Adventures in Sailing
Radar Love
I’m reminded of the hit song “Radar Love” by Golden Earring released in 1973 every time I flip the toggle switch to turn on RADAR aboard Skiron. I was 12 years old. The song was popular for years as I used to hear it driving at night long after I received my driver’s license at…
Danger Bearings or How to get into Half Moon Bay in the fog.
I hadn’t created danger bearing in probably about four years. I was required to do so this past weekend as I was navigating for a friend who was certifying as skipper in the CPM program at Club Nautique. Our sail took us out into the ocean for a distance then back to shore in the…
Notes on Navigation
I recently had the pleasure of navigating a skipper tag boat from Sausalito to Half Moon Bay and back for a great friend. I must say that it was a pleasure to, once again, be involved in the educational process of Club Nautique. My basic principles of navigation were reinforced on several occasions. I’ll focus…
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 most…
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 found…
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 the…
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. My…
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 were…
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 the…
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,…
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Sailing Skiron 