Sailing Today..... yes, finally!

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This afternoon was beautiful, sunny, not too hot, there was even some wind! After weeks of bad weather, we were really glad to get out on the water and see how much we remember about SAILING.







For the first time this year, the advanced sailors took out the FJs and had some fun in the "sports car" boats. A few of the less-experienced were nervous at first, but all had a good time and everybody gained some good practice.

At the far left, you can see the cupola of the old Post Office in historic New Bern,  with some of our boats and cadets sailing...... the one coming towards the camera very fast is an FJ


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Here is the single most important thing to understand about sailing: the Points of Sail, which is really just a way of describing and defining the angle of the boat to the wind.

 The coaches were a little disappointed that the cadets are still weak on this, let's make we master this diagram..... it's simple, really!








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Here's two of the advanced cadets finding the excitment in sailing an FJ. They are preparing to gybe, just as a gust hits.

HINT: it is easier to steer downwind in strong winds when the vang is tight

Standing up in the boat is often a "show-off" move but it is also a good way to capsize, or fall overboard. In this case, the boat is trying to swerve one way while the skipper is trying to steer another way, and the crew cannot decide whether to hike out to flatten the boat or to wrestle with the jib sheets. 

 A close call? Not really, the two boats passed with a safe distance apart, and both were under good steering control the whole time.

In the event that the boats were coming too close, which one would have Right-Of-Way? (link) This is still a topic to be covered in this spring's sailing class!

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Two beginners with Coach Jackson..... each took a turn as "skipper" this time, and did well.

Can you tell what "Point of Sail" this boat is on? You can see by the wake that they are moving along nicely, so the sails are set or trimmed correctly......







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Here's an FJ zooming by a Javelin, as well it should. For one thing the FJ skipper is one of our best sailors and has some racing experience.

 We encourage sailors to move into the FJs as soon as they can, because these boats are not just faster, but they are more responsive (better feedback for learning) and with only two people, the cadet sailors gain much more experience quickly.





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Three beginners with Coach Hittner.

Are they ready to take command of the boat on their own, next week? That's what we are working toward.




 ...  written & posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King



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Weather Delay, Practice Tacking

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Windy and chilly on the dock

We've had several weeks of bad weather and have not been able to go sailing.

Today was only medium-bad weather, so our sailing class held a sailing exercise although we did not go out sailing.














 Today's exercise was a mix of review... terminology, rigging, steering, Points of Sail, and tacking... and new material.

The boat was tethered to the dock, so the skippers and crews could practice without risk of the boat going out of control, crashing, or capsizing.

Practice controlling the boat, without risk

This way, we can practice the moves that skipper and crew must make to succeed in controlling the boat when sailing for real.

One of the things we learned is that the wind is always shifting slightly, changing direction and gusting. This is a challenge!

The skipper steers (with the hiking stick or tiller extension, please) and handles the mainsheet. The crew helps hold the boat level, keeps lookout, and controls the jib.

When making a maneuver like TACKING (link) there are several things that skipper and crew must do.

Just to make it clear, TACKING is when a boat makes a turn towards the wind, and continues to turn until the wind is on the boat's other side.

The first thing to do is to prepare. The skipper tells the crew (crews: don't say you're ready until you're REALLY ready!). Then the skipper puts the tiller towards the sails (remember T-T-T) and the boat begins to turn.

As the boat turns into the wind, the sails will cross over and the sailors do, too..... the crew must handle the jib sheets, and the skipper continues to steer the boat in the turn.

When the boat is sailing on the other tack (boats are always "on" either starboard or port), the skipper straightens out the tiller and now the boat is sailing again.






Here is a diagram of the POINTS OF SAIL. This is very important to remember.

Next time, we hope that the weather will be good and most of the beginners will be ready to sail for real.






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