It was another day of morning storms and threatening weather in the afternoon that kept our sailors from heading out onto the water. However, we did get quite a bit of learning in today. Opti Green Fleet and Opti LTS headed to the pavilion by the pool during the rainy morning to learn about starting. Coach JC, Kenna and Lucy gave a very in depth chalk talk about starting, which is the most important part of course racing in sailboats! We went over the starting sequence for a race, what makes up a start line, keeping the boat in the right spot, backwinding, double tacks, preparing for our race day tomorrow! We also introduced them to signal flags used by the Race Committee for regattas. I was really impressed how into this talk the kids were and all the great questions they had!
Signal flags and their designations aren’t just used in sailing, but in the military, police and even the business arena! Have you ever talked to someone on the phone and said, ‘A as in apple.’ Well, it’s supposed to be Alpha, not apple! The signal flags led to a fun activity in the afternoon where the sailors spelled their names with signal flags! Some kids really got into it and might bring them home to teach their parents! Mercury Mentors played fun games in the morning including Sailing Hangman and others.
