Adventures in Sailing
US Sailing Safety at Sea
I’ve completed all of the coursework and the hands-on experience and I’m now fully certified. The hands-on experience at the Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda was superb! enjoyed meeting several legends in sailing who were hired as instructors. I also enjoyed meeting other sailors working to achieve certification in this arena. I felt the mostContinue reading “US Sailing Safety at Sea”
US Sailing Safety at Sea Courses.
I’ve completed two of three sections of this three part series. I’ll, hopefully, be able to complete the third section, required in person, sometime later this year. The on-line courses are superb. They are highly informative, practical, and I believe, essential for all who spend a significant amount of time on the water. I foundContinue reading “US Sailing Safety at Sea Courses.”
Ocean Sailing 02/12/22
I sailed with my friend Robert yesterday. We had an excellent adventure out into the Pacific Ocean. I will recount it here. Weather was predicted to be in the low 70s Fahrenheit. Wind was predicted to be from the north east at 12 to 15 kn with gusts to 25 kn. We met at theContinue reading “Ocean Sailing 02/12/22”
Mainsail Trim: Adjustable Backstay
I did not learn to sail on vessels with adjustable backstays. It wasn’t until I acquired Skiron that I started to understand this important way of controlling both the main and headsails. Now, I would feel at a loss on what to do if I were sailing a vessel without the important functional control. MyContinue reading “Mainsail Trim: Adjustable Backstay”
Mainsail Trim: Outhaul
Most recognize the outhaul as the principal way to pull the mainsail out of an in-mast furling mechanism. Those who flake their sails probably have a better understanding of how to properly use this sail control device. During my training, we did nothing more than pull the sail all the way out when we wereContinue reading “Mainsail Trim: Outhaul”
Mainsail Trim: Boom Vang
The vang, though it’s action seems fairly straightforward, is yet another rarely used sail trim control on sailing vessels. The main purpose of the vang is to keep the boom from rising on downwind points of sail and especially on the deep broad reaches. Preventing the boom from rising avoids too much twist in theContinue reading “Mainsail Trim: Boom Vang”
Mainsail Trim: Traveler
In my experience, the traveler is one of the least used and poorly understood main sail control devices. I wasn’t taught anything about it’s use during my training with Club Nautique. In fact, it wasn’t until I acquired Skiron that I began to read about and experiment with the device. As mentioned in another post,Continue reading “Mainsail Trim: Traveler”
Mainsail Trim: Mainsheet
I was taught that the mainsheet is the principal mainsail control used to steer a sailing vessel. One certainly learns that the position of the boom as determined by the main sheet and thus, the angle of the main sail to the apparent wind, is a principal determinant of the point of sail ranging fromContinue reading “Mainsail Trim: Mainsheet”
Mainsail Trim: Main halyard.
Let’s take a look at these photos of my new main sail during first outing after the new sail was installed. What do you notice? I didn’t spot it when sailing but knew something was not right. The sailmaker saw it right away. Subsequent to his instruction I’ve spent some time educating myself about sailContinue reading “Mainsail Trim: Main halyard.”
Electrical Matters
I must admit that boat electronics and electrical systems are my biggest weaknesses. I studied chemistry in college. I thoroughly enjoyed electricity and magnetism in physics. You’d think I’d have an aptitude for electrical stuff. But….I don’t. Perhaps it’s because I actually fear electricity for a number of different reasons. I don’t believe it isContinue reading “Electrical Matters”
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Sailing Skiron 