day 3 of the sailing seminar...

[slipstreamsurfr]

Day three kicked off well today. To the marina again with plenty of time before class started. We spent a lot of time reviewing things from the previous lessons and then we talked about man overboard drills, a lot more on points of sail, and more. After a handful of contests, things like who could tie a bowline the fastest we broke for lunch and then crew assignments.

I was assigned to Mo on the club 22 foot Catalina Sofia. So it was a crew of Mo, me, and another student. She said she had some sailing experience in smaller boats. Interestingly we found out that Sofia use to belong to Mo, he donated her to the club a while ago. This way she gets sailed more often and the club handles the slip and maintenance through the program. Looked to be a win all around.

We sat out under the picnic table cover on the dock just down from the boat and he told us a bit of his history, asking ours. Asking how the class has been going for us, a bit on this theology of teaching and asking us if there was anything we really wanted to make sure to cover today.

Mo was very thorough. He would explain something to us, then do it, then quiz us on it, then one of us would do it, then swap. In a lot of ways I felt like I learned some of the old lessons again, but this time I started to really understand what was happening. My fellow classmate said she had some previous experience but not in several years. She had a problem with the boat heeling over under a strong wind. She would tend to squeal/yelp/scream any time we ended up over more than maybe 10 degrees of heel. Mo tried to reassure her, but there was just something about it that got to her. It was almost as if she had a tilt switch. The big problem was that when she was helming and controlling the main sheet and we would get a gust that would make us heel she'd yelp and seemed to panic and then forget what she was doing.

I think she was getting a little better by the end. I know that when I was helming that I fairly quickly developed the sense of when a puff was about to blow up that would start a heel and I'd depower the main by sheeting out or falling off the wind a little. That tended to keep the yelps down a little at least. It's all a learning experience.

Mo really worked with us, trying to help us see and understand the points of sail better. He also had a different way of handling the tiller when we tacked. As that was pretty problematic for me the first time, it's hard on my knees I was happy to try his new way. It actually worked out better for me, less twisting and feeling frantic as I switched sides. It worked really well. I still have problems with the commands to falling off or heading up. I get backwards with things a lot still.

Mo said we were doing really well for only our third day. He's offered to sail with either of us any time to continue our sailing education after the official classes are over. I think I will probably take him up on the offer.

Tomorrow is the last day of class. Race day! They are putting us together in teams and the class will run a race against each other. I have no idea how THAT is going to go.

Till tomorrow... I'm beat...

Comments

[ceal.livejournal.com]

all girls should have a tilt switch, imo.

[ariel817.livejournal.com]

Haha, my sympathies are with the other student, I'm sure I'd be yelping, too! Tilt switch, that's funny. :)

Sounds like another good class, that's awesome!

Good luck tomorrow!