Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category
August 5th, 2010 | 
Author: How many people have been on holiday, seen people sailing dinghies and thought “Id love to try that” ?
The best advice to be given to anyone wishing to start dinghy sailing is to take your time, don’t rush into anything and don’t try running before you can walk. First thing to do is to read around the subject and at least gain a basic understanding of what is involved in owning and buying a sailing dinghy. The Internet is an ideal place to do such research and this will be of great help when you start learning to sail.
We dont recommend you buy a dinghy and try to learn to sail yourself. Much better to either go to a recognized training center or join a sailing club. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Learning to sail at training center means that you can book lessons to suit yourself and you should receive professional instruction. The downside is that it can be expensive. In our opinion joining a sailing club is the best way to learn. You will meet a variety of boat owners, get advice on the different types of dinghies available etc. You will almost certainly have the opportunity to crew for members which is an excellent way of gaining experience. Many dinghy sailing clubs are focused on racing. Dont let this put you off. Although it may not seem appealing to a beginner, dinghy racing is an excellent way of improving your sailing techniques.
If you are lucky enough to have a choice of sailing clubs in your area go visit each one. Ask yourself
What are the members like ?
Were you given advice ?
Were you made to feel welcome ?
Do they offer any sort of training ?
What sort of boats do they sail and at what times ?
Unfortunately many clubs forget about attracting new members and concentrate solely on racing without realizing everyone has to start somewhere. Gone are the days when all sailing clubs had waiting lists of people to join. Many clubs are now beginning to realize they must actively seek new members to maintain numbers and in some cases survive. See our sailing clubs list to find a sailing club in your area.
Don’t rush into buying a boat. Most clubs usually have a few boats which members can use. Take advantage of this fact until you have more knowledge about dinghies and have decided if sailing is for you. Also offer your services as a crew for members with double handed boats.
When you eventually get to the stage of buying a boat you should have a good idea about what you should be looking for. It’s easy to waste money buying a boat that may be unsuitable. Your local club is an excellent place to buy a boat as people constantly trade up. The best thing about buying a boat from your own club is that often people will know its history, its faults etc.
For additional advice, continue reading here:
http://sailing-basics.com/sailinglink.php
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Anyone who has ever thought of owning a boat should definitely look into Plans4Boats. This easy to follow guide will show you everything you need to know to make your boating dreams reality. You will get diagrams and plans that break down the entire boat building process in a style that makes it possible for someone who has never stepped into a workshop to create a seaworthy vessel in very little time. Whether you are an experienced boat builder or have never held a hammer, this guide will have something to teach you about the craft of building boats.
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2. A Few Words About the Creator of Plans4Boats.
The author of Plans4Boats has been building boats professionally for years. He put together this system so that anyone who ever dreamed of owning a boat would have the ability to make that dream come true. He will share with you all of the techniques and tricks he has learned through his years of experience so that you don’t have to learn them all the hard way like he did. Learning to build boats using this system will make you feel like you have an expert craftsman in your workshop with you guiding you the entire way.
3. Not a Shortcut Guide.
Plans4Boats is not just a basic outline for boat building. It will teach you how to put your boat together quickly, but it will also teach you some of the things you need to know about shop safety and how to use tools properly. You’ll learn what materials you need and you’ll learn the most efficient way to use your materials, which will expand your craftsmanship tremendously.
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(If the below seems a little too advanced, I’d suggest reading a guide, similar to here)
A spinnaker is a large sail that replaces the Genoa in light winds, it has its own technique when spinnaker handling and it must be emphasized at this stage, that there is no substitute for practice or development to flying a spinnaker.
A spinnaker is probably one of the more difficult sails to hoist, being in light winds and a large sail area it can have a tendency to twist and tangle around the forestay if not hoisted correctly.
Firstly the spinnaker should be packed into its sailing bag in the correct manner. The port, starboard and halyard connection eyes should be tide off to the sail bag top after packing the spinnaker into the sail bag, and in preparation of connecting the port, starboard sheets and the spinnaker halyard.
Equipment and rigging a spinnaker.
There are many different makes of equipment from which to choose when equipping a new boat. Choose the most suitable for your boat that will take the appropriate loads and size of spinnaker.
You will require a spinnaker pole that is the correct length and diameter for your boat, it will have an up & down haul mid connection eyes, the end connections should be snap-on stainless steel piston type with quick release trip lines.
The spinnaker pole will connect to the mast by clipping one piston end of the spinnaker pole onto the fixed eye on the mast. The up haul and down haul system should then be connected to the mid pole eyes. The other end of the spinnaker pole will be clipped to either the port or starboard sheets whichever is on the windward side of your point of sail, it should not be connected to the clew of the spinnaker. The object of the pole is to help the wind flow into the sail area and maintain the shape of the spinnaker.
The up haul and down haul system will be fully adjustable and controlled from the cockpit. The down haul will be taking the entire load from the spinnaker and should be rigged accordingly. The up haul will hold the pole in a horizontal position when set.
The port & starboard sheets will be connected to the spinnaker and then run back to the stern of the boat and round a suitable roller cleats and returned to the spinnaker winches, therefore being controlled from the cockpit of the boat.
The spinnaker halyard should have a swivel connection to the spinnaker head; this will help the spinnaker in adjusting itself when being hoisted.
You are now ready to hoist the spinnaker, steer the boat with a favorable windward intake into the spinnaker. You will need one crew at the spinnaker bag to assist the emptying of the sail and free any tangling that might happen thus, shaking it free.
The main spinnaker halyard should be hoisted as quickly as possible but keeping one eye on the spinnakers wind filling progress and adjusting the port and starboard sheets as required. The spinnaker pole can be finally adjusted when the spinnaker is fully hoisted with the up and down haul winches.
When you come to dropping the spinnaker sail it should be undertaken as follows;
Use the port or starboard sheet that is on the leeward side of the sail i.e. the opposite side to the spinnaker poles position. On the command of the skipper the spinnaker halyard will be released and dropped under control, at the same time a crew member will pull in the sail using the port or starboard sheet chosen and trying not to get the spinnaker sail in the water!. The spinnaker sail could then be packed back into its sail bag correctly ready for re-hoisting at a future time.
• Always, maintain a safe speed of your boat so that it is easy to maintain control of your vessel.
• Keep a proper lookout for sight and hearing to prevent any possible collisions. Make use of your common sense if faced with a dangerous collision situation.
• While overtaking another vessel, you should stay away from the path of the vessel and thereby try to overtake. Rather, you should never come into the path of a sailing vessel.
• If two sailboats are approaching each other with wind on different sides of the boat, sailboat with port tack should give way to boat with starboard tack. Port tack means having wind on your port side. Your port side refers to left-hand side of your boat if you are facing the front.
• If two boats are on the verge of collision and all safety measures have failed, basic sailing rules indicate if other boat is on your starboard side, you should give way to that boat. Starboard side refers to right-hand side of your boat if facing the front.
• If two boats are approaching each other with wind on the same side of each, windward boat should give way to leeward boat. Windward side refers to boat sailing in direction of the wind while leeward side refers to boat sailing against direction of the wind.
• If during sailing, you come across a boat that has restricted maneuverability or is not under command, you should give way to that boat and allow it to pass.
• When passing through a narrow channel, you should sail as close to the outer edge as possible.
• Normal sailing instructions indicate that sailing vessels should not come into the path of large vessels or ferryboats. These boats find it difficult to change direction abruptly and could require substantial time in doing so. Therefore, noncommercial powerboats normally give way to sailing vessels.
If learning to sail seems enticing, I would suggest to visit a boat show with seasoned sailors. If you’re in the area, the 37th Annual Newport Boat Show is coming up, April 15 – April 18 … worth checking out
http://www.newportinwaterboatshow.com/
I would still encourage you to get a cheap guide – learning how to sail for the first time is often overwhelming; but talking it through with someone who has more experience can help sort information out.
Tags: 
The Modern Sloop
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Racing Sloop
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Fractional Sloop Rig
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Cat Rig
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Cat-Rigged Racing Dinghy
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Ketch
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Yawl
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Schooner
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Schooner with Topsail and Flying Jibs
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Square-Rigged Tall Ship
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