Quick Reminder: All sailors must have their swimming wristbands because without them they are not allowed in the pool and we do not have replacements. We did not go in the pool today but we noticed a lot of kids did not have their bands.
Hi Everyone! I’m Coach Kenna and I am one of the Beginner Opti Coaches.
Today was a bit of a disappointment weather wise, but all the coaches worked together to do what we could to make the day as productive a possible. The second Monday is usually a review day of everything that we did last week, so in lieu of that plan, all groups started with a review of what was learned last week.
Mercury Mentors went down to the lawn to play a sailing version of red light green light called ‘Ease-Trim.’ So when the coach says trim you go and when the coach says ease you slow to a stop, much like how it happens on the water. These games really help the little ones become comfortable with sailing terms. They also reviewed the parts of the boat and how to tack.
Beginner Optis started the day off with review of the parts of the boat and points of sail. We also reviewed the tack and gybe. It is super important that the kids learn how to do a hand switch behind their back so that tacks are efficient and safe. So to teach this in the classroom, we set up the sailing simulator made of chairs and everyone got a chance for one on one practice with the hand switch and trimming techniques. We learned about race courses and start sequences in preparation for the race day on Friday!
In the morning Green Fleet and the 420 group went with JC to the garage to learn about the science of sailing. JC taught them about the mechanics of how sails power the boat through the concept of lift. They also learned about how weight placement affects steering, the science of the centerboard, the drag of a rudder, and what a jib does and how it can affect the entire sail plan.
After all review was done, we had a hiking competition. Hiking is crucial to windy days because our boats must be kept flat to prevent capsize. Our longest time today was a green fleeter named Juan with a remarkable time of four minutes and one second.
