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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781935937524 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tracks Publishing |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2001 |
| Series: | Start-Up Sports series |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| File size: | 5 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Sailor's Start-Up
A Beginner's Guide to Sailing
By Doug Werner, Craig McClain
Tracks Publishing
Copyright © 2001 Doug WernerAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-935937-52-4
CHAPTER 1
What to wear
The boat you should be in will not tip over easily so you needn't worry about getting wet. Dress like you would if you were just strolling the water's edge — warm or cool enough so that you're comfortable.
Hat with visor or brim
The sun is bad news. If you're thinning on top, caps are a must.
Sunglasses
Unless you enjoy viewing the waterscape in a white-out with a headache, wear eye protection — with a strap.
Sunscreen
The water magnifies sunny conditions.
Sneakers
You'll be scrambling so something with a grip is required.
Life preservers
This is the law. One for each sailor. Not necessarily worn but in the boat.
As you progress and try tippier boats you will capsize. You'll need to consider wet suits or dry suits in cooler water and weather — but that's later.
CHAPTER 2The right boat
One of the major factors involved in happy beginnings.
Sailboats are like cars, computers and portable heaters — there are a billion makes and models. What makes sailboats different is that boat builders have had 2,000 years or so to refine the confusion.
But the right boat for you is easy to describe and easy to find. I suggest a 14 — foot monohull. Monohull means one hull, as opposed to two (or three), like a catamaran. It's a model that's available most places that have sailing. They are built by several different manufacturers the world over.
These boats are big enough for up to four people, yet quite manageable for one. The common version is wide and steady (it won't capsize easily), simple to rig and easy to handle. They are also relatively inexpensive and reliable (they last forever). In short, they're a good, basic sailboat for all levels of expertise.
Stay away from anything much bigger. There's usually more stuff to confuse and they can be intimidating. It's less frightening to feel out of control on a 14 — foot boat than a 22 — foot boat.
Smaller boats are OK but avoid the tippy ones. Certain models may seem dorky or too cramped for adults. You want something that's comfy enough to spend some time in, steady enough that you can concentrate on your sailing, and dry enough that you don't have to worry about getting wet.
Learn the basics in a monohull. Catamarans are sexy but a bit tricky. Learn how to walk, then you can fly. Mind you, this is a vast simplification of what's what in sailboats — but simple is good for now.
Rent
Find a place that rents. That way all you have to do is show up in your yachting ensemble. No trailers, no ramps, no parking your boat in the alley. Buy when you know more and you're sure you want to try backing boat and trailer into the garage.
CHAPTER 3Parts
This is your boat
Sailboats are simple once you get down to basics.
Sails
Every sailboat has at least one sail. Our boat has two — a big one called a mainsail and a little one called a jib. A boat with this configuration is called a sloop. The way sails work is interesting, but we'll get into theory later.
Why two sails? More sail means more area for the wind, which means faster sailing. You don't need two sails. Just make sure you have one.
Mast
And every sailboat has one of these. It holds up the sails.
Boom
This is the wooden or metal beam attached to the mast and the bottom of the mainsail. It stabilizes the sail. It's called a boom because it swings back and forth when you turn. If it hits you, it goes boom!
Sheets
Not the billowy part of the sails. Strangely enough, this is the name for the ropes attached to the sails. The sheets allow you to adjust the tension in the sails, which in turn helps adjust the speed of your boat. The mainsheet sprouts from a swivel gizmo (cleat) in the middle and bottom of the hull. The jib has two sheets, angling in from cleats on either side of the boat.
Cleats
The gizmos that tie down the sheets have teeth that always let you pull in. The teeth prevent the sails from pulling out. A yank up or down frees the sheet. A yank the other way sets the teeth.
Daggerboard or centerboard
This is the thing jutting out from underneath the boat. If it pops in and out, it's called a daggerboard. If it pivots, it's called a centerboard. Both serve the same functions. They stabilize the craft and play a major role in the physics of sailing. Just remember you need one or the other.
Tiller and rudder
The tiller is your steering wheel and the rudder acts as your tires. You hold on to the tiller which is attached to the rudder. The rudder is the part in the water. Push or pull one way and you turn in the opposite direction. Don't even try to visualize it. Once you get out there it'll come together without much thought.
Hull
The boat part of the boat.
Luff
Believe it or not, there are up to a dozen parts to a sail. For now just commit this to memory: The luff is the leading edge of the jib and mainsails. The luff indicates sail tension.
Telltails and shrouds
Telltails are strips of fabric attached to the sails or to the shrouds on either side of the boat. They indicate wind direction. Shrouds are the wires that hold up the mast.
Bow
The front of the boat.
Stern
The back of the boat.
Port
As you face forward inside your boat, this is the left side.
Starboard
The right side.
You know, even if someone had an explanation for these last two terms (I refuse to research it) there is little defense for the use of these words. I can't think of any other human endeavor that deliberately confuses the left and right. I mean, this is ridiculous! Along with green pasta, detergent commercials and California's incomprehensible sales tax laws.
No sheet! or Introducing The Code
Grab the sheet! he shouted as our boat headed into the first leg of the race.
I was along for fun, in a "fun" race, although I knew nothing about sailing and less about sailing terminology — as I was about to prove.
We were tacking around the first marker and the boom had just swung around. Sails were flapping and ropes were every-which-way, as is the case before you set the sails. It was my job to man the jib. Easy enough, really. Just uncleat the rope on one side of the boat and cleat the rope on the other side when the boat turns, or tacks, and the boom swoops around. That's what I was about to do when the skipper bellowed instructions about the sheet.
The sheet! Grab the sheet! Pull in the sheet NOW! he barked.
Not wanting to hesitate in the thick of it, I went after what had to be the sheet. Sheets are either fabric or paper, right? I mean that's how it comes. In sheets. The only thing close to that were the sails. Sheets. Sails. That's gotta be it! So I leapt up onto the bow and wrestled with the jib. Got it! Now what? I yelled as I stumbled and grasped.
What are you doing! Mr. Skip answered in a not so pleasant way. Get down here and pull in the sheet!
Somewhat dismayed and confused, I managed to regain my seat in the hull. What's a sheet? I asked.
The rope! This rope! he exclaimed grabbing one of the ropes attached to the jib and cleating it down. The same job I was about to do before all this sheet stuff started. Well, of course. A sheet is a rope. How stupid of me.
By this time we are out of the race. All the loose sheets, my dance on the bow and my verbal ineptitude had cost us dearly. We came in dead last. As we approached the dock, the cat calls began.
I thought it was pretty funny, but Captain Ahab didn't. He proceeded to explain things to me in a faintly authoritarian manner (this is a symptom of a common personality disfunction associated with sailing that will be explored soon) — as if any sort of explanation could excuse calling a rope a sheet.
That was my first experience with The Code.
And it's something you better get used to because like it or not it's a big part of sailing. I work around it in this book in order to simplify things, but beware that in the strange, yet real world of docks, marinas and clubs, the names for things don't make sense. It's a linguistic conspiracy among sailors the world over. For lack of a better term we will call this puzzling cultural trait — The Code.
CHAPTER 4Conditions
You need the right boat and you need the right conditions to learn in. The boat you know about ...
Water
You can sail on lakes, rivers, bays and oceans. The common denominator is water. The place you learn should be deep enough to allow for your daggerboard or centerboard. Sounds obvious but even old salts find themselves high and dry once in a while because they didn't know the bottom. Learn where sandbars, reefs, sunken wrecks and ancient cities are located before casting off. And pick a place that isn't swarming with traffic. You're going to be sailing wild and loose for a while — make sure there's plenty of room.
As a rule, a good place to begin is a small, enclosed bay or cove off a larger body of water. Winds are usually lighter in such places than over an open expanse. You'll not be dealing with waves, shipping lanes, dangerous currents or migrating whales, either.
Wind
Look at the other sailboats already out and about. How are they moving along? If catamaran hulls are flying (lifting out of the water), the wind is too much for you. If the boats are sailing at a more moderate pace — go for it. A very light wind is fine. Just make sure the sailors and their vessels are actually moving.
No boats? Check out the chop. If there are whitecaps, the wind is at least 12 knots and that's too strong. The higher the chop, the greater the wind. Flags can help, of course. An expert opinion at this point is a very good idea.
The thing is, you don't want to learn in difficult conditions. Right now it's easy does it — mild winds with just enough push in a safe, secluded patch of water.
CHAPTER 5Classwork
You won't learn it until you do it, but there is a bit of lore to know before setting out. Sailing is all about wind — wind determines all your moves.
Wind circle (Illustration 5a, next page)
This doesn't look like fun. Here you thought you'd be reading about billowing sails and spray-in-your-face, and instead you get this — something out of high-school geometry.
You can't sail directly into the wind (upwind). In fact, you can't sail under 45 degrees to either side. This is called the dead zone. If you're pointed into the dead zone, you come to a dead stop.
Despite its name, the dead zone is very important and useful when you turn and dock the boat. It's also a good place to be pointed when in trouble or just confused — because that's where the brakes are!
Understanding points of sail may come easier in the boat than in the classroom. Cliff and Connie are pointed into the wind and stalled. Hence the name of this point of sail — the dead zone.
Although sailing stops in the dead zone, everywhere else on the circle you'll move:
Closehauled is as close to upwind you can travel.
Reaching is sailing 90 degrees to wind direction.
Running is sailing with the wind (downwind).
Broad reaching is sailing in between reaching and running.
All these directions are called points of sail.
Tacking (Illustration 5b)
This is awful, isn't it? But get a grip. This is the hardest part.
It's easy to go left and right and down.
The stickler is going up, as in upwind. Somehow you have to zig and zag around the dead zone. All this zigging and zagging is called tacking. It looks like turning — and that's what it is.
The trick to tacking involves switching the sides that you and the sails have been operating.
That's a wrap for now. Let's go sailing.
CHAPTER 6Launch!
Leaving the dock
First things first. Which way is the wind blowing? Remember the wind circle. You cannot sail into the wind or less than 45 degrees to either side. So make sure the wind is coming from the side or from behind your boat. If it isn't, you must walk, paddle or tow your boat into such a position so that it is. The direction you're headed should be toward open water and clear sailing.
1 Determine which side of the boat the mainsail and boom will be before you board. Unless you're pointed upwind, the mainsail will want to be on one side or the other. You don't have to force the issue.
Ready? A bunch of things will happen at once. If you have some help pushing off, you can settle in first. And if you have a boating companion you can split the chores.
2 Untie the boat and push off the dock with one foot. Step toward the center of the boat, next to the mast, with the other.
3 Settle in next to the tiller opposite the sail and grab hold of the tiller and the mainsheet.
4 Pull in the mainsheet just enough to get going.
5 As the sail fills, steer clear of the docking area. Pick a point on the opposite shore and aim for it. This is called setting a bearing.
6 By now the jib is flapping (luffing), so pull it in with the jib sheet on the same side as the mainsail and cleat it down.
If you've been counting, in the span of five seconds or so you have been asked to grapple with three things (tiller, mainsheet and jib sheet) with only two hands. Pretty tricky, huh? Not to mention the scrambling around and the guy on the dock shouting at you incoherently.
Now is an excellent time to panic, but don't. If you must, let the jib flap away for a bit and just concentrate on handling the mainsail and steering out to open water. Do set it, though, as soon as you can.
All the juggling becomes more manageable as you clock more sailing time. It's like driving a stick shift for the first time — you may feel confused and awkward, but try to relax and go with the flow. You'll get it soon enough. Just stay away from everybody and everything until you do!
OK. Back to your initial trim.
Trimming
Trimming your sails is all about pulling in on the sheets until the sails stop flapping. What you want are nice taut foils of sail. This tautness indicates proper sail tension. The first and last part of the sails to flap are the luffs or leading edges of both jib and mainsails. Hence the luffs are terrific checkpoints for adjusting sail tension and trim.
When in doubt — let 'em out!
To find proper sail trim at any point after you've set a bearing, let your sails out until they flap or luff. (Yes, the word luff can be a subject or a verb and sometimes at the same time.) Then pull 'em in until you have those full, wrinkle-free foils. The look and feel of properly trimmed sails is something you'll pick up fairly quickly with practice, and is definitely one of the major sweet spots in sailing.
So you've pulled in your jib and cleated it down. And you've pulled in your mainsail. Don't cleat this one because trimming is a constant thing. At this point you're holding the mainsheet with one hand and the tiller with the other — steering toward the bearing you set earlier.
This is your sailing posture — one hand monitors the sail and one hand steers the boat. You've got an eye on your sails as well as the water around you — all the time.
Hey! You're sailing!
Slicing along without gas fumes, noise or traffic lights. Pretty neat, huh? Just like John Paul Jones and Chris Columbus.
By now you've discovered why you sit where you do. The sail wants to pull one way so sitting on the opposite side balances things out. This is trimming the boat itself. Of course the other reason for sitting there is to see. The sail is in your face otherwise.
Scoot up or back to achieve the proper trim fore (front) and aft (back).You want the boat to cut level through the water.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Sailor's Start-Up by Doug Werner, Craig McClain. Copyright © 2001 Doug Werner. Excerpted by permission of Tracks Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Copyright Page,
Dedication,
Acknowledgements:,
Preface: Joy,
Introduction: A place to begin,
Chapter 1: What to wear,
Chapter 2: The right boat,
Chapter 3: Parts,
Chapter 4: Conditions,
Chapter 5: Classwork,
Chapter 6: Launch!,
Chapter 7: On a reach,
Chapter 8: Downwind sailing,
Chapter 9: Upwind sailing,
Chapter 10: Docking,
Chapter 11: Rules of the road,
Chapter 12: Physics,
Chapter 13: Rigging and knots,
Chapter 14: Safety,
Chapter 15: Bligh syndrome,
Chapter 16: Catamarans,
Chapter 17: Tacking in a cat,
Chapter 18: How cats go,
Glossary,
Resources,
Bibliography,
About the author,