Basic Crewing/Sailing Course  - Tacoma, Dock Side Training Session

Field trip: Basic Crewing/Sailing Course

Basic Crewing/Sailing Course - Tacoma, Dock Side Training Session - Asylum, Johnny's Dock Marina

Dockside training session / first training sail for students of Tacoma's Basic Crewing/Sailing Course.

  • Easy
  • For Beginners (Getting Started Series)
  • Mileage: 15.0 nm

We will meet on the north side of the parking lot of Johnny's Dock Restaurant and Marina at 5:00 PM. There is a gate on the north side (to the right of the restaurant when looking from the street) - meet there and I'll come up and get you. Call me at (253) 273-9097 1-2 hours prior to the start of the class to confirm we are still a go. Please be there right at 5 pm or a few minutes early.

This is the first of four sails included in the Tacoma Branch's Basic Crewing/Sailing Course.  Students of the course should only sign up for one Training Sail #1 activity.

An outline of topics that will be covered during this training sail is under the "Required Equipment" tab below.  Please review the related material in your course text book before the sail and make sure you ask any questions necessary for you to understand the concept being covered.

Sail activities will take place rain or shine.  The activity may, however, be canceled due to high wind.  Call you skipper 1 hour before the start of the activity to make sure it is still a go.  Please show up on time.

Route/Place

Asylum, Johnny's Dock Marina


Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

At The Dock

  • Demonstrate safe proper boarding "permission to board”.
  • Safety and boat review.  Walk through boat, cover safety rules, don PFDs.
  • Quick review of parts of the boat: bow, stern, hull, deck, cockpit, keel, rudder, tiller(helm), mast, boom, lifelines, stanchions, bow pulpit, stern pulpit, masthead fly, port, starboard.
  • Standing Rigging (keeps mast standing); forestay, backstay, shrouds, spreaders.
  • Running Rigging (moves); halyard, sheet, cunningham, boom vang, furling line.
  • On Board; rig boat, tiller/wheel lesson, cleat lesson, winch lesson.
  • Knots demo: bowline, round turn and 2 half hitches, clove hitch, figure 8
  • Undocking; stress difference in "prepare" and "do" cast off.

Under Power

  • Steering - boat turns around keel.
  • Basic powerboat right of way.
  • Discuss onboard, water and land signs for identifying true wind direction.
  • Observe masthead fly through 360 degree turn.
  • "Prepare to hoist main”: main sheet off and free to run, vang off, head to wind. 
  • "Hoist"

Under Sail

  • True wind vs apparent wind; head up, head down.
  • Rough trim for points of sail. 'When in doubt, let it out’ 
  • Practice tacking, rotate crew.
  • Trim to Telltales for close and beam reach.
  • Drive to Telltales for close hauled.
  • Terms; head, clew, tack, foot, luff, leach.
  • Demonstrate; halyard tension, cunningham, outhaul
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