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this training video will show you what
to do on your first sale you'll learn
how to start and stop the boat control
your speed and turnaround for your first
sale you should choose a light winds day
and the objective is to sail backwards
and forwards across the wind with the
winds blowing over the side of the boat
like this this is called a beam reach
and this is the best point of sailing
for your first sail when you have more
experience you can then master the other
points of sailing this video assumes
that you're familiar with rigging your
boats and you know how to launch safely
and that you understand the points of
sailing
identify where the wind is blowing from
by looking at flags as sure or masthead
burgees or look at ripples on the water
a flapping sail will also indicate where
the wind is blowing from you need to be
careful of the no-go zone which is an
area forty-five degrees either side of
where the wind is blowing from the sails
do not work in this zone and you will
not be able to sail by identifying where
the wind is blowing from you should be
able to work out where the no-go zone is
likely to be and try to ensure that you
do not steer unintentionally into this
zone you should be sitting in the boat
well forward like this and with the
tiller extension in the dagger grip in
front of your body this leaves your
other hand to control the mainsheet
avoid sitting too far back it may feel
comfortable but you'll find it difficult
to turn around and the boat will not
sail as effectively in the water you
should be able to gently push and pull
the tiller extension to turn the boat
keep these movements small and always
return the tiller to the straight
position as your default remember that
the boat will turn with even the
smallest amount of angle on the tiller
pushing the tiller towards the boom will
turn the nose or bow of the boat towards
the wind this is called roughing up and
pulling the tiller away from the boom
will make the bow of the boat turn away
from the wind this is called bearing
away the crew sits in front of the
helmsman and their role is to control
the front sail called
a jib by pulling in or letting go of the
control sheet the easiest point to get a
feel for steering starting and stopping
is to position your boat so the wind is
blowing across the boat at 90 degrees
this point of sailing is called a beam
reach here you can see a boat on a beam
reach point of sailing with the sails
flapping to help you understand how the
wind powers the boat you should think of
your sail as an engine pulling in on the
main control ropes will pull in the
sails which fills them with wind which
in turn generates drive to the boat
through the water
letting the ropes go makes the sails
flap which reduces power and
subsequently slows you down your main
control ropes are called sheets starting
with the control sheets loose and the
sails flapping with the rudder
completely straight you should gently
pull the control sheets for the mainsail
and jib until the sails don't flap
anymore when you pull a sail in from a
slack position the last bit to fill with
wind is the front part of the sail so
this is the area to look at to make sure
that it doesn't flap ask the crew to do
the same with the head sail you'll
notice that the boat will immediately
drive forwards sailing dinghies don't
have brakes
so to slow down you must release the
power in the sail buy slackening the
control sheet on both mainsail and jib
when sailing it's a good idea to take
note of a fixed object on the shore and
try to adjust the rudder to maintain a
steady steering direction towards that
point it's very easy to get
disorientated when sailing so having a
constant reference point is a big help
to ensure you continue sailing in the
right direction sooner or later you guys
run out of water or need to turn for
some other reason there are two ways to
turn a boat around for your first sail
you should turn the nose of the boat
through the wind this is called tacking
the other way of turning which you
should avoid to start with it's called
jiving this is where the nose of the
boat turns away from the wind
both these maneuvers in detail are the
subject of other videos on this site
when tacking the boat will slow
significantly and it's for this reason
you should use this maneuver on your
first sail to tack round you should be
sailing along your beam reach in
preparation look around and make sure
that the immediate area is clear from
other vessels or hazards the object of
the exercise is to sail back along the
track from where you've just come check
once again that your turning area is
safe and you can get ready to turn ask
the crew to get ready they should then
prepare themselves by making sure that
no ropes are tangled around their feet
when they're ready and the area is still
clear you can then start the manoeuvre
gently push the tiller towards the boom
the boat will immediately start to turn
ask the crew to release the jib sheet
duck under the boom and move across onto
the other side of the boat once the boom
has passed overhead keep turning until
you've gone through 180 degrees you
should now be on a beam reach once more
move across onto the new side of the
boat and sit down straighten the tiller
and swap your hands over and resume the
dagger grip once more like this the crew
meanwhile pulls the jib across onto the
new side and both sails are adjusted
once more to find the point where they
just stop flapping now let's take
another look sailing along the beam
reach point of sailing take a quick look
to decide where you plan to end up
heading and check the area is clear
check the crew is ready for the turn
gently push the tiller towards the boom
and turn the nose of the boat through
the wind and ask the crew to release
their jib sheet stepping across the boat
ducking under the boom keeping the
rudder in the same turning position once
you've turned 180 degrees straighten the
tiller swap the hands on the tiller and
resume to the dagger grip
the crew meanwhile pulls the jib across
onto the new side and then both of you
find the point where the sail just stops
flapping don't worry too much about your
technique just now the full tacking
procedure is the subject of another
video if you want to stop and have a
rest at any time you should learn to
Hove to the helmsman and crew release
both sails so that they flap and the
crew pulls the jib across onto the wrong
side like this and then locks the sail
in the jam cleat to stop it from
flapping the helmsman then pushes the
tiller towards the boom and the crew
raises the centreboard so it's about
half way up all this has the effect of
stopping the boat to get out of the hole
to position the crew simply releases the
jib and pulls it across onto the other
side the helmsman straightens the tiller
and away you go whilst tacking across
the wind
you may straighten the rudder too soon
here you'll be stuck in the no go zone
with the nose of the boat pointing head
to wind this is called being stuck in
irons
if it happens don't worry keep the
tiller straight and ask the crew to pull
the jib across to one side this will
slowly force the nose of the boat out of
the no go zone keep the jib in this
position until you've turns 90 degrees
air you're pointing on a beam reach
point of sailing release the jib and
pull it across on to the other side and
at the same time pull the mainsheet in
and sail away
if you sail in windier conditions
everything is the same but events happen
considerably faster you'll notice that
the boat will turn faster the sails flap
louder and the boom travels across the
boat faster if your boat is fitted with
a reef ink system you should consider
reefing the mainsail on windy days this
reduces the amount of sail area and take
some of the power away watch our rigging
and reefing video to see how this is
done common mistakes not understanding
where the wind is blowing from so not
setting the sails correctly for the
point of sailing you're on for your
first sail you should turn around by
tacking through the wind as this is
easier to master than jiving
getting stuck in irons not keeping a
good lookout can put you in a hazardous
area with lots of boats or other water
users not straightening the tiller once
the tack is completed the boat
will keep turning key learning points
first time out avoid winds greater than
about 12 miles an hour so that you can
get the maneuver at a manageable speed
pulling in the control sheets so that
the mainsail fills with wind will drive
your boat forward releasing the control
sheets so that the mainsail flaps in the
wind will lose drive and slow you down
in your early days of sailing the
easiest condition to practice in is when
the wind is blowing across the boat in
90 degrees called a beam reach the
safest way to turn your boat round is to
tack which is when the bow or nose of
the boat goes through the eye of the
wind and out on to the other side it's
likely that you'll become disorientated
as you tack back and forth so identify a
point to aim at before you turn that
will become a reference point for you if
you get stuck in the no go zone keep the
tiller straight and ask the crew to pull
the jib across to one side if you want
to stop and rest while sailing adopts
the hose to position
next steps watch this video as many
times it is necessary to have a good
understanding of how to start and stop
your boat and make simple turns use the
script and glossary accompanying the
video to help you you should continue to
practice this until you're familiar and
comfortable with the effect of the
rudder and steering controls
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you