Continuing our Sailing Education

 As we prepare for our cruising sabbatical it is first necessary to learn how to sail. Getting started sailing involves learning about sailboats and a number of skills needed for sailing.  We decided to take an offshore course through an American Sailing Association school. You can learn through an organized program  like this or on your own.  Many special terms are used in sailing. Learning the meaning of these terms will help you learn to sail and enhance communication on a boat.

 

These are the two course books that you must study as homework before your class begins.

There's a lot to know about how to use the boat's sails to keep the boat moving and how to maneuver by tacking and gybing through different points of sail in the wind.

“Point of sail” refers to the angle of the sailboat to the direction from which the wind is blowing.

This is not new to us as we have sailed small boats before, but as power boaters where the wind came from and choosing our direction was more dictated by comfort and not physics.  We have been reviewing all the basics for the last month, it's boring but necessary.





There were many parts of a sailboat that greatly differ from the powerboats we are used to and it was good to learn all of the parts of the sailboat and what they do. We are also learning about essential sailboat knots, docking, mooring, and anchoring. Just as important as knowing how to sail the boat is staying safe on the water. Learning the principles of safety and navigation, including the use of essential safety gear and paying attention to the weather is essential.





Trailer for "Come Sail With Us... " an instructional DVD for mastering basic sailing on a cruising sailboat. A fast easy way to learn sailing basics such as 1) Sailing and the Wind, Tacking, Jibing, Sail Trim, Anchoring, Weather, Marine Radio, and Sailors Knots. Excellent for charterers, inexperienced crew or as a refresher for an experienced sailors.

 We will continue to get our book smarts as we wait to sail this summer. We encourage total immersion in sailing courses,books,videos,magazines & blogs as we have as ofton as possible once you have decided on a sailors life. Just as in all parts of your life, your never done with learning. We are amazed at what we have learned so far and want to continue to educate ourselves as we prepare to see whats out there.