Sailing

Chapter 4
Performance Objective 404

Some of the most exhilarating experiences in Sea Cadets are had while participating in the sport of sailing. By now you will have probably gone sailing and realize how thrilling a good sail can be. Are you ready for more?

Every Sea Cadet in Canada is given the opportunity to participate in a sailing program at the corps, sail centre or SCSTC. Each phase of your Sea Cadet training introduces more advanced sailing skills for you to work on. Phase II builds upon the basics you learned in Phase I and moves you from the crew position to skipper of the boat. Enjoy the ride!

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Sailing Clothing

As with all sports, there is required clothing and personal equipment that must be worn when sailing. Certain items are worn all the time and some are dependent upon the weather conditions.

The most important piece of personal safety equipment to be worn is the Personal Flotation Device (PFD). When choosing a PFD check for the following:

• Suitable for the weight and size of the wearer by reading the tag on the PFD
• In good repair
• Fits snugly so that it will not slip off in the water
• Department of Transport (DOT) approved (check the tag on the PFD)

In Sea Cadets, you are issued with a PFD that meets DOT standards. It is to be worn every time you are in or around water, as well as in the sailboat. You may have the opportunity to sail outside of cadets as well, at your family cottage or Local Yacht Club, so know what to look for in a PFD.

In addition to a PFD you are required to wear proper footwear in the sailboat at all times. This means a soft-soled shoe, like a running shoe or deck shoe. Hard-soled shoes like your cadet boots definitely don’ t qualify! Sandals are also not allowed as they can slip off easily or get caught up in the rigging. Proper footwear protects your feet from being cut or injured in the boat.

When you are first learning to sail you will be issued a helmet (also affectionately know as a brain bucket) to wear in the sailboat. It protects your head from injury in the event of accidental gybing. Did you ever wonder why they call the boom a boom? That’s the noise it makes as it hits your head - BOOM!

Helmets, soft-soled shoes, and PFD’s are standard requirements for sailing. The type of clothing you wear depends upon the type of weather. There are three main types of weather and appropriate clothing:

Hot, sunny day

• sunscreen
• hat
• light clothing
• cadet PFD
• shoes
• helmet

Did you know that Estevan, Saskatchewan is the sunniest spot in Canada? It averages an annual 2537 hours of sunshine per year.

Cold Day (cold weather, cold water)

• warm hat or wool toque
• sweater
• warm pants
• wetsuit/drysuit (is a possibility but not a necessity)
• cadet PFD
• shoes
• helmet

Rainy Day (or wet sailing)

• layered clothing
• waterproof jacket and pants
• cadet PFD
• shoes or boots
• helmet

Did you know that the most intense rainstorm in Canada took place in Buffalo Gap, Saskatchewan on May 30, 1961? Approximately 250 millimeters of rain fell in less than an hour.

This is just a guideline for sailing. You don’t need expensive wet or drysuits to enjoy the sport of sailing, just use common sense when dressing for the weather.

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Parts of a Sailboat

You learned about the basic parts of a sailboat in Phase I. Phase II introduces the more advanced parts of the boat and what their functions are:

• hull is the main shell or body of the boat;
• transom is the flat portion of the hull that spans the back of the boat;
• battens are the stiff wood or plastic strips used to support the leech of a sail;
• traveller is a track or rope bridle used to control the side-to-side position where the mainsheet attaches to the hull;
• boom vang is the tackle leading downward from the boom which minimizes mainsail twist by preventing the boom from lifting.

Beyond parts of the sailboat, you need to know the simple functions of the following items in a sailboat:

• fairlead is used for lines such as the jib sheet to go through;
• block is a pulley used to pull a line through;
• forestay prevents the mast from falling backwards;
• painter is a bow line used for towing or securing the boat;
• hiking strap is used to hook your feet under when hiking out over the side of the boat;
• shrouds prevent the mast from falling sideways;
• automatic bailer is used to drain water from the cockpit while sailing;
• shackle is used to attach halyards to the sails;
• cleat is used to secure a sheet or a halyard.

The type of sailboat you sail will vary. It could be a Kolibri, Pirate, Albacore, Laser II, or something else, but the parts remain the same.

Becoming familiar with the parts of a sailboat and their uses is a necessity before you go out on the water. When you are sailing you can’ t just stop and figure things out. Learn the parts of your sailboat and how they work before you end up in the water!

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How to Get In and Out of a Boat

When it is time to go sailing you might find your sailboat at a dock or mooring. It can be tricky to keep your balance when getting into your boat, so try this:

• Ensure correct weight distribution.
• Smooth movement.
• Maintain your own balance.
• Compensate for the weight shifts of other crew members.

Be careful with the placement of your hands and fingers on the dock. Never put any part of your body between the boat and the dock unless you don’t mind losing that part!

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A Turtled Boat

As learned in Phase I, capsize is a normal part of sailing and nothing to fear. Most capsizes can be easily righted with very little effort. A capsized boat usually lies on its side with the mast and sails just under the water, but occasionally, your boat may turtle, which means that the mast points straight down in the water and the boat bottom is up.

Did you know that the largest turtle on earth is the leatherback sea turtle? It can reach a weight of about 800 pounds with its front flippers reaching a span of nine feet!

The best solution for a turtled boat is to prevent turtling in the first place. Don’t delay righting your boat as a slow response time quickens your boat turtling. The faster you can right your boat, the less chance of it turtling. Sometimes the weather conditions will result in your boat turtling more quickly if the wind is strong and waves are high. Not to worry, a turtled boat takes a little more time, but it can be righted.

If you are the skipper and your boat turtles:

• Check yourself to ensure safety.
• Check your crew to ensure safety.
• Quickly climb onto the gunwale of the side that is lower in the water, if one is lower. If not, then the gunwale that is to leeward of the waves.
• Hold on to the centreboard leaning weight out over the water and receive jib sheet (from the crew, if necessary) to lean out further and tip the boat into capsize position.

If you are the crew and your boat turtles:

• Check yourself to ensure safety.
• Check the skipper to ensure safety.
• While holding onto the boat at all times, hand the jib sheet over the bottom of the hull, in front of the centreboard, to the skipper.
• Hold on to the forestay and swim, turning the boat so that the cockpit is into the waves, to help push the boat into capsize position.

Once the boat is back into capsize position you follow the procedures as for a capsize. Be careful getting back into the boat as you don’t want to capsize again. Empty your boat of water by using either a hand bailer or automatic bailer. Finally, keep sailing!

Don’t forget that a safety boat will always be near by should you require assistance. Always stay with your boat and don’t attempt to swim for help. Remember that an open hand means that you need help and a closed fist means you are okay. Stay calm if you get caught in lines or under the hull. Your PFD will keep you afloat and help is near.

Successfully righting a capsized or turtled boat is something to be proud of. It is physically and mentally demanding at the time, but nothing beats sharing your triumphant capsize stories later with fellow cadets!

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Sailing Terms

If you are going to become truly conversant in sailing, you have to learn to “talk the talk”. Sailors have their own terminology that they use to describe the different aspects of sailing. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with these terms to accurately talk about sailing:

• Port is the left side of the boat when facing the bow.
• Starboard is the right side of the boat when facing the bow.
• Tacking is turning the boat so that the bow of the boat passes through head-to-wind and the boom changes sides.
• Gybing is turning the boat so the stern passes through head-to-wind and the boom changes sides.
• Luffing (of sails) is when the forward part of the sail is fluttering.
• Heel or Heeling is the sideways leaning or tipping of the boat, usually caused by the force of the wind on the sails.
• Hike or Hiking is leaning the crew and skipper’s weight over the side of the boat where the wind is coming from in order to stop the boat from tipping (heeling).
• Crew is the person who tends the jib and the centreboard/daggerboard.

Because a quick reaction time is important in a sailboat it is necessary for everyone to use the same terminology. Proper use of these terms eliminates any confusion as to what you are talking about and allows for safer sailing.

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Departing and Returning to a Beach, Mooring, or Dock

Have you ever seen a sailboat returning to shore on a dead run at mach speed? The last thing you see, before the boat runs up on the beach, are the terrified faces of the crew. In the past you may have had a lot of help from the instructor. Now it’s time to do it yourself. Believe it or not, there are proper ways to depart and return to a beach, mooring, or dock, which are actually safe and quite simple!

To launch a boat from a beach, mooring or dock you should:

• As skipper and crew, determine the wind direction (if you don’ t know where the wind is coming from you can’ t launch or return successfully).
• As crew, push bow from dock, mooring or beach so that the boat does not return to dock, mooring or beach or make contact with other boats. Respond to skipper’s commands.
• As skipper, control direction and speed.

To return to the beach, mooring or dock you should:

• As skipper and crew, be aware of wind direction.

• As crew:
  1. Luff jib on skipper’s command.
  2. Ease centreboard up as required when nearing shallow water.
  3. Ease out of boat to shore or grasp mooring or dock.

• As skipper:
  1. Steer the boat head to wind within half a boat length of the dock or mooring.
  2. Slow the boat as required.
  3. Give appropriate commands to the crew for easing of the jib.
  4. Unlash rudder in a timely manner so as not to hit ground when nearing the shore.

Be sure to use fenders as fiberglass boats are easily damaged by running into a dock. Remember to watch where you place your hands and fingers as human flesh is also easily damaged by running into a dock. Broken boats are a little easier to fix than broken bones!

Every corps sailing program is different. You may not use all three types of launching and returning, but you need to know how to do them. Once you understand how to depart and return from the beach, dock or mooring, what exactly do you do in between? SAIL, of course! Your instructors will probably set-up a course for you on the water. Each course is designed to focus on specific sailing skills, such as:

• points of sail
• tacking
• gybing
• heading up
• bearing off

Make sure you pay close attention to where and what your course is before you go out on the water. The best time to ask questions is during the on-shore briefing.

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Beating

Beating refers to a series of tacks used to sail upwind. The tacks are done from the point of sail known as close-hauled. Remember learning the points of sail in Phase I? You learned that close-hauled is the closest you can sail to the wind. If you need to get somewhere that is directly upwind from you this can only be done by beating your way upwind, tacking from close-hauled to close-hauled.

In Phase II, you are required to know how to beat as crew. You won’t have to learn how to beat as skipper until Phase III. For now, as the crew, you are responsible for the following when beating:

• Maintain balance by adjusting crew weight.
• Operate the centreboard as instructed by the skipper.
• Handle the jib by pulling it in all the way, but not allowing it to backwind the mainsail.
• Keep watch for other boats and notify the skipper if any should enter your course.

Sailing upwind is exciting and challenging. Remember, by the time you are a PO2 you want to beat upwind, with Instructor help, as skipper. When sailing close-hauled, keep your sails sheeted fairly tightly (not too tight!) and ensure your centreboard is down in the water all the way. Because of the forces on the sailboat you may experience a great deal of heeling. To compensate for this, slip your feet under the hiking straps, lean way back out of the boat, and enjoy the ride!

Although beating is a skill you will learn now as crew, there are several other skills in Phase II that will be developed with you as skipper, like reaching, running, tacking and gybing. As skipper, you get to call the shots!

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Reaching

The first time you act as skipper in the sailboat your instructor will probably set a simple reaching course for you to sail. The point of sail you will use is known as a beam reach. As you recall from Phase I, a beam reach is:

• sailing with the wind coming over the side of the boat;
• centreboard is 1 2 up, sails are 1 2 out.

As skipper, you must constantly let your sails off slightly until they luff, and then pull them back in again until the wind fills the sails. Your sails must be constantly checked to ensure the proper sail trim for a beam reach. Communicate with your crew so that they trim their jib sail properly as well.

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Running

Running free is sailing directly away from the wind. As skipper, you are responsible for the following:

• Perform simple rudder adjustments while underway to keep the boat on a run and free of accidentally gybing.
• Perform simple main sheet adjustments while underway to keep the sail full and the boom out to, but not touching the shroud.
• Have the centreboard raised.
• Wing the jib (opposite side from the boom).
• Communicate commands to the crew.

Sailing on a run may seem fairly simple, just aim your boat and away you go, but don’t forget to adjust your centreboard and sails. Have your crew hold onto the boom to prevent accidental gybing. No one likes getting bonked in the head.

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Tacking

This skill is also known as coming about, which is the act of turning the boat into the wind until the sails refill from the other side. As skipper, you have the following responsibilities:

• Alert crew of intention to tack or come about with the command “Ready About” or “Ready to Tack”.
• Once crew has responded with “Ready”, state “Helms a lee” or “Tacking” and commence tacking by turning the boat 90-100 degrees.

• Allow the boat to continue turning until the sails fill again, this time with the wind blowing over the other side.
• Change sides consistently but an awkward movement is allowed.
• Position hands after the tack so that the aft hand is once again steering and the forward hand is now handling the main sheet.
• Centre the tiller to stop the turn.
• Do not tack from a reach to a reach or stall out into irons.
• Communicate commands to crew.

Remember that tacking must be done from the close-hauled point of sail. As you head up, be sure the boat is moving quickly enough to come about. Turn the boat quickly and steadily, but don’t jam the tiller all the way over. It should take you about 3 to 5 seconds to come about.

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Gybing

The final skill you must perform as skipper is gybing. Your responsibilities include:

• Begin with the boat on a run.
• Alert crew of intention to gybe with the command “Ready to Gybe”.
• Once the crew has responded with “Ready”, alert the crew with the command “Gybe ho” and commence gybing by bearing off and gybing the boom.
• Skipper then allows the boat to continue turning until the sails fill again, this time with the wind blowing over the other side.
• Skipper centres the tiller to stop the turn.
• Position hands after the tack so that the aft hand is once again steering and the forward hand is now handling the main sheet.
• Change sides consistently but an awkward movement is allowed.
• Head off on a new course.
• Communicate commands to crew.

Be careful in higher winds as a gybe can get out of hand if done incorrectly. Follow the steps and stay in control of the boat.

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Conclusion

Although this Chapter outlines the expectations of you in a sailboat, you can never truly learn these skills until you go sailing. It is helpful to have an understanding of the basics, but skill improvement only comes with practice. Take advantage of the many opportunities that will be given to you to sail at the corps, sail centre, or SCSTC.

Other chapters:

Table of Contents | Chapter 1: Serve with a Sea Cadet Corps | Chapter 2: Drill | Chapter 3: Marksmanship | Chapter 4: Sailing | Chapter 5: Naval Knowledge | Chapter 6 : Seamanship | Chapter 9: Outdoor Adventure Training | Chapter 10: Physical Fitness | Chapter 11: Canadian Citizenship