Boat handling lessons
- Thread starter zymeth
- Start date
WCB
Super Anarchist
Take a look at Rooster Sailing from the UK. Steve Cockerill(sp?) demonstrates small sailboat handling in various conditions.
xonk1
Anarchist
Try to find someone who has a boat ( similar to what you have in mind ) that will take you for a sail. Nothing like the real thing. You will love it!
Alan Crawford
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
- #7
Yeah, definitely. I am just trying to soak up as much info as I can. So I can make my practice more focus. (I am member at CSC, also sail keelboats out off Sausalito)There are a lotvof sailors on San Frncisco bay....make friends
- Thread starter
- #9
Mostly I am focus on dinghy.. from RS quest to JY and whatever the 'next level' are
some dude
Super Anarchist
- 4,180
- 173
Find a mark and go around and around and around the smallest circles you can. 10x. Then go the other way 10x. Then come up from leeward and keep the bow within a foot of the mark for as long as you can. 30 seconds us. Them go up wind and tack 20x. Then go back down and gybe 20x. Repeat.
Lesson one: learn to sail the boat flat, zero heal. It will steer where you want it to go.
Lesson two: never let the mainsheet stay still. Keep it moving, makes lesson one easier.
Lesson three: learn to sail with your hands in front of you, so you can sheet the sail on using your tiller hand as well as your sheet hand.
Lesson four: Practice with other people doing the same thing with the same boat type.
Lesson two: never let the mainsheet stay still. Keep it moving, makes lesson one easier.
Lesson three: learn to sail with your hands in front of you, so you can sheet the sail on using your tiller hand as well as your sheet hand.
Lesson four: Practice with other people doing the same thing with the same boat type.
El Borracho
Barkeeper’s Friend
This ^^ is great advice. We have channel markers here that are foam. I have spent hours playing tag with them (remote ones). Under both power and sail practice circling, approaching, stopping alongside, bow to, stern to, etc. Do it in both calms, currents and breezes, from all directions, until you have confidence.
JulianB
Super Anarchist
Then go look at some real sailing.
Mid 1990's. It was fun.
jB
Mid 1990's. It was fun.
jB
The Q
Super Anarchist
I don't know how it works in the USA, but in the UK I'd say find the nearest sailing club with a sailing school (not a pay for commercial, sailing school).
Like my club here in Norfolk , Horning Sailing Club (horning-sailing.club) here you'd just have to join, less than £100 a year, and IIRC the sailing lessons are £5 per session, which we need to cover the costs of boat maintenance and running rescue boats..
The RYA website in the UK will give where sailing clubs are, leading to their websites. I would hope your equivalent in the USA does the same.
Like my club here in Norfolk , Horning Sailing Club (horning-sailing.club) here you'd just have to join, less than £100 a year, and IIRC the sailing lessons are £5 per session, which we need to cover the costs of boat maintenance and running rescue boats..
The RYA website in the UK will give where sailing clubs are, leading to their websites. I would hope your equivalent in the USA does the same.
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I think Higher and Faster, despite it's age, is one of the best training/tutorials around. It helped me and many friends a lot.
This season we started to record almost every session with a Gopro. We analyzed the footage right after sailing and set only one or two very specific goals for the next session. This brought our sailing to a whole new level. It also pushed us when we were out alone because we wanted the perfect maneuver on tape. We also went out in very tough conditions that we've avoided in the past because full speed footage is great motivation.
We also built a very basic trapeze and tiller setup under a tree to to try different wire2wire maneuvers. This gives you the opportunity to discuss movement with other people around on the dry and to train muscle memory without capsizing for every mistake.
This season we started to record almost every session with a Gopro. We analyzed the footage right after sailing and set only one or two very specific goals for the next session. This brought our sailing to a whole new level. It also pushed us when we were out alone because we wanted the perfect maneuver on tape. We also went out in very tough conditions that we've avoided in the past because full speed footage is great motivation.
We also built a very basic trapeze and tiller setup under a tree to to try different wire2wire maneuvers. This gives you the opportunity to discuss movement with other people around on the dry and to train muscle memory without capsizing for every mistake.
CaptainAhab
Anarchist
Find somebody that's really good like a sailing instructor or racing coach. Go out with them in a double handed dinghy like a 420. Take turns steering. They should be able to show you in two hours what it will take you to learn on your own in a year or never. I'm that local guy. They are usually worth the $100.
martin 'hoff
Super Anarchist
What @14berlinsaid. An action camera -- gopro, garmin or one of the many knockoffs. Doesn't have to be fancy -- but you do want battery life to cover your whole session. Put it in a safe-from-tangles spot that captures the action. Review some of your maneuvers – we often find that just watching ourselves is full of "oh duh!" moments. In particular if you also watch videos by good competitive crews -- you'll have a visual imprint of what a good maneuver looks like. Then you watch yours and you instantly know what you have to work on.
(We edit and publish our videos to music for fun and to share w friends and family – during that editing time we go uff! look at that! get that ridiculous capsize on the video! – makes for a lighthearted review).
Another useful tool is a GPS recording of your outing. You can use your phone, a cheap bike speedometer, or go fancy with a sailing GPS watch. The important thing is to upload the GPX file to ChartedSails ( @sarfata here is the creator) or similar. Tell it where the wind was from for that session and it'll give you a good idea of how much time / distance was lost on each tack/gybe.
Befriend local sailors. And a coach. Depending on your personal style, you might be able to do well with a coach who gives you a session every 2~3 months -- that's what we do. Every couple months we go out, coach puts us through the paces, tells us we're great, tells us we are awful, and here's a list of things to do/practice.
(We edit and publish our videos to music for fun and to share w friends and family – during that editing time we go uff! look at that! get that ridiculous capsize on the video! – makes for a lighthearted review).
Another useful tool is a GPS recording of your outing. You can use your phone, a cheap bike speedometer, or go fancy with a sailing GPS watch. The important thing is to upload the GPX file to ChartedSails ( @sarfata here is the creator) or similar. Tell it where the wind was from for that session and it'll give you a good idea of how much time / distance was lost on each tack/gybe.
Befriend local sailors. And a coach. Depending on your personal style, you might be able to do well with a coach who gives you a session every 2~3 months -- that's what we do. Every couple months we go out, coach puts us through the paces, tells us we're great, tells us we are awful, and here's a list of things to do/practice.
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- Thread starter
- #20
Oh yeah definitely, small circle is something I am trying to practice in. Thanks for helping me confirm on this
