Groton Long Point Yacht Club
Seashells
Parent / Student Handbook
SEASHELLS
C
Class is for the true beginner.
Sailors are minimally age seven and must have swimming ability so as not to be
nervous about possible capsizing. Two children are typically in each boat, a
captain and a crew.
B Class is
designed for the novice to intermediate level sailboat Racing strategy is
taught, in addition to developing confidence on the water Captains and crews
work together to refine skills.
A Class is
fin individual sailors, in which the sailor is both captain and crew. It is the
most competitive of the seashell levels and is typically for sailors ages 10-12.
A test will be given at the end of the season.
Our staff consists of four instructors (I head instructor) and one aide.
The seashell aide will he on hand for C and B class only to help those
children who have not learned how to rig their boats, help bring the
boats to the water and assist at the end of class when the boats are
coining back in. Our goal is to help preserve these old boats while providing
some basic training to children on how to set up and take down their sails,
rudder & tiller.
We ask that parents remain behind the benches and refrain from coaching
the children. Our staff is eager to teach sailing and make sure the children are
having fun. It is important for all sailors to know how to rig their boats and
captain and crew should work as a team from start to finish. It is also
essential that children give themselves enough time before class to get their
boat ready.
Out on the water, the instructors will observe and advise sailors so they
“learn by doing”. We hope you will support this program by providing
encouragement and cheering on the sailors!
lf you have a specific concern about your sailor, please discuss it with
the head instructor either before or after class.
Please Note: Participation in Seashell classes B & C requires a full
month commitment. Children are paired up and assigned to a boat. If a child is
absent for days, the other partner is left unable to sail (race) or is put into
another team boat which causes friction among the ranks. Please discuss any
unusual situation with the head instructor prior to registering for
Seashells.
Partial
classes (i.e., 2 weeks) are only permitted if you can arrange for 2 children and
a boat so no one loses out when you leave. Please note that while your child may
participate in races during that
time, results will not be included in our calculations for status at the end of
the month.
In addition, due to the possibility of capsizing, your child should have
basic swimming skills and be comfortable on the water. Sailors must wear a
properly fitted PFD (lifejacket) during class and will not be permitted to sail without
one.
In an effort to “lighten the load”
for our seashell commuters, we will provide storage for their sail bag in our
shed located at the Seashell area. The shed will he unlocked at 8:45 am each
class day and locked at 12 noon. Storage is limited and will be on a first
come, first serve basis. Proper identification must be on the sail hag and
each sailboat part inside. The Yacht Club is not responsible for lost or damaged
items.
Instructors giving private lessons in the afternoon will have access to
the shed for sail bags and buoy marks.
Basic
Terminology
Tack -
to change course by turning into the wind so that the wind comes from the
other side of the boat.
Also, on
a boat, the tack is the front, lower corner of the sail.
Jibe -
a change of tack while going downwind
Port
- the left side of the boat
Port
Tack - sailing with the wind
coming from the port side with the boom on the starboard side
Starboard
- the right side of the boat
Starboard
Tack - a course with the wind
coming from starboard and the boom on the port side
Point
- to turn closer towards the
wind (point up)
Aft
- toward the stern
Bail
- to remove water from the boat
(with a hailer)
Buoy
Mark - an anchored float marking
a position
In
Irons - having turned onto the
wind or lost the wind, stuck and unable to make headway
Leeward
- downwind
Windward -
upwind
Luff
- flapping in the wind of the
front of the sail (lulling)
Head
Off - turn away from the wind
without tacking
Skulling
- the action of moving the
tiller back and forth constantly to make the boat move. This is illegal in
racing and cause a sailor to be disqualified.
Frequently, you will hear the
instructors yell to a sailor, Pull the tiller
toward you”. The primary reason for
this command is that the skipper has the boat pointed too high into the
wind (the sail is luffing, the boat is drilling, etc.) This phrase is simply the
easiest and fastest way to get a skipper to react and alter course. Sailors
learn best by hands on experience and until they understand the relationship
between wind direction and point of sail, they will learn that simply pulling
the tiller toward them will get them back on course.
Sailing
How
a Sailboat Sails
A Sailboat has four basic parts: the hull, sail(s), centerboard (or
keel), and rudder. The hull is designed to carry the crew, support the mast and
rigging, and move through the water easily.
]‘he sails provide the three for a sailboat.
The centerboard (keel) keeps the boat from being
pushed sideways by the wind.
The rudder is used to steer the sailboat. It is easy to see how a
sailboat is pushed downwind. It is more difficult to understand how a sailboat
sails across the wind or partially into the wind.
When
sailing across the wind (reaching) or into the wind (beating), the sail creates
a force much like the wing on an airplane. Part of this force pushes the
sailboat forward, and part of the force pushes the sailboat sideways (leeway).
To set the sail properly, let out the sail until it starts to luff (shake)
and then bring it back in until the Iuffing stops and the sail is smooth.
When sailing downwind, the sail will be all the way out. As you turn to
crosswind (reach), the sail will be about halfway in, and as you turn into the
wind, the sail will need to be as close to the centerline (close haul) as
possible.
Although you cannot sail directly into the wind, you can reach a mark
directly upwind by using a series of 7igzag maneuvers called tacking. As you
turn into the wind, the sails will start to luff. Always announce to your crew
that you are tacking (“coming about”). You will turn the bow through the
wind to your new course. The boom will come across the boat and you will adjust
the sail to your new course. Continue tacking until you reach your mark upwind.
Turning the boat so the stern passes through the wind is called jibing.
This can be dangerous since the boom on the sail will travel quickly across the
boat from all the way out on one side to all the way out on the other side. In
strong wind, this can cause you to capsize.
In strong wind, you can reduce the force of the wind on the sail by coming
up slightly into the wind or letting the sail out. In both cases the sail will
luff and you will reduce the chance of capsizing. The boat will also stop
heeling over and level out. If you feel you might capsize let the sail all the
way out and move to the high side of the boat. The most important point to
remember if you capsize is to remain calm and listen to your instructors. Always
stay with your boat until the instructors arrive. You will be wearing a
lifejacket and can easily tread water until they reach you. More advanced
instruction for capsizing will take place during class.
PEOPLE
TO CONTACT
Commodore -
Lori Perrone
Vice Commodore - -
Sue Aberbach
Director
of Sailing - - Doug
Steere
Director
of Operations - Bob Congdon
Yacht
Club Office: 860-536-0242
Office
Manager: Lesley de Labry
INSTRUCTORS
Head Instructor: Kate
Hope
Instructors:
Abbey Steere, Sam Mcgrath, Keivan Russo
Aides:
Bella Perrone, Olivia Bonner
