All Hands "Turn To" ... sailing class complete for 2013

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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.

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So, here they are!

Fall Sailing Class, 2013







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posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

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No more Daylight Savings , means sail until sunset

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We've been squeezed for time the whole semester... one might say, our whole lives... but now with the shifting of clocks back for autumn the sun sets about the time we usually return from the day's sailing.




Our sailing exercise today was three-fold...  1- rather straightforward Clock Drill (link) an excellent way to work on basic skills;  2- demonstrate STOPPING which we've worked on for the past few sessions; and  3- demonstrate & practice the Right-Of-Way rules (link) which is our new material for the next few sessions.




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In the Clock Drill, the buoys are set in a circle, so the students must sail on every point of sail, and they must tack & gybe successfully. It also offers many opportunities to demonstrate how to stop a sailboat properly, from any approach angle... although we keep it simple for the beginners.

Fun?!? (photo by Fred Cornford)





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Okay, which of these two boats has the Right-Of-Way? It's one thing to remember the rules, it's another to think ahead and apply them to a developing situation... especially when you are not too good at keeping the boat from getting stuck in irons...





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It takes TEAMWORK to make the boat sail. Everybody has a job, although the skipper gets all the glory (or the blame).

(photo by Fred Cornford)










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 Meanwhile, the advanced sailing cadets had some pretty exciting racing... the Clock Drill is good for practicing close-quarters maneuvering, encourages tight tacking and learning to accelerate the boat on any point of sail... it looks here like FJ#3 is locked out of the lead, but they ended up way ahead by the time they went around the circle.







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 Approaching sunset tinges the sails, these cadets have finished their sailing exercise and are taking it easy...

(photo by Fred Cornford)

We had to combine several lessons into one this afternoon, because we have fallen further behind as the semester went on. Most of the beginner sailors did not really have the level of skill they should, and fumbled badly trying to maneuver their boats... although they did pick up the simple right of way rules, there were a couple of collisions and lack of control was obvious. We have more to learn, and we're fortunate that the coaches are patient and willing to continue teaching!

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

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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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