Wednesday Curriculum

Class 1 Curriculum

Introduction

Give a brief introduction to the sailing program (in the shore school: 5 minutes).

Brief History of sailing at MIT
How the lessons will work
What to wear
Other Pavilion activities:
- Lynx Catboats
- Windsurfing
- Lasers
- Fireflies
- Moonlight Sails
- Harbor Trips
- X Dimension

Policies and Procedures

Go over the rules and procedures of the sailing program (in the shore school: 10-15 minutes)

How to get a sailing card
How ratings work
- Swim Rating
- Provisional Rating
- Helmsman Rating
- Ratings for other boats
Life jackets must be worn at all times in boats
Guest Policy
- All persons in small boats must know how to swim
- Each MIT boat must have at least one person with sailing card
Sailing boundaries
- Don't go under bridges
- Keep the dock in sight
- Only land at the MIT dock
- Avoid shallows near Esplanade
- Avoid yacht club, community boating.
Signals
- Lowering of red flag is the recall signal
- If you need help, lower your sail
Capsizing
- Stay with the boat!
- You can try to right the boat or wait for help

Basics of Sailing

Go over the basics of how to sail a sailboat (in the shore school: 10-15 minutes)

Steering

Steer with tiller: point the boat where you want to go
Sit opposite the sail on the windward side of the boat
Pay attention to the boat's heading to steer a straight course
Pay attention to wind direction: cannot sail less than 45 degrees into wind
How to determine direction of wind
How to get out of irons

Sail Trim

Sheet sail all the way in when sailing upwind
Sheet out when sailing downwind.
Sheet out until sail luffs, then sheet in to stop luffing
In gusts, sheet out to prevent capsizing

Boat Trim

Skipper must sit to be able to steer properly
Crew must move around to keep boat level

Tacking

Turn upwind until bow crosses through the eye of the wind
Remember to duck as boom moves across the boat
Skipper must switch sides (always sits on the windward side)
If you tack too slowly, you'll get stuck in irons

Jibing

Turn downwind until stern crosses through the eye of the wind
Boom can have much more force than during a tack, so remember to duck
Beware of sailing by-the-lee when sailing downwind

Tour of Pavilion

Dock

Point out the locations of different boats
- Techs
- Lasers
- Windsurfers
- Fireflies
- FJs
- Lynx Catboats

Point out the red flag
Point out the shop
Point out the day lockers
Bikes go on west roof
East roof can be rented for parties

Lobby

Point out two unisex restrooms
Location and use of sailing cards
Check with dock staff before taking out boats
Location and use of lock box (silence cell phones before putting in box!)
String to use for glasses

Sailing & Rigging Demonstration

Rigging a Tech Dinghy

Point out locations of life jacket, rudders, sails, & bailers
Put all four items in a boat
Tie head of sail to halyard with stunsail tack bend
Attach clew to boom
Only raise the sail a foot or so on the dock
Put boat in water, tie up with bowline
Lower centerboat
Attach rudder
Raise sail -- make sure it is fully hoisted
Adjust downhaul
Tension outhaul to a hand's width
Vang disabled (attached to boom near mast)
Reef sail based on wind conditions

Sailing Demonstration

Proper position in the boat of skipper
Do not use tiller extension
Check for traffic before launching
Push off, steer away from dock, trim sail
Always land pointed into the wind (check flag, observe other boats)
Exit the boat near the wires and tie up
Sail down, rudder out, centerboard up with bungee attached
Pull boat out and finish unrigging
Point out the jam cleat at the top of the mast

Knots

Finish off class with demonstration of knots in the Shore School
- Bowline
- Stunsail Tack Bend
- Mooring Cleat Hitch

Pass out handouts

Class 2 Curriculum

Rig boats

Check with students when they arrive at the Pavilion:
- Have they taken Class 1? (If not, send them to Shore School)
- Do they have a partner? Pair them up
Two people per boat, have them get sails, rudders, & life jackets and start rigging
It helps to have a number of people on the dock to assist with rigging

Lecture and Demonstration

When most of the boats are rigged, gather students together and go over important points:

Proper position for skipper and crew
Tiller must be able to move all the way side-to-side
Do not use tiller extension
Never drop the tiller
Crew controls the sheet:
- Trim directly from the boom
- Remember to let it out in gusts
- Let it all the way out when landing
Remember to switch sides of boat when tacking: skipper always opposite the sail
Crew must shift weight to keep boat balanced
Give plenty of room to other boats
Always land pointed into the wind
Instructor will demonstrate launch, tacks, jibes, and landing.
- It helps to have another instructor on the dock to describe the demonstration
Describe the course the students are going to sail

Reefing

Demonstrate reefing
Have all the students put in one or two reefs (depending on the conditions)

Sailing

Before class, set up a single buoy about 10 boat lengths from the dock, for a beam reach
Three instructors will assist:
- One instructor upwind on the dock to help launch
- One instructor in a motorboat to assist on the water
- One instructor downwind on the dock to assist with landing
Students launch one at a time:
- Skipper gets in first
- Crew pushes off
Students sail to the buoy and perform a tack around it
Students sail back to the dock and land near the third instructor
Third instructor may wish to use a megaphone to be able to assist landing in a calm voice
Students will get out of their boats, and walk back to the start
Dock instructors will control the number of boats on the water
- Allow fewer boats out at a time in windy conditions
- Slow down launching of boats if some students are having difficulty
Dock instructors can also provide pointers to students while they are waiting to launch
Students should alternate skipper vs. crew each time

Wednesday Curriculum

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