Fall Semester 2013- First day on the water... well a little more wind would be nice

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 Today we did not have GREAT sailing weather, but we did have weather so we went anyway.

There was little wind, it was cloudy but it didn't actually rain on us...and nobody fell in. This photo shows Coach Rezab dividing up the new  sailors (or hopefully-soon-to-be sailors). Just so you know, this group is a little more than half the size of NB-NJROTC's largest sailing class we've had, but has the potential to be the best sailing class!

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Now everybody has been assigned to a boat, and to a coach, so off we go!.
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See! We -did- get on the water. We even hoisted the sails! So who remembers which one is the halyard and which one is the sheet? There is also some othe stuff to remember, and our goal is to be able to rig the boats with no help or advice from our on-water experts Coach Gormley, Coach Jackson, and Coach Murphy.

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This is Coach Murphy's group in their Javelin. Did we review safety procedures for handling a boat around a dock? Did we learn a little bit about ropes and knots? Did we cover to safely get in or out of a boat? How about the real name for the pointy end?

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 MORE on Ropes & Knots- we sailing coaches decided a while back to not expend sailing time on ropes & knots. This means that you will need to either soak up the required Basic Knots (bowline, figure-eight, clove hitch, cleat hitch) during our sailing time OR learn & practice at school. There are rope & knot practice stations in Top's classroom, and any of the advanced sailors will be glad to show you. As a result, you will get MORE sailing time!

OUR SCHEDULE- so far very few people in this class have attendance above 33%. That is not a big deal for the first three classes, but we have a lot of material to cover and limited time. If you miss a sailing class, you should take the initiative to learn that day's lesson and make sure you practice the skills.

 

Mon, Sep 9... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school   already done

Sat, Sep 14... Bridgeton Harbor 1200 already done
Mon, Sep 16... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school already done

Sat, Sep 21 ... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Sep 23... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Sep 30...
Mon, Oct 7...

Sat, Oct 12... MUMFest
Sat, Oct 19... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Oct 21... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Oct 28...
Sat, Nov 2... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Nov 4...
Mon, Nov 28...

... posted by Assisant Coach Douglas King

You can learn a lot in the parking lot

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Pilots have ground school before they can fly an airplane. We sailor have something similar, especially because pilots don't need to assemble their planes before flying!

We need to learn how to rig the boats before we can sail. Today's lesson for the beginners focused on parts of the boat, how it all goes together, and the terminology.

This photo is the ADVANCED sailors stepping the mast on one of our Javelins. The beginners are all in the classroom at this point.

Yes, you will need to know this! Here is our on-line lesson about BASIC boat parts & terminology. If you missed today's class, you can still get into the Sailing Squad but we only have so many days and a lot of things to learn & do, so work to catch up!

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 Before you can sail a boat, you need to know how the sails go up & down. Before you can make the sails go up & down, you need to know about the MAST (and of course the BOOM too), about halyards and cleats We start with these very basics to the cadets learn the TEAMWORK of rigging up their own boats. .. .. ... ..... ........ .......... ...... ...... ...... .... .... ...... ...... ...... .......... This photo is our beginners starting with the most basic skill.... how to sit in a boat. Not a joke, there are at least several wrong ways to do it!

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Here's the engine that makes it go!

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This coming SATURDAY we will be out at Bridgeton Harbor cleaning the boats & getting them more ready for the fall semester's sailing. Time= 1200 (or noon for those who have not gotten the hang of military time)

Just to be sure, here is the semester's calendar

Mon, Sep 9... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school   already done

Sat, Sep 14... Bridgeton Harbor 1200
Mon, Sep 16... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school

Sat, Sep 21 ... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Sep 23... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Sep 30...
Mon, Oct 7...

Sat, Oct 12... MUMFest
Sat, Oct 19... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Oct 21... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Oct 28...
Sat, Nov 2... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Nov 4...
Mon, Nov 28...

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

Sailing Schedule for Fall 2013... R U ready?

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Summer vacation can be a beautiful thing... unfortunately it is OVER for this year

Time to crack the whip books and get with the program!

This summer is the first time in several years that we have NOT had a hurricane to help us warm up for the beginning of school.

Here is the schedule for our 2013 Fall Sailing Program
Please note that we have some Saturday sessions scheduled, this will increase the time on the water

Mon, Sep 9... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Sep 16...
Sat, Sep 21 ... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Sep 23... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Sep 30...
Mon, Oct 7...
Sat, Oct 19... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Oct 21... 1500 (3pm) or ASAP after school
Mon, Oct 28...
Sat, Nov 2... 0900 (9am) to 1300 (1pm)
Mon, Nov 4...
Mon, Nov 28...

In order to pass Basic Sailing, cadets will need to demonstrate skippering a boat through selected drills. Sounds easy? OK come show us!

More Summer Sailing

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New Bern NJROTC cadet helping to train younger sailors in sloop sailing.











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These younger kids have already been sailing cat-rigged (one sail) boats and are now learning about bigger, more complex rigs.

The NJROTC sailors begin with sloops, which require teamwork as well as sailing skills.










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Having turned the "sloop sailors" loose to figure out that pesky jib, the NJROTC cadet now is sailing along with the Opti kids... is he just beating them up (if so, bad news: you're behind them) or offering helpful hints?

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Here is a GOOD version of the "Baby Duck Drill" (link). NJROTC sailors take note!

When sailing as "Baby Ducks" the idea is to keep close together, following the Mama Duck. This demonstrates being in good control of your vessel.

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More wind, just one lone "Baby Duck." In the choppy water, the girl in the red Opti was having a bit of trouble keeping out of irons, so our helpful sailing cadet led her along on a close reach.

ETYSA (link) offers a sincere THANK YOU to the NJROTC cadets who helped out with our sailing camp!

Summer Vacation... first sailing report

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Not only has summer vacation started, but 5 of our cadets have already spent a week sailing!

West Ashley NJROTC in Charleston SC holds a Sail Academy during summer, five of our cadets completed it with flying colors. Since each of the five has already passed our basic sailing program, this is not a surprise.

However, we sail in Flying Junior sloops and Javelins, down there they sail Lasers (aften 2-up although it is designed to singlehand). So it was a different experience!

Here is an exceprt from a cadets' report:
"I just returned today from Sailing Academy in Charleston. It was a great week and had lots of fun sailing those tippy Lasers. Our cadets performed very well in comparison on the water. The wind was great except for just one day, and I have many stories to tell."

No photos (yet) but this post from last year, at the same place & same boats, should give an idea
Link to Bulldog Regatta 2012 

... posted by Assistant Sailing Coach Doug King

Last Sailing Day of Spring 2013... Javelins + Wind + Qualified Sailors = FUN!!!

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Another windy day... the Neuse River Live Weather Buoy (link) says we had winds in the 15~20 knot range... and we reefed the Javelin mainsails for the first time.

 "Reef" means a shallow spot in the water but it also means to make a sail smaller. Here you can see how, along the boom of this Javelin. You can also see that this nervous beginner skipper is not comfortable with the tiller extension just yet!






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Reefing the mainsails was partly to see how the boats would perform, and partly because we still have 2 basic sailors who need to finish their qualifications. The advanced sailors normally turn their nose up at the Javelins since they are so much heavier than the FJs -but- when the wind and chop kick up like this, the Javelins are fun too!







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 Playing Baby Ducks (link) again

Who has the Right-Of-Way here?

answer- the white boat has Right-Of-Way over the yellow (gold) boat, which is why the yellow boat is turning to miss them.







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 Another of the drills today was practice starts. The coach/rescue boat gave a 1-minute signal by flag & sound, then gave time at 10 second intervals (50, 40, 30, etc) and a final 5-4-3-2-1 until GO!

Here we see 'Boats' (the new sailing squad commander) a few seconds late but definitely hauling the mail... I'd call this a good start!




CONGRATULATIONS and 'Bravo Zulu' (that's Navy talk for "well done") to the cadets who completed their Basic Sailing Qualification today.


... ... ... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

Excellent excellent day for sailing... not bad sailing either

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NOTICE- our next sailing day will be next Tuesday May 21, not Monday!

After several Mondays of bad weather, we had an absolutely beautiful day with some real wind. The average wind strength was around 10 kt (what is the difference between a knot and a mile per hour? (link)) but we had gusts up to 18, which is enough to more than get your attention.


The Javelins do not have hiking straps! However these cadets are getting more power by getting their weight up & out as far as safely possible.



Today we sailed all 3 Javelins, plus Coach Murphy generously used his own boat again. The advanced cadets (did anybody bring their blue book?!?) were not enthusiastic at first, but in the strong winds that kicked up for much of the days sailing, they did manage to get some thrills anyway.







Here is one of our beginner skippers, learning how to hold the tiller extension. This photo shows one of the good ways to NOT hold it! This cadet did quite well for most of the day's sailing, however.







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Right-Of-Way situation! Here is Coach Murphy's personal boat, a Montgomery 15, with a Javelin headed right at it.

Which boat has the Right-Of-Way? The yellow Javelin has the wind coming over it's port side, the Montgomery 15 is on the opposite tack.

Both cadets in the yellow Javelin are advanced sailors, and the skipper is doing the right thing by letting his mainsail luff. This slows the boat down and makes it easier to bear away and pass safely astern of the Montgomery 15.







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Which is exactly what he is doing! We teach 'when in doubt, pass the other vessel's stern' and that is what happened here. A nice safe interaction between two boats in close quarters, despite the gusty winds.



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Baby Duck Drill!

Everybody GO!!!

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more Baby Duck Drill

Everybody STOP!

This was well done, even by our two beginner skippers in the two Javelins behind.







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Here is another of our beginner skippers, learning to work the mainsheet & steer at the same time. He is doing well at holding the hiking stick and steering on course, although his crew has the jib pulled in too tight (as shown by the "telltale" ribbons near the leading edge of the jib).







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Time to go in... sailing is over for today.

In the lee of the dock, it is deceptively calm. There is also a strong current running down the river (left to right in this photo) which makes it easy to stop short of the dock.


Next Tuesday will be our last scheduled sailing day this semester. Several beginner sailors missed todays session, and several beginner sailors HAVE NOT completed the qualification they need to become Basic Skippers. However we sailing coaches understand that exams are coming up and STUDYING takes priority. Generally our sailors do very well academically and we encourage that.

...posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King