. This cadet is doing a good job steering, the sails are trimmed correctly... look at the little ribbons streaming near the front edge (luff) of the jib.









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 Advanced cadets FINALLY rigged and ready to sail... it's true they have more work to do than the beginners in the Javelins, but we should be able to get sailing in 15 minutes not 50 !!!








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Two FJs pacing each other


















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 Time to go back in... already !!!

Here you can see why it's important to use the hiking stick (tiller extension). This boat is in fairly good balance (weight further forward would be better), if the skipper had to lean far to the lee side to steer, it would be difficult to balance & keep in control.




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Yes, we went sailing today!

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The NJROTC fleet gets underway! 

Beginners sailed in Javelins with coaches along to help & advise, the advanced sailors rigged up & held practice in FJs. The weather was beautiful and it was a great session as well as big fun.

 Here we see Coach Jackson's newbies learning how to steer, and how to work the sheets... it all requires the ability to see the wind direction!


Is something wrong here? Isn't that front sail supposed to be on the same side as the larger back sail ???
(answer- not always! What Point of Sail are they on?)






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Coach Rezab's bunch also worked hard at learning skipper & crew tasks. In small vessels, the skipper usually steers... in this case, he is steering quite well and is using the tiller extension properly. Well done!

Meanwhile, one crew keeps the mainsheet and anothe the jib sheet. These must be adjusted according to the wind direction, which determines the Point of Sail




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Coach Murphy's boat moving along smartly, obviously the sails are adjusted well and the trainee-skipper is holding a good course. Needs to practice using the Hiking Stick though, because in tight maneuvering or in stronger winds the human arm is not long enough to reach as far as the tiller must be pushed/pulled.

The NJROTC sailing program bought new sets of Javelin sails last fall, and these are in great shape. Remember a sail is a working aerodynamic FOIL, not just a big piece of cloth.



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Meanwhile, over at the beach, the advanced sailors (plus one newby) are rigging up the FJs. They were kinda slow today, must be out of practice.










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Definitely out of practice... if you look at the big version of this pic, you can see the yarns on the shrouds telling this "advanced skipper" that he is sailing downwind... but he's not listening, the sails are pulled in tight!

However the boat is balanced, helm in good position, they did a good series of tacks & gybes and actually outran the other FJs chasing them, so things weren't all bad.





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Here we see an advanced sailor.. who often is the skipper but in this case is the crew... completing a "crew task" of coiling & stowing the long ends of the halyards. Lines must be kept untangled and out from under foot. This skipper is also doing a good job steering with the hiking stick... the FJs are tippy and the emphasis is often on HIKING (not quite enough wind today)






Today's lesson was on STEERING and handling the SHEETs, hopefully we learned to recognize the POINTS of SAIL and we practiced TACKING. We should already know all the basic boat parts, terminology, directions, and rigging. We -should- have made a good start on ropes & knots. The sailing students have to move fast to keep up, in order to pass (and earn the ribbon!) you must be able skipper the boat thru basic drills by the end of the semester!

Don't forget we have a written assignment... ... you can refer to the books in LCDR Clark's classroom, or get a copy of our textbook, use our on-line lessons (link), or any other reference.

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King





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Basic Lesson... ROPES & KNOTS

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1.           ROPE- The basics: You can’t push a rope

Becoming a sailor means “learning the ropes.” This is a general expression for getting to know all the various bits & parts of a complex task; and it holds true here.

      
  How strong is rope?

 

               Very Strong! Breaking strength of 1/4” line (like FJ halyards) > 1,000 lbs.

               Safe working load can be anywhere from 1/10 to 1/3 of break strength.

                 Tying knots in a rope weaken it by approximately half

           

Double Braid Rope

       There are different types of rope, & different material used. They have widely different strength & stretch characteristics

IMPORTANT: a ropes “strength” has no relation to its “stretch”

                        Abrasion resistance is very important, a hard edge chafing against the rope can cut thru

                   it within moments.

2.           If you can’t push a rope, what –CAN- you do with it?

a.    Coiling and flaking (also called “faking”)

                    i.      Coiling a rope for storage, coiling for ready use, and coiling for throwing are all different

                  ii.      Stored coils of rope are kept dry & out of the sun

b.        When a rope is IN USE on a boat, it has a specific name.

           i.       generally, ropes on a boat are called “lines” not rope.

         ii.      Be prepared to learn to tie at least 3 kinds of knots

       iii.      During sailing sessions, remember to practice with ropes & lines, in addition to all other skills

c.        Simplest and most important line on any boat: the one holding it to the dock.

           i.      Cadets may use a clove hitch or cleat hitch to hold the boat’s dock line, but until an instructor has checked, you must not leave a boat unattended while it’s afloat.

         ii.         Prevent the boat from hitting against the dock. Fend it off, but do not get any part of your body caught between boat and dock.

Repeat C ii : Do not get any part of your body caught between boat and dock… or between 2 boats

What is this CLEAT thing?

           A “cleat” is just a rope-locking device. There are many types

       Tying the knot: which one for which job?

Remember that tying knots in a rope or line will weaken it!

 

Bowline Knot- Complete

  Bowline (illustrated)- 

.... used to make a loop

 .... very secure

.... always easily untied

            note- the “bow” in “bowline” is pronounced just like the “bow” you shoot an arrow with.

 The bowline is one of the most useful knots you will ever learn

Bowline Knot- Step 1

Bowline Knot- Step 2

 

Bowline Knot- Step 3

 

To tie a bowline, instructors often say to use your imagination.

Imagine the long part of the rope is a tree. 

 You make a hole in the tree with a slight twist of the rope... now the end of the rope becomes a bunny!

 In Step 3 as illustrated, the bunny goes thru the hole and around the tree. 

Bowline Knot- Step 4

In Step 4  and Step 5, the bunny goes back out thru the hole, and the only remaining work is to pull the "tree" tight and the knot is complete.

Bowline Knot- Step 5

 

 

 Figure-8 or stopper knot- keeps a line from running out thru a pulley (block) or a fairlead.

The Figure-8 is commonly tied at the ends of sheets.

 

            Clove hitch (left)- secures rope around object, will not slide 

 To tie a Clove Hitch- bring the rope around the pole and under itself. Move up a little, then go around & under (thru the middle) again.

 

                  Cleat Hitch (below)- used for specific lines where cleats are provided, such as halyards & dock lines.

         Why is this important to learn?

Lines & knots can be critical rescue tools

Fall Semester 2013- First day on the water... well a little more wind would be nice

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 Today we did not have GREAT sailing weather, but we did have weather so we went anyway.

There was little wind, it was cloudy but it didn't actually rain on us...and nobody fell in. This photo shows Coach Rezab dividing up the new  sailors (or hopefully-soon-to-be sailors). Just so you know, this group is a little more than half the size of NB-NJROTC's largest sailing class we've had, but has the potential to be the best sailing class!

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Now everybody has been assigned to a boat, and to a coach, so off we go!.
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See! We -did- get on the water. We even hoisted the sails! So who remembers which one is the halyard and which one is the sheet? There is also some othe stuff to remember, and our goal is to be able to rig the boats with no help or advice from our on-water experts Coach Gormley, Coach Jackson, and Coach Murphy.

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This is Coach Murphy's group in their Javelin. Did we review safety procedures for handling a boat around a dock? Did we learn a little bit about ropes and knots? Did we cover to safely get in or out of a boat? How about the real name for the pointy end?

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 MORE on Ropes & Knots- we sailing coaches decided a while back to not expend sailing time on ropes & knots. This means that you will need to either soak up the required Basic Knots (bowline, figure-eight, clove hitch, cleat hitch) during our sailing time OR learn & practice at school. There are rope & knot practice stations in Top's classroom, and any of the advanced sailors will be glad to show you. As a result, you will get MORE sailing time!

OUR SCHEDULE- so far very few people in this class have attendance above 33%. That is not a big deal for the first three classes, but we have a lot of material to cover and limited time. If you miss a sailing class, you should take the initiative to learn that day's lesson and make sure you practice the skills.

 

Mon, Sep 9... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school   already done

Sat, Sep 14... Bridgeton Harbor 1200 already done
Mon, Sep 16... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school already done

Sat, Sep 21 ... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Sep 23... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Sep 30...
Mon, Oct 7...

Sat, Oct 12... MUMFest
Sat, Oct 19... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Oct 21... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Oct 28...
Sat, Nov 2... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Nov 4...
Mon, Nov 28...

... posted by Assisant Coach Douglas King