Hunterdon Sailing Club's Learn to Sail Class
What You Will Be Learning (Course topics are subject to change as deemed appropriate by the lead instructor)
- Wind Awareness – This is your power source for sailing
- Introduction to basic concepts of sailing
- The parts of a sailboat – the parts of the Sunfish in particular
- “Rigging” (assembling) a sailboat
- In water practice on sailboat steering and “tacking” (changing direction)
- Sailing a sailboat upwind, downwind, and across the wind
- Leaving and returning to shore
- “Capsizing” (flipping over) and capsize recovery, which you will perform once!
- A long-distance sail in the reservoir to practice all “points of sail” (all directions)
Pre-work Please learn all three knots and review all of the informational videos / links below before you arrive so we can maximize our time sailing instead of talking!
Be sure to learn all three sailing knots (bowline, figure eight knot, cleat hitch – see links below) and to review all of the informational videos / links below before class!
KNOTS: Below are links to the three knots (bowline, figure eight knot, cleat hitch) that we will be using to rig the Sunfish. These are great knots to know for everyday use on any sailboat.
https://www.animatedknots.com/bowline/index.php
https://www.animatedknots.com/fig8_/index.php
https://www.animatedknots.com/cleat-hitch-halyard-knot
WIND AWARENESS: Immediately and throughout the coming week, notice the wind. You may be in a parking lot, walking down the street, or just standing around, but pay attention to the breeze. Note the direction from which it is blowing, feel it on your face, look for the movement of flags or the rustle of tree leaves. Sails catch the wind and wind-awareness is an essential skill for this sport.
BASICS of SAILING: One of our club members (Ray Berthelson) created a 10-minute informative video on the basics of sailing a Sunfish. It nicely illustrates some of the concepts that we will be covering during the class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3YRudKqKpQ
PARTS of a BOAT and POINTS of SAIL: Below is a link to 3 videos from US Sailing – please watch the 1st and 3rd ones: Parts of a Boat and Points of Sail. The one with Parts of a Boat shows more than we have on the Sunfish, however it is good to know all the names. Also, the ‘keel’ on a Sunfish is called the ‘Daggerboard’.
STAYING SAFE: “How to Stay Safe When Sailing” by Yachts & Yachting – As safety is our priority, looking over this article this