Posted by Grant Headifen on January 26, 2009 under About NauticEd, Skipper | 
What do you do when you have finished with the NauticEd online sailing classes? Well, we recommend that you get with one of our practical hands on sailing schools as soon as possible to burn in your new theory knowledge with practical sailing skills. Sailing schools typically have a selection of sailboats for you to choose upon. There are lots of philosophies around learning to sail, some say you must start on a small boat to learn the feel of the wind. Some say that is not necessary. Ultimately, however it’s probably up to the individual person to really choose how they want to learn. If you want to get into big boat (30ft+) sailing then you certainly need helm time on a big boat. So if your friends don’t have one, just get with a practical sailing school. We’d recommend a combo of practical sailing instruction with lots of additional time on a friends big sailboat.
Alternatively, a real fun way is to be crew on a chartered vacation. Find a friend who is an accomplished sailor and charter a boat in a sailing charter vacation in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, or Pacific. They are incredible vacations and being crew on a big boat for a week will have you gaining skills fast.
So don’t just sit there and wait for the next NauticEd course to come out. Get with a sailing school and get on the water. And if there is ice on your lake or bay – then head towards the equator – it’s warmer there. NauticEd will be launching a charter boat section soon so that you can see a list of charter companies to choose from.
Close haul sailing on a big sailboat
So how do you define someone that is experienced? First I’d tend to define experience in someone who has seen and been able to handle a lot of different situations.
The United States Coast Guard issues captain’s licenses for commercial use to people who have had more than 360 (minimum 4 hours per day) days on the water as crew or captain. If you go out an average of 3 times per month then that’s 120 months or 12 years. And I’d say that’s a decent amount of experience. You’ve probably seen a few situations in that time and had to handle them.
With NauticEd’s soon to launch resume tracker, we’ll be defining experience in increments of (4 hour minimum) days on the water. So start saving those hours now for input later on.
One of the bigger areas that a skipper can have in terms of experience is the Maneuvering a Sailboat Under Power Clinic because this is where most of the damage is done or not done to a boat
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Posted by Grant Headifen on January 25, 2009 under Rules of Right of Way, Skipper |
Once you’ve decided that you like it and you now want to learn to sail for yourself, there are just a few things to learn, actually quite a lot but don’t be intimidated – we all started sailing some where – some time.
The rules of right of way can be a bit daunting so that’s why we created the FREE rules of right of way clinic for all. Below however, is a graphic that anyone can use for learning the ATONS (aids to navigation). But the point to be careful of is that for the America’s it’s backwards from the rest of the world or is the rest of the world backwards? I Guess it’s 250 million against the rest right? Actually a few more vote on the American side. Here’s the map.
IALA-B and IALA-A system for ATONS
The IALA-B system is used by North-Central and South America and Japan and Philippines. The rest of the world uses the IALA-A system.
IALA stands for the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities. There are just two systems IALA-A and IALA-B which operate in different parts of the world.This should be of particular note to those going chartering in various parts of the world. The essential difference is that the colors (colours) are swapped for entrances into harbors. The reason is said to be that the Americans during the war for independence wanted to confuse the British ships and so swapped the colors.
But you absolutely must learn these when learning to sail. But don’t worry they are easy. All you have to do is remember this “Red, Right, Returning” under the IALA-B system (North-central and South America and Japan and Philippines). That’s it! IE when you are returning from sea into the channel (or going upstream) keep the red markers on your right. In the case of the preferred channel take notice of what ever color is on top, that is, if red is on top then keep the marker on your right for the preferred channel. Red Right Returning! Right?
Confused? Well count yourself lucky living in today’s times – there used to be some 30+ systems until the IALA group was formed.
IALA-B and IALA-A system
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Posted by Grant Headifen on January 24, 2009 under Crew, Skipper |
Learning to sail can be a bit overwhelming at the start because of the nomenclature. But don’t worry it’s just a matter of learning a few at the start then adding to them as you progress in your sailing education.
The following illustration shows the parts of the sail and associated control lines. Of note is the bolt rope which is one of very few actual ropes on a boat (another is the bell rope). And note that you can use this information to win some decent size bets with many sailors because many are under the illusion that there are no ropes on a boat.
learn to sail
- The bolt rope provides strength to the luff of the sail and is used also to slide into the track if there is one. On a head sail the bolt rope provides strength to the luff of the sail when “hanks” are used.
- Hanks are basically sliding clamps that slide up the forestay and are clamped onto the bolt rope at the leading edge (luff).
- The main halyard is attached to the head of the sail and is used to pull the sail up the mast.
- The gooseneck is a swivel connection from the boom to the mast.
- The reefing points are points where the sail can be pulled down in order to reef the sail if a roller furling system is not used.
- The topping lift holds the back of the boom up.
- The boom vang holds the boom down when beating to wind. On down wind legs the boom vang can be loosened to provide more shape to the sail.
- The cunningham pulls the sail down tight and is used also when reefing.
- The outhaul line is attached to the clew to pull the sail out along the boom.
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Posted by Grant Headifen on January 23, 2009 under Crew, Skipper |
Just how hard is it to learn to sail. I meet people on airplanes all the time and their comment is many times “sailing? Isn’t that hard”. Well, was it hard learning to ride a bike? Kinda. Is it easy riding a bike now? well … yes.
So learning to sail is similar. There are theory elements and practical elements in learning to sail. Some of the theory is rules of the road etc but some is also understanding the winds flow over the sails. And for some, that topic is more exciting than for others, but in order for you to move a boat through the water under sail, one must realize that the wind pushes and pulls the boat along depending on the angle that the boat is presented to the wind. It’s a concept that is easily understood with just a bit of study.
Most people can understand the wind flow over a wing. Below we are relating that same effect to a sail.
learn to sail
This is the principle of how a sailboat can head upwind. It uses the low pressure on the leeward side of the sail to pull the boat upwind much like an airplane rises into the sky.
In learning to sail then, one just has to fundamentally realize that the way that the sails are presented to the wind gives rise to force on the sails which is transferred to the boat.
When going downwind, you might liken the effect to trying to hold a sheet of plywood in the wind. The wind would have it’s greatest effect on the plywood when it was perpendicular to the wind. So in the same way , when going down wind you want as much of that sail presented perpendicular to the wind a s possible. IE let the sails out square to the wind.
A general rule of thumb then is shown in this graphic where you can see that the further down wind the boat sails, the further out the sails are set.
learn to sail
Almost all other principles of sailing build upon this above. If you can understand the above, it’s not too hard to learn to sail.
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Posted by Eric Perlinger on January 17, 2009 under About NauticEd |
I would love for NauticEd to create a course or clinic on how to buy a sailboat and gear. As a novice the idea of buying a boat is scary. It is a big investment and I would like to avoid making rookie mistakes. A few ideas as to what I am looking for in the course: a) comparing the advatages and disatvantages of buying a boat new or used; b) what are things to look for when buying a boat; c) what should be purchased with the boat and what should be purchased aftermarket; d) how deos the brokerage industry work, what are their premiums; e) how do you get a boat purchased far from home delivered to you; f) what is the typical insurance contract and cost on a boat; g) how do you buy sails; h) what to look for in a dingy; i) what electronics to buy and how to buy them; k) choosing a marina or club; l) what to look for in toilets and sanitary systems; m) what to look for in appliances, etc.
If I look at the sailboat’s I think I want, the purchase price is somewhere between $100K and $200K. Before I spend that kind of money, I would happily spend $150 on an in-depth course on the matter.
Posted by Grant Headifen on January 16, 2009 under Skipper, Storm Tactics, weather |
We’ve received a few questions on clarification of the mechanics of determining the direction of the center of a weather system either a high or a low. So we added it to Module 4 of the weather clinic and we’re also describing it here.
The graphic below shows a weather map in the northern pacific last week. You can see two systems, a giant low system at 173 degrees west and 45 degrees north and a giant high system to the east at 127 degrees west and 47 degrees north. You’ll also notice the large cold front heading east and a warm front heading north. If your vessel was located at 150 degrees west and 45 degrees north, you’ll notice that the wind will be directly out of the south. This direction is created from the rotation of both systems in the opposite direction. Thus if you face the wind, the low will be on your right and the high will be on your left. This is a general rule that you can use in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere it is opposite – with your face to the wind the low will be on your right and the high will be on your left. It’s always best to simply draw the circles in your mind or on paper. Then draw the direction of rotation. Then place yourself anywhere on the circle with your face to the wind. Extend your arms and viola!
Weather systems
Here then is an example of application of the rule of “put the wind on your starboard side in the northern hemisphere”. If your vessel was at 172 degrees west and 40 degrees north with the wind on your starboard side, you’d be heading away from the storm system (south), and towards Hawaii which wouldn’t be bad anyway.
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Posted by Brenton Lochridge on January 14, 2009 under Rules of Right of Way |
This was fantastic. As a sailing instructor and professional sailor, I would like to commend you. The lesson had a nice flow, the graphics are fantastic, and the exam is very user friendly – I love the instant feedback and progress bar. I did notice a few typos early on in the lesson that need editing, but overall, this was a very pleasant surprise. I am interested in learning more about how we might be able to adopt NauticEd into our “continueing ed” program at my Boston-based sailing school. www.BlackRockSailingSchool.com
Posted by Grant Headifen on January 11, 2009 under weather |
Perfect example of cirrus clouds this morning in Austin Texas. Cirrus clouds typically mean that weather is changing in about 2 – 3 days. Many times it can mean the approach of a warm front – but not necessarily.
Posted by Grant Headifen on January 6, 2009 under Sail Trim, Skipper |
Moving the jib sheet car forward when the jib sheet is under tension presents a bit of a problem and many times you’ll just wait until you tack to the other side to move it. Or more dangerously, you can release the tension a little then put your foot on the jibsheet forward of the car to get the tension off the car so that you can move it. But what if you’re on a long take or there is just too much tension to hold down the sheet with your foot? Well here’s a little tip I learned from the guys at BVI Yacht Charters. Take the lazy sheet over to the leeward side and cleat it off tight to the mid cleat. Now you can release the tension of the working sheet while the lazy sheet holds the sail mostly in place. Move the car – tension up the working sheet and then release the lazy sheet. How about that?
Want to learn exactly where the car should be located for best jib sail performance? Take the NauticEd online SailTrim class!
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Posted by jes1 on January 4, 2009 under Rules of Right of Way |
I just completed the Rules of Right of Way course as a refresher to the ASA courses that I completed years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find that NauticEd doesn’t just list the rules and expect you to remember them. The illustrations help you visualize real-life scenarios where you’ll apply each rule and the plain-speak explanations walk you through the reasons for the rule. This time around I understand the rules AND the logic behind them. Now everything makes more sense and will be easier to remember. I’ll admit the word Test was intimidating up front, but by the time I got to that section I was feeling well prepared and the test was actually fun, especially the parts where you apply the rules in different scenarios. The reinforcement provided by the visuals really helped. Great job, NauticEd! I’m giving you all high marks. I’m looking forward to taking my next course.
