Victoria Nyanza Sailing Club Beginners Course Sailing

Sailing and Safety Always wear a lifejacket Check your equipment before you go out Don’t sail in weather beyond your capacity Never, ever, leave your boat while out on the lake Keep an eye on your fellow sailors and act if you see something unusual During racing: stop and help people in distress Sailing is a safe sport so long you stick to the following rules

Main parts of a Laser Mast Boom Sail Rudder Centre board Hull Main sheet Kicker Traveller

Low pressure Why does a sailing boat move?

Low pressure Why does a sailing boat move?

A boat moves…. …when air flows smoothly along both sides of the sail The low pressure on the ‘leeward side’ of the sail pulls the boat forward … …but also sideways (drift)

A boat stops…. …when air stops flowing along the sail.

And starts moving again…. …when the sail is set in a proper angle to the wind

Drift With a closed sail, the drift is high With a more open sail, the drift is less When the sail is fully open, there is no drift When the wind hits a boat from the side or front, it is pushed sideways and forward at the same time – the sideways movement is called drift

How to stop drift?

You stop drift by putting your centre board down When your sail is closed and the drift is high, your centre board is all the way down The more open your sail is (and you move further away from the wind), the more your centre board is up

Sailing a straight line Your rudder and tiller are in the centre of the boat Move the tiller extension a bit to adjust for waves and gusts

Sailing a straight line: keep your boat flat A heeling boat tends to turn in the wind. You have to fight the rudder to make it go in a straight line. Therefore in moderate and strong winds: Bum over the deck Shoulders over the water

Sailing a straight line in gusts When a gust hits the boat: 1: Bring more body out of the boat 2: Drop a bit of mainsheet When the gust reduces… 1: Sheet in 2: Bring your body back in

Points of sailing A point of sailing is the forward movement of a boat relative to the direction of the wind: Beating – the boat moves as close as possible, roughly at an angle of 45 degrees, to the wind (close haul) Reaching – the boat moves at an angle of 50 – 140 degrees to the wind (highest speed) Running – the boat moves at an angle of 140 – 220 degrees to the wind (‘runs away’ from the wind)

Points of sailing: Beating Sail is closed (block-to-block) Centre board is down

Points of sailing: Reaching Sail is half open Centre board is half up

Points of sailing: Running Sail is fully open Centre board is up

Changing direction Hardening up – sailing closer to the wind

Changing direction Hardening up – sailing closer to the wind

Changing direction: hardening up Push the tiller away from you The boat turns closer to the wind Pull in your sail Straighten your tiller And continue sailing

Changing direction Bearing away (from the wind)

Changing direction Bearing away (from the wind)

Changing direction: bearing away Pull the tiller towards you The boat turns away from the wind Let out your sail Straighten your tiller And continue sailing

The no-go zone A boat cannot sail into the no- go zone Because the wind hits the sail too much from the front

No-go zone movement The no-go zone travels with your boat, and is always windward and in front of your centre-board when sailing close haul

No-go zone movement The no-go zone travels with your boat, even when you drift backwards. The no-go zone travels with your boat, even when you drift backwards. The only way out in this position is to turn your boat

Points of sailing A point of sailing is relative to the wind

Points of sailing A point of sailing is relative to the wind: When the wind shifts the boat’s direction relative to the land shifts as well if the point of sailing remains the same

Tacking

Tacking Step1: Push the tiller away - The boat will turn towards the wind

Tacking Step2: Move your body to the other side while the boom comes across Tacking Step 3: Straighten your tiller when the sail is full, switch hands

Beating Changing direction: Beating

Beating: which route to take? All routes cover the same distance, but think about: Number of tacks Tack to arrive at the mark Wind shifts Other boats

Changing direction: gybing

Gybing Step 1: pull your sail in a bit Gybing Step 2: pull the tiller towards you – the boat turns away from the wind

Gybing Step 3: while the sail comes across, move quickly to the other side of the boat Gybing Step 4: straighten the tiller and continue sailing Gybing Step 5: change tiller and main sheet hands

Basic rules: Port - Starboard This boat sails a starboard tack... … because the sail is on its port-side Starboard Port Starboard This boat sails a port tack... … because the sail is on its starboard-side When a starboard and port boat meet, the starboard boat has right of way

Starboard-Port The port boat can either duck behind the starboard boat ….

Starboard-Port … our it can tack

Basic rules: leeward-windward Windward Leeward The windward side of a boat is where the wind hits the hull … The leeward side of a boat is where the wind leaves the hull … A boat sailing to windward of another boat has to keep clear