Ten Heavy Weather Sailing Tips You Need to Know

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

49er Sailing Perth

Moth Sailing

ISAF Sailing World Cup heads to Weymouth

Skandia Sail for Gold, the sixth of seven ISAF Sailing World Cup Regattas, is being held from 4 to 9 June 2012. Over 700 sailors from 60 nations will compete at the host venue of the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition in Weymouth. Skandia Sail for Gold will feature many of the Olympic sailors as they enter the final stages of their preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Thirteen teams have entered the Women’s Match Racing Competition at Sail for Gold which is lining up to be a dress rehearsal for London 2012 with those named all competing alongside teams who are fully expected to be announced before the final entry deadline of 9 July 2012. ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) is undoubtedly the favourite for top honours at Sail for Gold as she enters on the back of four consecutive regatta victories, including the US Women’s Match Racing Qualification Regatta. Silja Lehtinen (FIN) finished fifth at last year’s regatta but has since had a lull in form. But she has winning form in Weymouth following her gold medal at the 2011 Weymouth and Portland International Regatta. World 2 Lucy Macgregor (GBR), World 3 Claire Leroy (FRA) and World 4 Ekaterina Skudina (RUS) will also join the party in what will be a highly competitive display of Women’s Match Racing. Australia’s Tom Slingsby is undefeated at Weymouth and Portland and he will be looking to continue that run to reaffirm his position as Laser favourite. One of the surprise packages of the 2011-12 ISAF Sailing World Cup has been Charlie Buckingham (USA) who has consistently strung together impressive results in four of five regattas sailed so far. But with a highly competitive 96-boat fleet in Weymouth the Laser Standings leader will find competition stiffer. Beijing’s 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Lijia Xu (CHN) is starting to peak at the right time in the Laser Radial and is undefeated in the 2011-12 World Cup series. Xu also claimed the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship silver medal and has thrown a spanner in the works with many expecting Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and Evi Van Acker (BEL) to run away with the Laser Radial honours at London 2012. But as Sari Multala (FIN) also hits the right note, and Paige Railey (USA), a dangerous competitor, the Women’s fleet will be hotly contested in Weymouth ahead of London 2012. The Star fleet will feature 20-boats with a wealth of World Championship and Olympic experience spread across the fleet. Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (GBR) and Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) rekindle their rivalry that has been fascinating to watch this year. The Brazilians had the better of the Brits at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princess Sofia MAPFRE in Palma, Spain as well as the Star Worlds in Hyeres, France so victory at Skandia Sail for Gold will set a benchmark ahead of the Olympic Games. Ben Ainslie (GBR) will be the man to beat in the 45-boat Finn fleet having taken the honours in Palma and at the Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, Great Britain. Ainslie has dominated the Finn in 2012 and his rivals will find him tough to beat at Sail for Gold. The Women’s Match Racers get the regatta underway at 10:00 local time on Monday 4 June at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy before the Medal Races bring the regatta to a close on Saturday 9 June.

Sailing towards boating success

Sailing in Scotland appears to be avoiding the stormy seas of the economic downturn, as harbours and marinas invest in the future For Warren Scott and his wife Jill, there is nowhere better on earth to sail than the west coast of Scotland. The couple, who have circumnavigated the globe twice, have returned to Scotland to enjoy the area's cruising waters. They keep their boat Swn-Y-Mor (Sound of the Sea) moored in Tarbert Harbour at Scotland's longest sea loch, Loch Fyne. From there, they can share their passion with a seemingly growing band of sailing enthusiasts from home and abroad. Mr Scott considers the local waters the "pinnacle of cruising worldwide". "From the English people we meet who come here, some of them are totally knocked out," he said. Mr Scott says the west coast is the "pinnacle of cruising worldwide" "And it's not just the English. On the continent they are becoming more aware of the west coast as a cruising ground - it's not so crowded as it is down on the south coast. "The added advantage is that it is like having your own wee cottage in the highlands if you have a boat here." The Scotts are not alone in their passion. Leisure boating is fast becoming a cornerstone of local economies and the sailing community are hoping to see the industry burgeoning further over the next few years. A Scottish Enterprise report in 2010 suggested more than £100m is generated by sail and power boat tourism activity in Scotland alone. And last November, a guide published by Tourism Intelligence Scotland predicted market share for the sailing industry could increase to £145m in the next 10 years. Growing interest Mike Balmforth, from the Scottish Boating Alliance, commented: "People, whether they have large boats or small boats, have a capital investment and therefore they continue to use it. "This means the service side of the industry and the facilities are continuing to be used." Tarbert Harbour is hoping to capitalise on the growing interest in sailing. This year it secured a £200,000 grant from the Scottish government's Enterprise Growth Fund to create 40 additional berthing facilities that will allow it to accommodate up to 160 boats. Work is under way to expand berthing capacity at Tarbert Harbour The chairman of the Tarbert Harbour Authority trustees, Alan MacDonald, said the economic downturn had done little to put people off sailing. "Despite the recession, a lot of the boats coming in are bigger than they used to be so half the new berths will be to accommodate these bigger vessels," he said. "The other half will be able to relieve the system and allow us to take any growth that appears over the next few years. At least we will be ready to make the most of it once the recession goes." The local economy is already benefiting from the growth in interest, with a number of businesses opening in the harbour area, included an optician, two supermarkets and several restaurants. Transformation Tarbert's success is not a one-off. Across Loch Fyne is Portavadie, where millions of pounds have been spent in recent years on a marina, boatyard, shore facilities, a restaurant and holiday accommodation. Portavadie Marina now has 65 full and part-time staff in an area where there was virtually no employment five years ago. General manager Iain Jurgensen explained how Portavadie had been utterly transformed over the past few years. Heavy investment has transformed Portavadie in recent years "In 1975 this place was blasted out to create a dry dock and at that time oil rig construction, and the fabrication of it was based around cement as opposed to steel," he said. "So at the very time this facility was finished, the construction material changed, which actually made this place redundant. "It largely remained a white elephant for 30-odd years until the current owners embarked on this vision." Mr Jurgensen said Portavadie did not see itself as being in competition with other harbours and marinas on the west coast. He argued: "We are in competition on a global market. We are hopeful we have tapped into a market that has not perhaps existed." Having started a few years ago with about 25 staff, Portavadie owners expect to employ between 100 and 120 within the next two to three years. But some local business people would like to see more done at a national level to encourage faster growth. Loch Fyne Gallery owner Steve Bleasby said: "I think the sailing clubs by and large do a good job - they obviously sell it the best they can. "But in terms of the government, I really don't think they understand the significance of the economic impact of sailing to small communities like this, and the west coast in particular. "When people people step off the boat, they are on holiday. "By and large they like to go for a drink, something nice to eat and then they like to browse around and go shopping. They are looking to spend some money - quite a lot of money in some instances."

Accrington stroke survivor sets sail thanks to charity

A STROKE victim has enjoyed a day of sailing, thanks to the Stroke Association’s East Lancashire branch. Seventeen staff, volunteers and members of Stroke Association’s East Lancs Communication Support service, visited Hollingworth Lake for a day of sailing recently. The event was organised by Link4Life, to give people with disabilities the opportunity to lead healthy, creative, and active lifestyles. Andrew Graham, 45, from St James Street, Accrington, had a stroke in November 2009. He said: “Hollingworth Lake took me straight back to my youth, and conjured up memories of long summer evenings. I had a great day. It has been a long time since I have been there. “The day was a resounding success, despite not so glorious weather! A few of us are now hoping to complete the level one sailing certificate.” Stroke Association’s Andrea Walsh, who runs the service, said: “Everyone had a fantastic time, and it’s great to be able to offer exciting days out like this as part of the service. "We like to offer our members a variety of opportunities to rebuild their confidence and learn new skills.” A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. Around 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK every year and it is the leading cause of severe adult disability.

Junior sailing mums set sail at Middle Harbour Yacht Club

The Junior sailing program at Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) is going through a rapid growth spurt and now the Mum’s are getting in on the action too. A local group of mum’s with children who are currently part of the MHYC junior sailing program, or racing with Redlands school from Balmoral Sailing, have recently completed a week long Dinghy Sailing - Learn to Sail course with Flying Fish Sail Academy located at Middle Harbour Yacht Club. The group includes Larissa Kelloway, whose eldest son, William Scott-Murphy (10) is into his second year at MHYC and nearly through Tackers 3, having participated in the school program with Redlands and the holiday camps. Youngest son, Zachary (8), has seen the fun that his brother has been having and decided to give it a go for the first time in the April school holiday program. Also joining Larissa for the week were Helen Roberts, whose son Lachlan is in Year 7 at Redlands, and is involved in the senior program for racing from Balmoral Sailing Club, along with Cherand Gray, whose daughters Charlotte (14) and Ella (10) both sail for Redlands. Larissa said the group was inspired to get more actively involved with sailing and learn the basics because all are mothers of child sailors and felt it was hard to help their children when they were unaware of the sports requirements, safety considerations and equipment. “On a much more personal level, my husband and both my children sail, and my husband's family are very involved in the sport. Frankly, the dinner table discussions were leaving me behind,” larissa said laughing. “The program offered through Flying Fish was comprehensive and pitched at the right type of learning, unlike other programs that seem more focused on yachts or racing. Plus the Junior sailing program at MHYC is such a good program that it seemed a logical conclusion that the Flying Fish program would be of equal calibre due to its association with the Club,” she added. The group enjoyed a week of theory and on water practical application of theoretical skills learnt in light winds ideal for beginner dinghy sailors. Although, by the end of the week, the ladies would have liked the chance to test their new-found skills a little further in stronger breeze. “We had the most enjoyable week. I don't remember laughing so much in a long time," Larrisa said. "Despite not leaving Sydney for a ‘break’, I felt very much like I've had one. I loved the mix of theory and practical and would love to have had a little bit more wind to really get the boat going." Cherand commented, “We had an extremely knowledgeable coach in Russell from Flying Fish. I felt that although the practical side was unfortunately slow, due to the light to no winds, Russell was able to accommodate ‘quite nicely’ other aspects into the program. In other words, we now feel comfortable knowing what happens in a capsize - lots of bruises! “I did feel I came away ‘knowing’ how to sail from a lot of the theory we picked up. The Bahia’s are great boats for learners too. I will definitely be sailing again on a dinghy, because the kids will be making sure it happens!” The women are all keen to continue their own personal involvement with the sport and expand on the confidence the course gave them: “I do feel that I'm capable of getting in a boat now and having a go, and also feel confident that I could get out of trouble if necessary. I will be out in a dinghy again for sure, but maybe not until the weather warms up,” Larissa said.