Posted by admin on May 31, 2010 under Skipper | 
Ever had trouble trying to trim the genoa car forward or back whilst it is under load from the sail?
Here’s a handy tip from NauticEd Sailing School – the most obvious and safest is to do the lazy side first then wait till you tack over. But this tip is even more clever than that. Take the lazy sheet over to the leeward side of the boat and cleat it off taught to the genoa clew. Now release the working genoa sheet. The lazy sheet will maintain the genoa in relatively the same position. Now the tension is off the car and you can move it to the desired position. Re-tension up the working genoa sheet and release the lazy sheet off the cleat. Job done!
This works for monohulls and catamarans. The following picture was taken during a NauticEd flotilla the BVI last year and illustrates the concept.
Using the lazy sheet to move the genoa car
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 17, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Skipper |
This is the final day of your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’re discussing chartering a yacht on a sailing vacation and the NauticEd Post Graduation Sailing Trip.
After having lead dozens of sailing trips all over the world including Greece, Croatia, The British Virgin Islands, Grenada, St. Martin, Guadeloupe Island, Mexico, New Zealand, Belize, and Corsica and other exotic locations, I’ve come to realize that there is nothing more fun than a sailing trip.
We encourage you to gain the education and experience to take one of these vacations. They are relatively inexpensive in the order of $500 per week (excluding airfair) per person. And, if you dine on board, the price includes your entertainment, accommodation and food costs.
We’ve taken babies and kids, small groups and large groups. Every time captains and crew have had the time of their lives.
If you start out in a easy location like the British Virgin Islands, the sailing is mild and the navigation is by sight. Or if you want slightly more of a challenge, Greece is amazing.
Our Sailing Vacation Route in the BVI's
There are literally hundreds of charter companies through out the world. Your knowledge and experience is the main key to being accepted by these charter companies as a customer. After working closely with many of the larger companies, we developed the Rank of Bareboat Charter Master Level III as the base standard for being accepted.
By now you will have learned that with the rank of Bareboat Charter Master a student will have completed the following courses:
- Skipper Course
- Maneuvering Under Power Clinic
- Bareboat Charter Clinic
- Coastal Navigation Clinic
and would have logged a minimum of 50 days of on-the-water experience.
If you’re considering taking a sailing vacation then we strongly urge you to achieve this Certification. And if you’re chartering a catamaran, take the Catamaran Sailing Confidence course and play the associated Catamaran Maneuvering Game.
To celebrate your successful achievement to Bareboat Charter Master Level III, NauticEd leads a Post Graduation Sailing Trip each year to either the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or the Pacific.
Once you achieve this Rank and Level you will receive a personal invitation to join us on this trip.
You will captain your own boat with your friends and family. We will act as flotilla admiral and lead the fleet and provide assistance should you need it. At the conclusion of the trip we’ll add the Verified Proficiency Mark to your sailing certification.
If you’re slightly timid about taking a sailing vacation after you graduate or want to join a fun group flotilla, this is the trip for you. Follow us on twitter to keep up to date on this trip and watch our newsletters.
This concludes your introduction to NauticEd.We truly hope that NauticEd can serve your sailing education desires and that we help you enjoy our wonderful gift of the oceans.
Sincerely,
Grant Headifen
Educational Director
NauticEd
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 16, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Skipper |
This is day 5 of 6 in your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’re discussing practical sailing schools and how you can get a verified proficiency stamp added to your sailing certificate.
The NauticEd Sailing Certificate with Practical Sailing Verification
The Verified Proficiency Mark is an acknowledgement that the student has had on the water training and check-out by an accredited NauticEd Professional Affiliated Sailing School.
Although NauticEd recommends that all students gain practical instruction through an accredited Sailing School, it also recognizes that in many cases sailors feel they are already proficient in boat handling skills and choose not to go to a practical school. In this case then, Students still gain the sailing certification rank and level, however the Verified Proficiency Mark is left off their logbook resume.
The Verified Proficiency Mark is attained after the professional Instructor tests out the student on the water using the NauticEd Practical Proficiency Check list which is available at http://www.nauticed.org/images/certification/proficiency/skipper.pdf
The Instructor then simply logs into NauticEd, securely locates the student’s profile online and verifies the profile for sailing proficiency with one click. The NauticEd software then automatically and instantly marks the student’s certification with the Verified Proficiency Mark. The Verified Proficiency Mark adds significant value to the student’s certification because it adds further proof of the Student’s sailing abilities.
Our list of professional schools is growing. If you don’t see your favorite school listed on our site at http://www.nauticed.org/school then let them know about NauticEd.
Visit one of our schools to gain a Verified Proficiency Mark for your sailing certification.
Tomorrow is our last day of NauticEd introduction. We will discuss chartering a yacht on a sailing vacation and the NauticEd Post Graduation Sailing Trip.
Login Page: http://www.nauticed.org/myNauticEd
Until then – fair winds
Grant Headifen
Educational Director
NauticEd
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 15, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Celestial Navigation, Coastal Navigation, Crew, Maneuvering Under Power, Rules of Right of Way, Sail Trim, Skipper, Storm Tactics, weather |
This is day 4 of 6 in your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’re discussing the list of courses and clinics that NauticEd offers for your education.
One of the first course we believe that all sailors should complete no mater what their experience level is the FREE NauticEd Rules of Right of Way Clinic.
If you’re an experienced sailor you’ll see the value in a quick refresher course.
If you’re new to sailing then you’ll learn some vital nautical rules.
In either case – this course is free and thus you’ll be able to see how taking a NauticEd clinic and the associated test will work. This is a graphical and fun 20 minute course.
Take the Rules of Right of Way Clinic now!
For your convenience, we’ve created a chart of recommended courses depending on your skill level.
Go to http://www.nauticed.org/recommended_sailing_lessons
Ranks and courses
In email #2 we discussed the ranks Skipper, Bareboat Charter Master and Captain
Gaining the Skipper Rank
The first lessons to begin your sailing certification is the Skipper course and the Maneuvering Under Power clinic.;
The SKIPPER SAILING COURSE is a beginner to intermediate sailing course. It is a prerequisite to any certification and covers the fundamentals that every one must know. The total time needed to complete this course will be about 20 hours. Cost $67.00
The MANEUVERING UNDER POWER CLINIC: This is our most popular course. An absolutely essential maneuvering and docking course that will save you thousands in dents, bumps and scratches at the marina. Want to dock your boat like a pro every time? Want to impress? Take the most popular NauticEd Sailing School Course now. Estimated time: 3 hours total. Cost: $39.
Gaining the Bareboat Charter Master Rank
BAREBOAT CHARTER CLINIC: Taking a sailing vacation? All hands on deck – this is the yacht charter sailing course for you and ALL of your crew. Make your charter sailing trip more enjoyable by getting ALL the bareboat charter tips you’ll need. Estimated time: 5 hours total. Cost: $39.
COASTAL NAVIGATION CLINIC: Learn to navigate your sailboat. If you plan on sailing away from your home base or are taking a sailing vacation, you need this course. NauticEd Sailing School makes navigating a sailboat – a breeze. Estimated time: 10 hours total. Cost: $39.
Gaining the Captain’s Rank
WEATHER CLINIC: If you’re a real sailor then you need to understand and read the weather. It’s as simple as that! Written by the professionals at Clear Point Weather, this is the best weather sailing course available. Estimated time: 7 hours total. Cost: $39.
SAIL TRIM CLINIC: Learn the true art and finesse of trimming the sails. When to adjust the fairleads, the traveler, the downhaul, the outhaul, the Cunningham, the boom vang. When leaning to sail properly, you should know what all these fine adjustments do. Estimated time: 4 hours total. Cost: $39.
STORM TACTICS CLINIC: Even when day sailing, a storm can be upon us in minutes. Are you prepared with the knowledge now? This storm tactics sailing course will teach the essentials to keep you and your crew alive. Estimated time: 4 hours total. Cost: $39.
SAFETY AT SEA CLINIC: This course is still under construction by Captain Ed Mapes. Captain Mapes has logged tens of thousands of miles on the sailboats around the world. He knows how to be safe and is passing on his hard learned information to you. Coming soon.
In addition to the above courses and clinics, we offer the following:
CATAMARAN SAILING CONFIDENCE CLINIC: Converting over to a catamaran or chartering a catamaran for the first/second time? Learn the essential differences between sailing a monohull and a catamaran. This clinic will give you the confidence. It includes an interactive experiential online game to practice maneuvering in a marina. Estimated time: 3 hours total. Cost: $39.
INTRODUCTORY CELESTIAL NAVIGATION CLINIC: If you’re in any way intrigued with Celestial Navigation, this is the best and simplest celestial sailing course available. You’ll be able to do an actual noon shot and determine your position. Estimated time: 5 hours total. Cost: $39.
QUALIFIED CREW MEMBER COURSE: Learn to sail and contribute as a crew member on a modern cruising sailboat. Learn the lines, sailing terminology, sail trim and rules of the road. Estimated time: 7 hours total. Cost: $37.50.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss practical sailing schools and how you can get a verified proficiency stamp added to your sailing certificate.
Until then – fair winds,
Grant Headifen
Educational Director
NauticEd
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 14, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Crew, Skipper |
We received a lot of interest in the Bareboat Charter Clinic Crew Briefing Check list that we sent out via our mailer earlier in the week. Some additional and excellent tips were sent in by some of you and so we have updated the list. See it now at the bottom of this page:
http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
Yum yum while sailing
Bareboat chartering is one of the most fun things you can do on this planet. This August we’re leading a fully booked flotilla in Tonga to sail the islands around Vava’u. But next week we thought we’d pop over there to do a reconnaissance trip. So watch out for our video blog report in a few weeks on that.
Each year we invite our Bareboat Charter Master Graduates to join us on a flotilla. While this year is Tonga, next year we’re thinking of some where in the Med. Come join us on that – watch out for the announcement.
One of the things that we find particularly great about our trips is a fully engaged and working crew. With this comes knowledge about leadership and team work, boat systems, dinghy operations, provisioning requirements and just basic bareboating skills by everyone on board. It’s not that everyone should know how to sail but some good knowledge of what to expect before hand makes the trip go smooth with out drama, confusion, injury, or arguments. Everyone invests A LOT of money in a trip like this.
What we’re suggesting is why not make it as fun as possible. So if you haven’t taken the NauticEd Bareboat Charter clinic yet and haven’t sent it onto your crew, go ahead and do so because the small comparative investment in the clinic by everyone will make the trip seem ten times more fun (and safe). The one tip like walking under the boom side of the boat when going down wind is tooooooo invaluable for your crew.
Bareboat Yacht Charter Clinic
In addition to this, if you’re traveling to Greece, Spain or Croatia, you’ll be required to show harbor authorities a VHF endorsement on your Sailing Certificate. When you take and pass the NauticEd Bareboat Charter Clinic, you’ll get that endorsement stamped on your Sailing Certificate.
So go ahead, get started now with the Bareboat Charter Clinic and let NauticEd teach your crew prior to the trip. Register now at
http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
And while you’re at it, please hit the Like Button on that page to tell your facebook friends that you like this clinic.
Here again is the Bareboat Charter Curriculum
Module 1: Planning and Arriving
1.1 The Types of Charters
1.2 Good Captainship
1.3 Arrival at the Base
1.4 Provisioning
1.5 Freezer and Fridge Management
1.6 Generators
1.7 Fishing
1.8 Kids
1.9 Local Area Familiarization
1.10 VHF Operations
Module 2: Checking out the Boat
2.1 Getting Familiar with the Boat
2.2 The Deck
2.3 Breakdowns
2.4 The Engine
2.5 The Fuel System
2.6 Starting the Engine
2.7 Operating the Engine
2.8 Stopping the Engine
2.9 Plumbing and Tankage
2.10 Seacocks
2.11 Showers
2.12 Heads
2.13 Bilge Pumps
2.14 Galley Stove
2.15 DC Electrical System
2.16 AC Electrical System
2.17 Sails
Module 3: Underway
3.1 Knot Tying School
3.2 Communications
3.3 The Nautical Chart
3.4 GPS
3.5 The Autopilot
3.6 Mooring
3.7 Anchoring
3.8 The Windlass
3.9 Docking
3.10 Seasickness
3.11 The Dinghy
3.12 Briefing the Crew
3.13 Conclusion
Register now at
http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 10, 2010 under Bareboat Charter, Coastal Navigation, Crew, Sail Trim, Skipper, Storm Tactics |
Some tips are long and some are short – This short one will save your life or one of your crew.
As you know – sailing downwind has the dangerous potential of the accidental gybe. This can be quite a common occurrence if you have an inexperienced crew at the helm or perhaps with a major wind shift when sailing close to an island and … well… with the added distractions of being on a sailing vacation, an accidental gybe is probably going to happen.
Please teach your crew to only walk to the front of the boat on the boom side of the boat when sailing down wind. In this manner, the boom is only traveling at a bruising 20 miles per hour when slamming across instead of the fatal 100 miles per hour when it reaches the other side.
Could be dangerous
It’s particularly important to emphasize this when heading out on a bareboat charter vacation where you’re often taking along some land lubbers. So, NauticEd has put together a quick briefing list for the crew prior to departure which includes tips like this.
Download the PDF at the bottom of the page at http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
