Sailing Tips Blog

May 2010	Page 1 Of 1

Learn How To Sail The Easy Way Posted On 2010-05-25 , 9:35 AM Hi, I am often asked the question "How and where do I start if I want to learn to sail?" Well here are some thoughts .... Sailing is a fantastic sport or hobby, one that provides participants with exercise, adventure and enjoyment in equal measures. It is a pastime that allows the sailor to escape the mundane, humdrum drudge of everyday life to get out on the water where he (or she) is a master of their own destiny, subject only to the whims of the waves and the wind. Nevertheless, it is all very well knowing that sailing is a fantastic hobby or pastime, something that everyone can do (it is not nearly as expensive as most non-sailors might imagine it would be for example), but where do you start? After all, it must be obvious for even the most determined landlubber that sailing a dinghy is going to require some skills and abilities and it hardly likely that you can learn these skills and abilities out of thin air, is it? If you have an interest in learning how to sail, then the good news is that an excellent new e-book called 'How To Learn To Sail' is exactly what you have been waiting for. It is a detailed A-Z guide of everything you might need to know about learning how to sail from the ground up. Even if you have never been in any kind of boat or dinghy in your life, this book teaches you everything you need to know to become a competent sailor in record time. Let me give you some examples so that you can judge for yourself the quality of the information available in 'How To Learn To Sail'. Firstly, there are some basic do's and don'ts, simple things that are really little more than common sense of which are nevertheless need to be aware. As an example, whilst on the one hand the book recommends joining a sailing club to learn the ropes, it advises against booking a sailing holiday if you have no idea whether you are likely to enjoy it or not. Furthermore, it covers all of the essential basics that a sailing beginner needs to know before they start to further their education on the water, the theoretical fundamentals that you must master before stepping onto a boat for the first time. For example, you will learn how the different sails on a dinghy work, and how you rig your boat for different weather conditions. The book also teaches about the basics of making the boat go in the direction you want it to go in, whether you are heading up, down or across the wind. It shows you what you need to know about entering and exiting the dock and what do if things begin to go a little wrong whilst you are out on the water. In short, 'How To Learn To Sail' is a full training course that encompasses everything you need to know before deciding to give sailing a go for the very first time. This is a book that everyone who is considering taking up sailing for the first time will benefit from immensely and therefore, if sailing appeals to you, then this is a book that I would thoroughly recommend you should pick up now. That's all for this week, happy sailing. Martin P.S. If you like these sailing tips why not send us some feedback to support@sailingtips.co.uk or post a comment below or visit our other sailing tips on our website at www.sailingtips.co.uk/sailingtips comment
Triangle Race 2010 - Reefing and Sail Trimming Posted On 2010-05-17 , 8:46 AM Hi, Well we survived the Triangle Race (2010), and lived to tell the tale: Day 1: Plymouth to Falmouth – lousy weather and the wind on the nose (South Westerly), so we had to beat towards Falmouth – we only managed to make Dodman Point by 1630 and our calculations told us we would not make the finish by the cut off time of 2000, so begrudgingly we motored the last leg and found that most of our class had similar problems and had retired also, which cheered us up! Day 2: Falmouth to Fowey – lovely breezy sunny day and a quickish race to Fowey, finishing 3rd in our Class – we put sail trimming to good use. Day 3: Fowey to Plymouth – again a great day but with winds gusting over 20 knots at times we decided to start with a single reef in the Mainsail. Top Sailing Tip: to get the best out of a sailing boat, the sails need to be adjusted for the prevailing conditions; if the winds are gusting or strong then the boat will be unbalanced under full sail and will exhibit weather helm, particularly when beating/close hauled or on a beam reach. Weather helm is when the boat feels heavy to steer and heads up into the wind when it gusts. To reduce this effect and bring the boat back into balance it is best to put a single reef in the Mainsail. If the wind is really strong then 2 reefs in the Mainsail and a reef in the headsail may be needed. Once balanced, the boat will handle better, be easier to steer/helm and will go faster. Often less sail area can mean more speed and a more comfortable voyage! Top Sailing Tip: it is very useful if competent crews and skippers understand and know how to implement sail trimming. This allows you to achieve the right amount of sail with the right shape for the prevailing conditions. When racing, we constantly monitor the sail shapes, the feel of the helm and the balance of the boat and adjust as things change. This keeps the boat going as fast as possible. Look for the telltales to be flying properly and for creases in sails and billowing / luffing. We employed the above techniques to great effect in the Triangle Race and although the yacht is a relatively slow cruiser, we managed to get the best out of her through sail trimming and even crossed the finish line first on the 3rd day. It’s a great feeling overtaking yachts with lower handicaps than yours! When I get the time, I’ll put an article on Sail Trimming in the Sailing Tips area. The organisation and running of the event by the RWYC was brilliant and we all had an excellent long weekend of sailing – many thanks. Hope that helps in some way Martin P.S. If you like these sailing tips why not send us some feedback to support@sailingtips.co.uk or post a comment below or visit our other sailing tips on our website at www.sailingtips.co.uk/sailingtips comment
First Race Of The Season - 2010 Posted On 2010-05-13 , 8:57 AM Hi, Well we managed to finish our first race of the season in 2nd place and everything went smoothly, with a nice downwind leg back to the finish line during which we hoisted our Cruising Chute and furled the headsail and whizzed across the line. That was when our problems started! You see, when we let go the Cruising Chute halyard, nothing happened, it was jammed, so what should we do? We headed up in to the wind to deflate the sail and tried pulling hard on the sheets, but it still wouldn’t budge. As we had finished the race we decided on the following which I think makes a great Sailing Tip: We pulled the sheets ends back through their blocks and then proceeded to wrap the Cruising Chute around the forestay to prevent it filling until we were happy it was secure. This meant we could not use the headsail again until we had sorted the problem. Then we headed back to the marina and moored up. Now we were in a better position to sort the problem out in our own time, without worrying about other issues. Once the yacht was secured alongside we unfurled the Cruising Chute from around the forestay and with several people ashore, the sheets attached to the Clew, along with another line attached to the Tack, were passed ashore and then walked along the pontoon some way to get a better angle of pull on the Halyard block at the top of the mast. The halyard was again released and after several hard tugs, it came free and the Sail was lowered, removed and repacked. So what caused the problem? The end of the halyard which connects to the Head of the sail has a plastic ring around it to prevent the splice from entering the block and jamming it – this had failed to do its job and had slid along the splice exposing a thicker rope taper, which could then jam itself in the mast head roller block. It’s worth remembering that winching up a Spinnaker or Chute halyard like this too hard can cause what happened to us. So it’s best to be aware of this and try and get the sail up fast by hand before the wind fills it, and thus prevent having to resort to a winch and over tension it. What would you have done in the above situation? What if you were at sea and couldn't go back alongside to sort the problem out? If at sea or anchored and reasonably calm, then it's probably a case of getting out the Bosun's Chair and somebody going aloft, probably hoisted by the Mainsail Halyard to identify the cause of the problem and then secure a line on the Chute Halyard quick release coupling. Once that is done you could probably feed that down haul line through a block, secured up forward somewhere, and fed back to a winch and pull down to release the jamm, with the halyard released but under control. That should clear the problem. Hope that helps in some way Martin P.S. Next up is the Triangle Race (Plymouth/Flamouth/Fowey/Plymouth). If you like these sailing tips why not send us some feedback to support@sailingtips.co.uk or post a comment below or visit our other sailing tips on our website at www.sailingtips.co.uk/sailingtips comment
May 2010	Page 1 Of 1