Today green fleet focused on the steps of tacking on and off the water. The group practiced perfecting their tacks all morning before we were brought in by storms. In the classroom, we set up chairs and did “land tacks” while walking the class through the steps. We set up two chairs across from each other, similar to where the rails are in the Opti. The action of tacking is when the boat crosses head to wind and the wind fills on the other side of the sail. Without knowing how to properly tack it sure is harder to get back home!
The Beginner Opti group were super anxious to get out on the water and get used to having a sail in the boat. With the sail in the boat, all the Optis were on tow lines so they could continue to practice steering but now with a sail! While the Beginner Optis were being towed, they took turns steering the boat to get more comfortable out on the water. All the kids did great today with sails in their boats allowing the group to advance onto different aspects of sailing tomorrow!
Mercury Mentors rigged up first thing in the morning and after learning about the parts of the boat some more, they sailed on the Stranahan River in front of LYC until lunch! They took turns steering the boat and trimming the sails. We were so happy to get them on the water!
This afternoon the storms popped up again so we didn’t rig up for the afternoon. When storms hit, we have to put the Optis on the dock, derig them so they don’t get struck by lightning and flip them over so they don’t fill with water. The sky cleared up a little, but lightning was still in the area, so rigging and heading out was a little too risky. We were able to take a dip in the pool for a little while though!
Overall, it was a productive day and we’re slowly but surely moving forward with everyone’s sailing skills!
