SPLASH! ... capsize at the 'Y'

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Here is how it starts: bringing an FJ to the Twin Rivers YMCA pool.

The coaches get everything ready.










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Then the class shows up

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This time of year, the pool is covered by a "bubble" roof.

We have to carry the boat in through a door.











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To fit in thru the door, the FJ hull is tipped on it's side, and one group of cadets hands it in to another group waiting inside.











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Now we have to put up the mast & rig the boat. What are the names of all these parts, again?











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Now we're all ready! Who is going to go first?

We have a few advanced sailors in the class this spring, and they actually run the drill.







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No wind inside the "bubble" so no sails. However, the skipper & crew (beginner sailors) are in position.

 In the water, an advanced sailor swims the boat into position. Another advanced sailor cadet is on the foredeck ready to pull the boat into a capsize







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 Into the water!

FJs get very unstable when a person is standing on the foredeck, so this part is easy.










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You never know how people will react when suddenly dumped into deep water. One big reason to practice is so that if it happens in real life the shock effect will be much less.



 


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 Step 1- make sure all persons on board are OK






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Step 2- get control of the boat

This means one person (usually the skipper) holds the centerboard to ensure the boat does not turn completely over (turtled).










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 The crew has a job also, tossing the bow line (painter) over the gunwhale to give the skipper greater leverage, to ensure the sheets are not tangled and the sails free, and to "scoop" into the boat as it comes upright.






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 Step 3- the boat is upright, the crew is on board, help the skipper in and sail away!









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Everybody in the sailing class got their chance to show they have learned the CAPSIZE DRILL












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Then, as always, there is work to do. We put everything away properly, being 'squared away' is one of the marks of a real sailor.

In this case, the first step is to drain the water out of the boat!

 Next week, we hope to show what we've learned about rigging and sailing... everybody remember TACKING?  ... but hopefully not capsizing because the river is still cold water.

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King



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A Good Beginning

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What do you do with a sailing class when the students are ready to go, but the weather is not? Monday was cold and windy, in particular the river is still dangerously cold (water temp around 42 degrees). Gusts approaching 30mph made teaching beginner sailing impossible.

(photo)Chaos? Not really, just getting the sailing gear out of storage. Learning to put on a lifejacket, and adjust it properly, is part of "gearing up."




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We've already learned a little about care of sails, now we put it to use: Stored dry & rolled neatly, the sails are never dragged or crumpled. Both the Javelins and the FJs have relatively new sails, and we use them hard but we take good care of them.







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Now we're out on the water! We learned a little about our sailing area, and weather driving our winds; now we are getting organized to actually get on the boats!


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We have rigged a boat in the parking lot, now what is different about doing while afloat? For one thing, the boat actually rocks & heels!

This is the tricky thing about any practical subject: for every single lesson, there are at least a dozen smaller lessons within that one, about how you actually achieve the goal. In one way, it's how we have made so much progress over the centuries!




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Now we are underway!

Er, umm, not really underway so much, but our lesson is under way! Today we practiced how to steer, how to handle the sails, and a bit of teamwork in making the boat GO.

We learned a lot today without ever leaving the dock, which was much safer than going out on the river.

One specific part of the lesson is TACKING



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A good way to learn is to WATCH others, then you can avoid mistakes! These sailing cadets patiently await their turn to practice steering, handling the sheets, and TACKING. When they got into the Javelins, they did an outstanding job!



This coming Monday, March 7, we will go to the Twin Rivers YMCA in New Bern for capsize drill. After that, hopefully the river water will have warmed up a bit and we'll get some good weather for really sailing (and not capsizing).

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King
... photos by Coach John Jackson