Ultimate Dinghy Sailing !

Seven annual sailing season inspections to save you money!

Inspect Boat Sails and Repair. Remove all sails and canvas, such as Biminis and dodgers from the boat. Inspect both for chafe or tears. Have the local sail loft do a 'head to toe' inspection. Ask your sailmaker to beef up worn areas with additional chafe patches to prevent problems in the future. 2. Service Your Small Diesel Engine. All cruising sailboats abuse their diesel engines. We sailors just don't run them long or hard enough to make a diesel happy. Hire a mechanic once a year for one hour (or more). Have them conduct a 'physical' on the beast. Ask lots of questions. You'll learn a ton of stuff and save lots of money in the future. 3. Make a Bottom Dive or Haulout. Do you sail in fresh water or salt? If you sail in salt, your bottom gets fouled after a few months dockside, at anchor of at a mooring. If you don't haulout, hire a diver to check the bottom, propeller condition and rudder. Keep them clean and barnacle free for peak performance. 4. Test Every Seacock. If you haul the boat, you need to break down every seacock, inspect the internal parts, and grease the fitting. Use only a silicone waterproof grease to prevent damage to rubber parts. Keep them serviced so that they serve you for years to come. 5. Unstep the Sailboat Mast - Check Sailing Rigging. If you haul the boat, unstep the mast. Otherwise, you or a rigger must go aloft to check mast tangs, spreaders, spreader boots and halyard blocks. Check all running rigging and replace if worn. Keep your mast in place and your sailing rig strong to prevent failure. 6. Repair Spongy or Crazed Sailboat Decks. Moisture finds its way into cored decks after a decade or two. Check around every fitting, like lifeline stanchion bases, cleats and mast step for crazing. Before you fill them, use a moisture gauge to check for water intrusion. You must dry the core before filling with sealant. Keep cracks from crunching your cruising plans by taking action once a year. 7. Conduct an Anchor Rode Inspection. Pull it out--pull it all out. Empty your anchor rode from the anchor locker and onto the deck or dock. Inspect every inch of the line, give it a fresh water washdown and dry it out. Salt acts like sandpaper on nylon line and wet nylon loses 15% of its strength. Dry out the anchor locker to prevent mildew.

The Toughest Sailing Race in the World !!

Sailing Stars of 2012 Set to Inspire at RYA Volvo Zone Championships

Great Britain’s Junior sailors will be seeing stars when some of the world’s top Olympic and Paralympic sailors pay a visit to the RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships which are taking place concurrently next weekend (29-30 September) across nine different venues throughout the United Kingdom. Members of the London 2012 British Sailing Team, including Paralympic gold medallist Helena Lucas, will be visiting eight venues across the course of the two-day regatta, to inspire the next generation of British sailors. Over 1000 young competitors, aged between eight and 16, will be given the chance to quiz the sailors about how their sailing careers developed, from club level to their first regional event and how they progressed to ultimately compete at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They will get the opportunity to compete under the watchful eyes of RYA High Performance Managers, key coaches and selectors as well as showcase their talents in front of the 10 Skandia Team GBR and Team Volvo sailors who will also be offering tips and advice whilst out on the water. 470 London 2012 silver medallist Hannah Mills will be visiting the South Zone (Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy) along with Paralympic gold medallist Helena Lucas who will join Mills on the Sunday after dropping in on the North Zone (Rutland Sailing Club) on the Saturday. The North Zone will then welcome Olympic windsurfing silver medallist Nick Dempsey on day two. 2012 Match Race girls Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor will visit the South East Zone (Weir Wood Sailing Club, East Sussex) and the South West Zone (Chew Valley Sailing Club, Bristol) respectively. Olympic silver medallist Stuart Bithell will be at the West Zone (Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club, Greater Manchester) while his 470 sailing partner Luke Patience will be making the trip back to his homeland to visit Largs Sailing Club in Scotland. Visiting the East Zone (Alton Water Sailing Club, Suffolk) will be the Paralympic SKUD bronze medallist Alexandra Rickham, while the Welsh Championship will welcome her sailing partner Niki Birrell at New Quay Sailing Club, Ceredigion. Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: “The RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships are always a fantastic event and this year’s events will be extra special because thanks to the support of our long term sponsor, Volvo Car UK, the young sailors will be able to meet, get tips, advice and support and ultimately be inspired by their sailing heroes of 2012. “To achieve in Olympic Sailing takes a long time and sailors need to have self-belief, commitment and be inspired to put in the years of hard work – I hope that meeting the Team Volvo Sailors of 2012 will give the young sailors both an insight and the inspiration to see what a great journey it can be, what a fun and powerful sport this is and give them a new determination to make the best of the fantastic opportunities we can offer.” Truswell concluded: “There was a lot of talk about legacy and inspiring a generation this Summer, thanks to Volvo Car UK’s continued support and their enthusiasm, as well as that of the sailors of our Olympic and Paralympic team to support our Junior programmes, this weekend will really bring to life that aspiration for our young sailors.” The RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships is a great first-time event for club level Junior class sailors, giving them the opportunity and support to get a real feel of a Championship atmosphere relatively locally. It is a great stepping stone into regional and national racing and race training programmes and also a key event for any young sailor wishing to be selected for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads. Racing takes place across the nine RYA recognised Junior dinghy and windsurfing classes including the Mirror, Optimist, Topper, RS Feva, Cadets and the windsurfers on the Bic Techno using the open 4.5, and 5.8 rigs, and the Techno 6.8s and Techno 7.8s – classes vary according to each venue. Competitors are urged to submit their entries, together with the entry fee, online at www.ryaracingevents.org.uk before 23 September 2012. Due to safety considerations and the size and complexity of the event, entries after this date cannot be accepted. The 2012 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Countries Championships will be staged at the following venues: The RYA Volvo South Zone Championships – Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Dorset · The RYA Volvo South West Zone Championships – Chew Valley Sailing Club, Bristol · The RYA Volvo South East Zone Championships – Weir Wood Sailing Club, East Sussex The RYA Volvo East Zone Championships– Alton Water Sailing Club, Suffolk · The RYA Volvo West Zone Championships– Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club, Greater Manchester · The RYA Volvo North Zone Championships – Rutland Sailing Club, Rutland · Volvo Welsh Youth & Junior Championships – New Quay Sailing Club, Ceredigion · RYA Scotland Volvo Youth and Junior Championships – Largs Sailing Club, Largs · RYANI Volvo Youth Championships and NI Schools Cup In association with McCready Sailboats – Ballyholme Yacht Club, Co Down

Dinghy Sailing with Flying Fish

Racing in RS200 Sailing Dinghy

How to start Dinghy Sailing

Ten Heavy Weather Sailing Tips You Need to Know

If you are anything like me, heavy weather sailing can be a challenge and make you tired fast. The more you prepare ahead of time, the more energy you will save. Follow these ten "do ahead of time" sailing tips to prepare for less fatigue and more comfort the next time the rough stuff crosses your path! 1. Make Up "Zero-Prep" Energy Bags Use small Ziplock type bags to hold high energy snacks. Combine nuts, dried fruits, tasty seeds like sesame or pumpkin, banana chips, and dried coconut for a super snack. Press the bag tight before you seal to keep air out and your energy snack will last longer when stored aboard your sailboat. 2. Top Off Your Trusty Thermos Purchase two large thermoses. Before the rough stuff arrives, fill one thermos with a hearty soup or stew. Fill the other with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. That way, you won't need to worry about boiling water in choppy seas for a nutritious meal or drink. Secret Tip - Purchase a thermos with a spigot-top conversion kit and mounting brackets. Install the brackets in a spot near your boat galley. Fill the thermos, screw on the top and close the spigot. Mount the thermos "bottoms-up" in the brackets. Now you have a safe, fast, easy way to pour soup or your favorite beverage in any sailing weather! 3. Eat Before the Weather Arrives at Your Boat Fix a light meal with pasta if you expect rough seas when sailing. Stay clear of greasy, fried foods. Concentrate on foods that you boil, broil, or bake. Pasta has a good reputation as a "tummy tamer" when it comes to sea sickness. It's economical, easy to digest, nutritious, and provides good energy for sailing in rough weather. 4. Lash and Stow Below Check the galley for loose pots, plates, and silverware. Wrap silverware in towels to avoid clanging. Store pots in cabinets. Stuff towels or pieces of foam between stacks of dishes, glasses, or pots and pans to keep things in place and noise to a minimum. 5. Keep a Clothes Change Handy Pull out a full change of clothes. Fold and stow in an oversized Ziplock or waterproof bag outside of your sailing duffel bag. You want this change of clothes ready in an instant so you won't need to hunt around for it. Include underwear and socks. If you get soaked when sailing, you will want to slide into a set of dry clothes right away. Do this now to save you time and effort later. 6. Clear the Decks for Clean Decks Studies of past heavy weather sailing races show that those racing sailboats with clean, uncluttered decks had an easier time. Take a tip from the racing crowd. Check the outside decks from bow to stern. Neaten up sheets and lines. Turn cowl vents around to face astern to prevent water intrusion below; in extreme conditions, remove the cowl vents, stow them below, and screw covers in their place. Keep decks clean for safer sailing in any weather. 7. Add extra Lashings Check all lashings on deck-stowed Jerry jugs (cans), propane bottles, life raft canister, dinghy, and anchors. Double or triple lashings with small diameter line. Seas that break aboard can break weak lashings like a knife going through butter. Make lashings strong and robust to keep deck-stowed gear in place. 8. Seal Ports and Hatches No matter what the manufactures tell you, expect ports and hatches to leak. Heavy weather or squalls can bring high winds, seas, and horizontal driving rain that will find any nook and cranny. Use strong, waterproof duct tape to seal around ports and hatches on the inside your cabin. This will keep water out and dryness in for greater crew comfort in heavy weather sailing. 9. Set Up Sails Now Hank on your storm jib or trysail now with sheets run, halyards cleared, and all ready to hoist. If you decide to delay on the hoist, stop off the sail along the deck with sail ties or next to the mast (in the case of a trysail). This way, your storm sails will be ready to set in a matter of seconds when you need them. 10. Rest and Hydrate Often Heavy weather sailing saps energy like few other activities. Get as much rest as possible between watches. Remember to keep hydrated with water or non-sugar energy drinks like Gatorade or Emergen-C. These beverages replace critical electrolytes and minerals that you will use to keep your balance, hang on when heeling, or move about when changing sails or standing watch. Remind your sailing crew to rest and hydrate for greater comfort. Follow these ten heavy weather sailing tips to get ready before the tough stuff arrives aboard your boat. These tips will help keep your sailing crew safe and sound and provide them with more comfort--wherever in the world you choose to cruise! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7046795

Light Wind Sailing Tips

Learn to sail like a pro with these sailing tips for light wind sailing. Use these easy tips for light air sailing in the gentle winds of dawn's first light or the ghost-like breezes of a moonlit night. Keep Your Boat Moving Forward Imagine that you have your foot on the accelerator of your car, moving ahead at a slow speed. All of a sudden, you run out of gas. You need to find a place to pull off to the side of the road. You see a spot way up ahead about a half mile. Your car slows down more and more. You will need to use every trick in the book to keep your car's forward momentum going to make it to the pull-off ahead. You could try to keep the wheels straight to provide less resistance, look for inclines to build up a bit of speed, keep the tires on the smooth part of the road, or steer as straight as possible. All of these could make a difference in the acceleration or deceleration of your "out-of-gas" auto. You can use these same techniques in super light air in sailing. For this article, we will concentrate on winds of 0 to 5 knots. Some sailors call these winds 'zephyrs' or refer to this type of sailing as 'ghosting'. Your #1 goal will be to maintain forward momentum at all times. Just like the opening scenario, you want to keep moving to reach your objective. Slow down too much or stop and it will be difficult to get her going again. Follow these five fast tips to maintain momentum in light air sailing. Nautical Notes You Need to Know: Wind speed or boat speed should be expressed in knots. Knots are 'per hour' the same as miles per hour. But you would never say 'knots per hour'. Convert from one to the other like this: mph x.87 = knots; or knots x 1.15 = mph. For metric users, knots x 1.852 equals km; km x 0.54 = knots. Use Smaller Sails to Fill and Go You might think that light wind means you need a bigger sail to catch all the wind you can. But sails have weight--lots of weight--and weight won't keep your boat going forward. Use a little-known strategy and go for a smaller sail on a super light air day. Choose sails that are smaller, lighter weight to help your boat maintain forward motion in zephyr winds. Under Trim Your Sails Wind flows onto both sides of your sails. Your objective will be to keep that wind attached from the luff to the leech as long as possible. In light air, you will have more wind near the top of the mast. That's because less surface friction allows the wind to flow without resistance. Ease your sails more than you think necessary. This will cause the upper part of your sails to 'twist' just a bit to help the wind stay attached longer. Use the magic of under-trim in ghosting conditions and you will often be rewarded with better performance. Move Like You Whisper Ask your crew to move fore and aft along the center-line as much as possible. Keep the boat level to prevent loss of speed. If they need to shift to the other side, move at a slow pace. This will help keep the boat flat with forward momentum. Sit Forward and to Leeward Sails have a tough time in light air. The weight of sailcloth can cause them to flap like clothing on a line. Shift the crew weight forward and to the downwind (leeward--pronounced "loo-ward")side. Weight forward lifts the stern a bit, which means less hull friction; weight to leeward will help the sails fall into their natural shape through gravity and prevents 'slatting' (flapping in light air). Use Swooping When Beating to Windward Use swooping to maintain forward motion when your destination lies upwind. In light air on a close hauled course, your speed may drop off quite a bit. When it does, fall off to a close reach course. Wait for the boat to build up speed again. Use a slow, smooth motion with the wheel or tiller to 'swoop' back up to your close hauled course. Keep sailing close hauled until your speed starts to drop off again. Then, fall off the wind to a close reaching course to build up speed; then swoop back up to your close hauled course. Repeat this swooping sequence to keep your boat moving with good forward motion when beating in super light air. Learn to sail like a pro with these light wind sailing tips. You will experience more speed, power, and performance in the gentle breezes over the water-wherever in the world you choose to sail! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7033105

Top 60 Sailing Tips

Isle of Wight solo sail for cerebral palsy girl

A 15-year-old girl with cerebral palsy will sail solo around the Isle of Wight to raise £30,000 for charity. Natasha Lambert, from Cowes, has athertoid cerebral palsy which affects all of her limbs and speech. Her 21ft-long (6.4m) boat, Miss Isle Too, was adapted by her father, Gary, and allows her to steer by sucking and blowing into a tube. Natasha hopes to complete the 50-mile (80km) course on Sunday in 10 to 14 hours. 'Epic journey' Her mother, Amanda, said: "She's so excited but it's going to be an epic journey." The route, which will start at Cowes at 06:00 BST, will take Natasha in an anti-clockwise direction around the island, via The Needles and on to St Catherine's Point. Natasha, who started sailing when she was 12, hopes the journey will raise £30,000 for Isle of Wight Scope, Cowes RNLI Life Boat and the Ellen MacArthur Trust. She said her next challenge would be the Atlantic, which she described as "my ultimate dream".

ORACLE TEAM USA's first AC72 sail

Sailing Club Spotlight Melton Sailing Club

MELTON Sailing Club is looking for a new home after being given just two weeks to quit their current base. Owners Celtic Lakes Resort Frisby Ltd gave the club notice on the day more than 80 people had taken part in a try sailing Olympic legacy event. Members held a small protest on Saturday as they cleared the remaining boats from Frisby Water Park, their home for the past 40 years, and put them into storage. Commodore Mike Sharpe said: “At a time when the whole country is celebrating the success of Team GB at the Olympic Games we think it is tragic that a valuable sports facility should be lost to the people of Melton borough. “More than 80 people came to our Olympic legacy event to try their hand at sailing and over the years we have taught some 2,000 people to sail as we are a Royal Yachting Association Training Centre, the only one in Leicestershire. It’s a real shame to see it go.” Mr Sharpe said the club thought it had a reasonable relationship with new site owner John Carney, believing sailing would be an added attraction to would-be buyers of the new lodge park which is being developed. He said: “We didn’t see this coming. We took legal advice and while ultimately Celtic Lakes was probably within its rights to tell us to leave we do believe the short notice period was unreasonable. “We could have made a big fuss and perhaps won leave to hold on to the clubhouse for six months but we exist to sail for fun, not to wrangle.” Mr Carney said the decision was made because it had become increasingly difficult for the fisheries and sailing club to operate side by side. He said: “We have tried to make the two work over the past 12 months but they just don’t and our primary business is to develop a lodge park and fishery. “We are developing the resort and things are about to move at a very quick pace with the arrival of nine lodges in the next six weeks. “We plan to turn the clubhouse into an administration block and then extend it to create a bar, restaurant and shop.” Celtic Lakes has planning permission for 59 lodges in total and says it will be investing some £13.5m over the next five years. The sailing club, which has 120 members including about 30 cadets, is being supported by Melton Council which is scouring the borough for a new sailing base. Ronan Browne, Melton Council’s people manager, said: “We have been working with the club for 12 months and are keen to see a vibrant sailing club like this remain in the borough. We have agreed to store equipment free of charge in a unit we own and look at all options.” Councillors Joe Orson, Edward Hutchison and Trevor Moncrieff have all been trying to resolve the situation, too. An ongoing dispute about public access to the beauty spot is due to go before the county council’s regulatory board in October or November for adjudication.