Turn To is a traditional Navy way of saying "get to work!" Yesterday was a working day for the sailing cadets. Unfortunately our sailing semester is over, partly due to weather and partly due to the time... when sunset comes earlier than 1700 (that's 5pm to civilians) and we cannot get underway until 1545 at the earliest, there is no way to hold sailing class. It's a shame because we had a nice breeze!The coaches worked earlier to get the Javelin fleet out of the water and unrigged for winter; but we have the FJ fleet to secure.
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The gang's all here! Our "boss sailor" Coach Rezab divides the beginners into crews for each boat. They will have to unrig the lines, take off the standing rigging (we all know what that is, right?), and take the masts down. Then the spars & lines get put away in the storage shed.
Of course, all these boats will get rigged up in the spring, but it's not "extra work" believe me. The winter is very harsh on exposed gear and our boats would quickly become unfit to sail if left rigged all the time.
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Here are the advanced sailors, their task is to get the 5-O-5 unrigged & ready to go to it's winter home in Fairfield Harbour. It is a bit more complex than an FJ and part of what the advanced sailors learn is how to control a more powerful & more sophisticated boat.
The 5-O-5 is a real "sports car" among sailboats, and it is also a great teaching platform because of the visible structural parts and controls for sail shape. And because it is more demanding and much much faster than the FJs, it helps keep the students interested and motivated!
Unfortunately, not everyone in the class completed the sailing qualification. However our advanced sailors have made significant progress on their "Blue Books" (which is the official Navy PQS standard for sailing up thru offshore racing); and most of the beginners who stuck with the class have achieved the basic sailing award.
.So, here they are!
Fall Sailing Class, 2013
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posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King
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