Sailing Javelins + our 5O5

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We had a good spring breeze this afternoon; enough wind to make the boats "do what it do" and bring some choppy waves also. We planned to get wet, right?!?



This is the closest we got to a "Baby Duck" drill (link) today. Sorry but this is not good enough. About half of the sailors, including some of the ones who are supposed to be among the advanced sailors, simply cannot control their boats well enough to get in position and maintain it.


The semester is rapidly coming to a close, and we have just 2 more scheduled sailing days. This means we might get another chance to sail, or we might not. So far only 1 basic-sail cadet has worked at completing sail drills.





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Here's where all the baby ducks come to a full stop, to let the other baby ducks catch up. The 5O5 is so much faster and more powerful than  the Javelins that it is challenging to keep in formation, but 'Really' did a pretty good job.

You can see by the wake that the yellow Javelin has stopped (actually they have just pulled in sheets to get going again) and the 5O5 has done the same, except the 5-oh! burns rubber.

Oops- you can also see that the 5O5 crew has not tucked their bowline away securely. Dragging the bow line can cause big problems, such as wrapping around the centerboard. We know this for a fact (although luckily it did not happen this time).



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Pass! 
Literally passing the coach boat after practicing how to STOP, but also passing the drill. Well done!











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Here's the 5O5 coming out of a tack. The sea breeze was starting to kick up, waves make the boat more of a challenge. Two of our advanced sailors took turns skippering this hot-rod.

Unfortunately we did not get any good pictures of the 5O5 at full speed today. It was just a BLUR I swear !!








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Last year we got new Javelin Sails from National Sail Supply (Rolly Tasker Florida)(link) with windows, reef points, full-length top battens, and heavier grade cloth than normally spec'd for this size... we wanted them to last long in hard use. These sails give the boats good performance, even in lighter winds, and here you see our red-stripe Javelin blasting thru the chop.

Hope we get another good day of sailing, this semester has been difficult with the weather.

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King



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