Light wind is better than not sailing at all

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 At first there was really no wind. In order to get away from the dock, we used the paddles.

Hey it's important to learn about PROPULSION right ??

Paddling takes some skill too, it is not as easy as it looks.
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Then the wind actually came up a little, so we started sailing.

Here is the group trying to get together to start sailing a Baby Duck drill





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Can you hear me now?

Let's all get going in the same direction, so we're all on the same point of sail, and we can practice the same maneuvers!

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Now it looks like a plan is starting to come together.

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 Here is a beginner skipper with an advanced sailor as crew, focused on steering accurately and getting the sheets adjusted properly for the point of sail. The boats are actually gliding along at about a walking pace, so they are definitely SAILING
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The plan IS coming together! Although in this light wind it is difficult to sail close-hauled, so we led the Baby Ducks on a close reach. Then we tacked. Actually this photos is after several tacks, we are about to rotate skippers in the Javelins.

Guess who is skippering the 5-O-5? It is zipping past the other boats easily!
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Here we see the red-stripe Javelin practicing how to STOP (link)... very important.

This is true of -any- vehicle: if you can't stop, you are not in control

Hey FJ#3 you did know you were supposed to stop here, right?






Today was a good day of sailing practice, we did an actual sailing drill (link) and practiced some things we need to pass this course. Paddling isn't one of them but it was fun and it was good exercise, and there is certainly a skill to it that takes a bit of learning.

...posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King


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Mumfest Sail 2013

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Once again the Sailing Squad put on a sailing demonstration for Mumfest.

The weather was favorable, with enough wind to really sail and comfortable temperature; it was a cloudy day but we didn't get rain while on the river.

The first step is always to rig up the boats. Then we briefly reviewed Points of Sail (some of the advanced sailors need this too)  and the basic maneuvers of tacking (link) & gybing. (photo by Head Coach Jerry Rezab)

Our sailors got plenty of practice in both today, and the improvement was dramatic!

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Everybody had a relaxing sail towards Union Point, the wind was northerly so it was a Run and much of the time was spent sailing wing & wing.


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Then the fleet pulled itself into formation as we attempted to put on a really impressive demonstration of sailing skill

(photo by Head Coach Jerry Rezab)

Which boat in this pic has Right-Of Way? Why?

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There were some gusts in the wind, making our day a bit more exciting at times!

(photo by Head Coach Jerry Rezab)




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One thing you should know about our Oday Javelins... they don't have hiking straps! However it always helps "power up" if you can get more weight UP! Boats sail the fastest and are easiest to steer when they are held relatively level.


(photo by Head Coach Jerry Rezab)

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Lunch Break! It would have been a great photo to tie up next to the ADA MAE



(photo by Head Coach Jerry Rezab)




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Here we are with the Cunningham Bridge in the background. Somewhat loose formation, can't we tighten this up a little without risking a crash? Oh well that's why we practice.

One issue the coaches had was to be aware of al the other boat traffic on the river. The bridge was on restricted hours during Mumfest, so there were several large motoryachts milling around waiting plus sightseers and fishermen.  The cadets concentrated on sailing their boats, we kept them out of other trouble!

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One the way home... working on sailing Close-Hauled (point of sail) which is a bit tricky and requires paying close attention as well as fine
control of the helm. It's a couple of miles from Union Point to our base at Bridgeton Harbor so it was good practice.

This was also the closest formation we had sailing all day. Nobody saw but us coaches!

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Back to home base... now we unrig the boats, put every thing away properly, and get on with whatever we are going to do AFTER SAILING





... posted by Assistant Coach Doug King

Practice practice practice

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Tacking drill!

Weather not so good, we have the remnants of Tropical Storm Karen coming over... strong winds, threatening rain... no actually it did rain...

 At this point, we should know how to rig the boats, and know all the basic terminology. That part went relatively well today






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What about the advanced sailors? This program has quite a few sailors who have gained a higher level of knowledge and skill. Today was a day to learn & practice some navigating.









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 In strong wind, we have a method of making the sails smaller. This is a slight added complexity, most of the advanced sailors already know about REEFING. The beginners figured it out o-k.













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And of course, rigging up the boats involves showing the coaches that yes, you can tie the proper knots. 

So we got the boats rigged up, we got skippers & crews organized, we worked on POINTS OF SAIL and on TACKING. Frankly we are a little behind where the class should be, partly due to weather and partly due to lack of study. To pass this course, beginners must learn to skipper a boat thru all points of sail, the basic maneuvers, bring the boat to a controlled stop, and be familiar with the basic Right-Of-Way rules (link) so we know how to drive properly and not crash. This is what it means to be in control of your vessel. We are barely scratching the surface of the first two goals!

We may have a chance to gain a lot of sailing time, and some good practice, this coming Sunday Oct 13th; the New Bern NJROTC Sail Squadron has put on sailing demonstrations for the past few MumFests (link). Hope to see you there!

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King






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