SPLASH !! . capsizing, done right!

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Capsizing a sailboat can be a disaster, or it can be part of the fun. The biggest difference is in the skill & confidence of the sailors. "The Capsize Drill" (our lesson) (link)

Thanks to the Twin Rivers YMCA in New Bern, we have the opportunity to practice capsizing in warm water, calm controlled conditions, and make sure our sailors can do it correctly.

Here is one of our advanced sailors, demonstrating how to grasp the centerboard and ensure the boat will not "turtle" (roll all the way bottom-up). He can right the boat easily by pulling down on the tip of the centerboard,  but he waits to make sure everything is ready.

(photo by Mac Paul, thanks!)

The first step is getting the boat into the pool. Unfortunately, the gates and doors are not wide enough to carry the FJ in. Fortunately, if we tip the boat on it's side, it will fit thru!

 As always, Coach Rezab is leading the way and making sure the process goes smoothly.








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Well, we got the boat in, rigged it (a lesson on Boat Parts & Terminology!), and now we're ready. Skipper & crew are in position, the skipper is simulating steering the boat properly (holding the hiking stick).








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Over we go!

At some point, we should practice HIKING in these boats too, but for now we are just flipping it. The job of puling the mast over is one of the perks for our Cadet Sailing Squad Commander.










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OK, so the boat is really capsized. What do we do?

At this point, both crew & skipper are in the water next to the boat.

 The first step is ALWAYS to check each other's safety.
Coach Rezab is waiting to hear both sailors yell out, "Yes, I'm OK!"







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Now we move on to Step 2... getting control of the situation!

The skipper swims around the transom (hint- this skipper is a good swimmer, but it's OK to pull yourself around holding onto the transom) and gets a grip on the senterboard.











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There are good ways to do it, and not so good ways. This is one of the not-so-good ways to hold the centerboard.

With both hands on the same side, it's harder to keep a good grip, and holding the centerboard by the middle does not exert as much leverage on the boat.








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That's better!

Now the skipper holds the tip of the centerboard, and keeps hold of the righting line. Even a slim or petite sailor can pull an FJ right-side up if done correctly!

The crew also has a job to do- ensure the sheets are free, throws the bow line over to use as  a righting line if needed (there are not-so-good ways of doing this too), and prepares to "scoop" into the boat as it comes upright.

 (photo by Mac Paul, thanks!)


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The last step is when the crew helps the skipper back aboard the boat.


Oh wait, one more step:

They pose for a glamor shot!










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Splash !!

We have 14 sailors in the class, and everybody gets a turn to practice.

In fact, we try to give everybody a chance to perform the Capsize Drill as both crew and as skipper.




 

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 This skipper makes the mistake of trying to stay dry. Sorry, not going to happen! This is why we don't take cell phones sailing.

Actually, trying to climb up the boat is a serious mistake. It will pull the boat over "turtle" very quickly and you'll end up in the water anyway. Also, out in the river, it could break the mast against the bottom.






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Around the transom, now  he's got a grip on the centerboard. You can see the crew throwing the bow line up & over; it is important to get it -aft- of the shrouds (standing rigging).

At this point, the situation is under control. Both sailors are OK, it is important that both keep their hold on the boat (drifting away = big problem). In a real capsize, there may be reasons to wait before pulling the boat right-side up.












The boat comes upright, the crew is "scooped" so as to be in position to keep control of the situation. The boat is more stable with the weight of the crew inside, and she can help the skipper climb aboard.

HINT- it is easier to get aboard if the crew lets the boat heel over toward the skipper. Use your skills and the boat's stability to help!






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Here is our Cadet Sailing Commander demonstrating another way to pull the boat upright. You can see how his body weight is further out from the boat, exerting more leverage than he could on the centerboard.

This is another reason why we sail with shoes on, bare feet are slippery on waxed fiberglass.






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posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King


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Sailing class is making good progress. We have covered terminology, rigging, and the basic Points of Sail (link), and we've been out sailing twice in the Javelins. By now, the students should be able to rig up their boats, hoist sails, and should be able to steer a steady course.

We also have work to do- here is the sailing squad moving the FJ hulls. Teamwork is important!











Obviously if we have been out sailing, and came back, then we must have "tacked" a couple of times too.

Our next lesson will be on TACKING (link) and on STOPPING (link). Both skippers and crews will need to know the proper commands and the proper actions; we will be doing sailing drills soon!




















Coach Jackson, Coach Hallquist, and LCDR Tyson are supervising the working party. 












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Putting up the masts on the FJs. This is why we need to know all the details of how the boats are rigged.

Our boats are simple but there are many details which must be exactly correct.








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LCDR Tyson and Head Sailing Coach Jerry Rezab with the advanced sailors, who unfortunately did not get a chance to show off their skills today in the FJs... the time is coming soon!











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Here is Coach Jackson and his beginners preparing to leave the dock.


There was a light breeze, but it was enough to make the boats move along smartly -IF- the sailors got the moves right!






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More work... putting everything away.  The sailing class is labor intensive for both the students and the coaches, but the lessons learned are very important.



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...  Photos by Coach Fred Cornford
...  posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King


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Sailing Class is under way !!

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NJROTC Sailing Class has begun for Spring 2015... yes it's a real class, and yes we have lessons and grades and all that. We also have a lot of fun, and the cadets who stick with it for a few sessions will really go sailing. In fact they will be skippering their own boats soon.







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Today we actually covered several brief lessons- first we learned a few knots (link), then we got on a real boat and practiced some moves.

All of our basic lessons are available on this web site. If you look over to the left, you'll see a column of "Links We Like." This includes some of our sponsors and supporters, and the 4th one down is "Our Sailing Lessons (link)."

These lessons give the basic terminology, most of which we covered today. Do you remember what the HULL (link) is, and the RIG? What are the two types of standing rigging, and what is the difference between a HALYARD and a SHEET (link)?    .  Hint- the "sheet" is not the sail, it is one of the ropes.

This afternoon we worked with both STANDING RIGGING (to make the mast stand up) and RUNNING RIGGING (to hoist & control the sails).




So, if you are a beginner sailor, and you are mystified by these questions, these lessons should help. We will have more next week, and soon we will not only cover REAL SAILING but we will be practicing how to capsize safely!



posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King



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Sailing Wrap-up for 2014

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 Well, the sailing season is over for us... did we learn anything? It looks like some of us are still getting help from a coach in rigging up the boats!

Actually, as you'll see, these cadets learned to sail quite well.





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Here is one of our new sailors skippering an FJ. The boat is moving well (check out that bow wave), looks pretty good.










Actually, SAILING is not over, there is a winter racing series here on the Neuse River. Some of the coaches & students participate, but it's not an NJROTC function.

What's the definition of a race? Two sailboats going in approximately the same direction! Here we see our Sailing Squad Commander demonstrating his advanced sailing skills... it's difficult to pass another boat to leeward, but he does it.







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Now it's time to put the boats away.

Most semester, the cadets are given a work day ("working party" in Navy terminology) to get everything properly stored for the winter. However the onset of cold weather & winter storms got the coaches to act during the week before, and you can see it was not really a day at the beach!





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This semester, we welcome a couple of new coaches. Thanks to these guys, we have a solid fleet and skilled teachers... hey wait where's the boss? Head Coach Rezab is not in this photo!


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Congratulations to the cadets who achieved the Basic Sailing qualification, and are now officially SKIPPERS! This means a lot, not everybody can do it.

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

Sailing the "Baby Ducks" drill

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After learning about all the terminology, the basic parts of the boat, proving able to rig the sails, having the coaches help while learning to steer and trim the sails properly... now we are proving our ability to sail.


We use sailing drills to practice and improve skills, and to demonstrate control of the boat in different circumstances. In order to qualify as a sailor, our cadets must complete 3 sailing drills beyond the simple (and fun!) "Baby Ducks" (link). But you have to start somewhere!








"Baby Ducks" may be simple. Just follow the coach boat flying the "L" flag. It might be simple but it is not easy, we will sail on all points of sail and carry out several maneuvers including TACKING (link). The students try hard to stick as close as possible to Mama Duck, and the coaches can see directly how much they learned. We can even see them improve as we carry out the drill!












As we sail close together, avoiding collisions is very important. The Javelin on the left is tacking but is directly in the way of Coach Jackson's Javelin. Fortunately the cadet skipper on the left  has good control of his vessel and steers downwind to go astern of the one tacking.

This brings up our next major topic, the Right of Way Rules (link).













These cadets have learned well, sailing faster and tacking more efficiently. With such good control of their boat, they should get promoted to sailing FJs soon!








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This skipper and crew are also doing well, at this point we are just sailing for fun... everybody passed the drill!

 Now comes the time to un-rig the boats and put everything away.

What's the name of this rope, the one we use to hoist and lower the sails? No problem, the jib halyard and main halyard. We can even handle cleat hitches (one of the qualifying knots).


We have good weather, a good breeze, and a very good afternoon of sailing.





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

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Nor for some REAL sailing... good and bad

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Getting underway!



No band playing, but the cadets sailing out from Bridgeton Harbor pass by their CO on the dock.







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Coach Gormley's boat sailing CLOSE-HAULED with a beginner skipper. He is using the hiking stick correctly although gripping it with both hands may be a bit overly dramatic.

There was enough wind to make today's sailing exciting!





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Wait a minute... what is CLOSE-HAULED? By this point in the program, all beginners should know the POINTS Of SAIL. These are very important to remember, in fact all beginner sailors (and most advanced ones too) should memorize this diagram.









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Here is our Javelin, sailed by Coach Gormley's cadets (who did so well, they even sailed back in to the dock), sailing Close-Hauled. Obviously the boat is moving well, the crew is shifting his weight to the high side (which is good, boats sail better when heeling less). Sails are trimmed correctly... now the question, which TACK is this boat on?

Hint- which side of the boat is the wind hitting (ie the high side)?




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Now let's take a look at some cadets who aren't doing so well. For one thing, these cadets have already passed the basic sailing qualification, and should be in an FJ, not a Javelin... especially a Javelin with a coach helping them!

1- jib is trimmed too tight, they are on a beam reach
2- skipper is attempting to trim the mainsail and pull it in by wrapping the sheet around his hand... a disaster waiting to happen.

Coach Jackson, we feel your pain! However these cadets did fairly well at a couple of other things, hopefully they will get back in the groove next time we sail.


We are about half way thru the sailing class, so if you are unclear on POINTS OF SAIL and TACKING (link) then you definitely should review. Memorize the above diagram, no kidding! Plus, it's on your written assignment and yes, the written assignment is part of your grade (surprised? Why?) Maybe it will help if you go thru our On-Line Lessons (link) !!









If on the other hand, you are totally familiar with everything we've taught up to now, then let's move to something new...

What is this boat doing?
GYBING (also spelled Jibing)
It is the opposite of Tacking! It is when you really really need to be careful of the boom!





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Gybing can be done well, or it can be done poorly. It is fully possible (in fact, it has happened many times) for sailors to be injured, for the boat to capsize, or for the rigging to break, when gybing. This is why it is important to gybe properly.

Here is a photo of a crew finishing a good gybe. The boat is not heeling, the skipper did not make a wild turn, both skipper and crew have their respective sheets under good control. Note the skippers hand on the whole mainsheet... this is how to control the boom on a small sailboat when gybing.








Coach Murphy and his sailors... they did quite well, sailing on all Points Of Sail and Tacking properly... maybe next week they will be ready to start sailing drills!















Hey y'all... did you have fun this afternoon ??











posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

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1st actual sail goes quite well... not a lot of wind

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Our first sailing day this semester went quite well. At this point, we are not perfect in knowledge of boat parts & terminology, but we did get rigged up and underway.








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Most of the new sailors sailed the Javelins with coaches help. Here we see Coach Gormley with his cadets. There is not a lot of wind, but there is enough to get the boats moving along.







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The advanced cadets sailed the FJs, getting a bit of a refresher... for example, this spread-out group is supposed to be a "Baby Ducks" drill. However, we did practice tacking & gybing and also stopping... the necessary basic skills!





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Here is Coach Murphy with his new sailors.

 Lighter wind makes it more difficult to see what the sails should be doing, but with good coaching the new cadets kept their boats moving and practiced tacking (link).





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Practice... it's how you get good at stuff!

Stopping a sailboat (link) is a needed skill for advanced sailors and beginners alike. We practice in open water on nice soft buoys, so that we can bring the boat to the nice metal dock later.


... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

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