Boat Transport Company

The following are basic concepts for a small boat training class:

1)  Understanding of the parts of the Laser and what they are used for.
Example – when to release or tension the Cunningham, Vang, outhaul etc.
2)  More confident and aggressive use of the main sheet.
Example – hand over hand pinkies forward after rounding
3)  Upwind and downwind covering of other boats
4)  Understanding of the center of effort and resistance.
Exmple – steering with your the heel of your boat through shifts downwind
5)  Hiking Technique 
Example – When to hike when going around the weather and leeward marks, starts, and near other boats
6)  Ability to recall rules, signals, changes, and where they can be found in the SIs and Rule Book.
http://www.sailing.org
7)  Concepts of VMG
There is also a need for nutrition and hydration.  I noticed that by the end of the day you were much more tired than you need to be.  I recommend bringing more fresh juice or purified water with you while racing small boats.  Many people also bring nutrition bars or other snacks.
In addition to learning the skills of sailing you also much be in athletic shape to improve quickly.  Here are some exercises and a time line for both your skills and your athleticism for Olympic Class Laser sailing.  They focus on your major muscle groups used and endurance.  Both of us are not in the shape we should be in for a full weekend regatta in heavy air.  REMEMBER START SLOW and don’t burn out!
Month 1
–Start a weekly Laser racing schedule where you always race a Laser at some venue once (or more!) a week.  This will improve your ability to sail the boat and become more comfortable maneuvering. 
–Begin a cross country training program.  This could be on foot, long distance rowing, long brisk walks, or on a bike.  This will help your endurance and keep you alive in race three or four on Sunday of a two day race.
–Start studying – make sure you read the updates for rules, keep up to date on major sailing events when rules have made the difference on the bullet, read the Olympic Class Laser Tuning Guide, Read the 2005-2008 Rules, watch other racers from a coach or committee boat.
–Sail in at least three different environments this month.  This could be sound water, lake water, and a river water.  This will give you more experience with variable currents, shifts, and velocity.
Month 2
–Sail the Laser in variable types of racing environments at least once a week.  This could include gate racing, match racing, and big fleet racing. 
–Begin using weights to strengthen your major muscle groups used while racing small boats.  This includes Quadriceps, Biceps, Abdominal, Back (Lower Back VERY IMPORTANT),  and Triceps.
Month 3
–Visit at least one professional racing seminar or sail trim seminar.  Many yacht clubs and sail makers do this for free once a month.
–Enter into a major weekend or one day race.  You will need to pay a racing fee and request the boat from the club at a meeting (DO NOT FINISH DFL).

Here are my top four tips for heavy weather sailing:
 
#1 Stay hydrated, rest, and eat food.  This can really make a difference in how tired you get and how fast in heavy weather.
 
#2 In fog a sailboat sounds One Prolonged Blast followed by Two Short Blasts.  This is true for Sailing vessel, commercial fishing vessel, and a vessel not under command or one restricted by draft which is operation in restricted visibility.  This signal would be used by a sailboat sailing in fog.  This signal is sounded at intervals of not more that 2 minutes.  Also in fog make sure to always use all navigational and communication tools available to you – including VHF!
 
#3 Make sure to always have someone that knows where you are going and when you should be back.  If you don’t make it back by that time they should know who to contact and how.  This could be you friend, parent, or another member.   
 
#4 The stiffer the breeze the flater the sail.  As the wind picks up make sure to really put some tension on your downhaul, vang, outhaul, etc.  This will make your sail much easier to control.

1. fall off 5 degrees and sheet out 10 cm to power up if not already moving fast
2. point high
3. rock torso to leeward (starboard) while pushing tiller to starboard
4. as boat heads to wind move weight aft
5. just as bow passes through wind, hike out hard to port and ease main 20-30 cm
6. when boat feels like it’s going to come on top of me, place aft (right foot) over the top of the hiking strap, reach up for starboard (windward) rail with tiller hand
7. pull my body across to starboard and forward using my tiller hand. stop turning when 5 degrees below close hauled
8. hike hard with only my forward (right) foot in the strap while sheeting in main with aft (left) hand. if I didn’t heel the boat enough, steer slightly up 5 degrees with forward (right) hand
9. once fully sheeted again and powered up, grasp tiller with sheet (left) hand and grab sheet with old tiller (right) hand

-Andrew

1) Fall off slightly to gain speed if necessary
2) Turning with the tiller burns off speed through the turn. Try to use weight to turn instead: So I actually raise my body closer in to the middle of the boat. It will heal more to leeward and then start turning upwind. Use tiller to help as necessary (more in light wind)
3) As the boat goes through straight upwind, I lean as far out on the formerly-windward side as possible; here’s where the roll really starts.
4) head-to-wind: the boom naturally falls over the boat. Now I’m leaning out on the downwind side
5) slightly ease the mainsheet. simultaneously use your (left) tiller hand to put the tiller ext. into the right hand (former sheet hand). Right hand now has both the sheet and the hiking stick
6) left hand is now completely free. I’m still on the bottom side which is drastically becoming further healed over — hesitating here puts you in the water.
7) left hand grabs either the rail on the interior of the gunwale, or the hiking strap. I use my arm to help lift me through the boat, my feet get into the strap on the other side and I start leaning way out to right the boat
my right hand (new tiller hand) now has both the sheet and the stick. This hand is concentrating on keeping the tiller straight so I don’t question-mark the turn (This is a big performance issue — if you are concentrating *too* hard on the rolling action, and not on the tiller, you’ll overturn way far off the wind and you’ll have to turn back upwind again — slow!)
9) the boat is now coming back down to level; the left hand (new sheet hand) grabs the sheet further in nearer to the block and pulls the sheet as hard as I can til I’m sheeted block-to-block… this is happening probably during the last 20-30 degrees of righting action.

-Aaron