OK, This time I'm asking for help

Hello, all.

A nice young lady approached me last weekend as I was wheeling my WAVE up the beach to my car.

She has some fond memories of Cat sailing in her youth and as we chatted, we came to an arrangement with me giving her some sailing lessons in exchange for some killer hull flying pictures (hoping to get into next year's calendar).

I've never given sailing lessons

Any of you that have given or taken them, I am looking for suggestions/ideas for a good itinerary?

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

It sounds like she may have some basic understanding, but if I'm starting with a real novice, I first explain how a sailboat works. I compare the sail to a flag (on a pole) in the wind, and how if you grab a lower corner and pull it sideways, the wind tries to push it back straight, and that's the force that pushes the boat forward (as it spills off the back). I tell them how you can't sail straight into the wind, but have to zig-zag to feel that force. I explain how the wind on the sail is trying to push the mast & sail over, so we have to balance that force with our weight on the windward side to keep the boat from capsizing. Then I show why a cat is more stable by having them stand with their feet apart while I push their shoulder, compared to when their feet are together. I talk about steering, and how you have to push the tiller opposite of how you want to turn.

Tell her to turn the tillers slowly when tacking into the wind, and not to switch sides till the boat has crossed through the wind. When jibing, she can keep the boat under control better by grabbing the sheet just below the upper block and pulling the sail across on HER terms, rather than letting the wind grab and throw it.

If she understands all that, you can get into reading the tell-tales. A fluttering tell-tale means the mast is blocking the wind on that side, so turn or adjust the sail to get the mast "out of the way".

On the Wave, there's not much else you need to teach, except to shift your weight forward till the leeward bow starts to dive, then shift it back.

After that, give her the tiller and go for it! Experience is the best teacher.

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

Thanks, Indy, This was helpful.

However, I was interested in sequence and quantity.

Is it benificial to teach the sailing jargon? And how much? Sailing positions? Sails and rigging? Knots? Hull flying? Righting a capsize?

And when? Get them out and sailing first, and teach as sail...or cover more ground before launching?

On one hand, I have always said that one only needs to know one thing: that he cannot sail directly into the wind, everything else is positioning the sail and direction to harness the most wind.

But on the other hand, there's a lot of sublety, safety and procedural. I'd like her to be confident and good to go, as well as safe and competent.

But if it seems too technical and wordy, do eyes glaze over and interest wane?

I'm sure I can wing it, but if anyone has been doing this, they may have a feel for what works.

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

I own a couple weeks of a timeshare in Florida, at a condo which advertizes "Free sailboat rides and free sailing lessons" for their guests. Unfortunately, they haven't really had anyone on staff to do that for many years, so I do it for them while I'm there on vacation. (It masks the fact that I'm hogging the boats.) They have a couple of Waves, which is how I met the boat.

What I described is my 30 minute sailing lesson, for people that will always be in sight of the beach, in 5 to 15 mph winds. Enough to give them a taste of sailing, but not enough to get them in trouble. The first paragraph is my "on the beach" instructions, the second paragraph is on the water, the third paragraph is once we're moving well, and the fourth paragraph is for when the wind picks up a bit.

I keep the jargon to a minimum, until they have a feel for what the parts do, then explain why things are called what they are. I don't bother with knots or apparent winds, or "rules of the road" because we're usually the only boat out there. I'll usually tack a few times, jibe once or twice, show the different points of sail, then let them take the tiller.

If you have enough wind to fly a hull, by all means discuss capsizing and righting, but better to discuss hiking out to prevent a capsize. If you have enough control of the situation, go ahead and flip it and demonstrate righting it. Experiencing a capsize first hand is the best way to dispell fear.

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

What a player. I am getting my Wave and heading to the beach to 'give lessons'. What's your boat name again? The Sam Malone?

Hey... Southern California, baby!

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

OK...today's the day: 1st lesson.

Thanks for the insight, Indy, as always, you were most helpful.

Sarge...if you're around today, we'll be launching from Baby Beach somewhere around noon. Flash us a grin.

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

Where is baby beach?

Dana Point.

It's a little beach inside the harbor that has a roped off buoy rope for little kids and "babies" to swim and play in the water. Of course with little kids....that usually means: young moms

Something "Sam Malone" would appreciate, I imagine.

Lots of kayakers and paddleboarders launch there.

So far, I am the only WAVE that launches there.

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

Over by the big ship and across the lagoon from the Yacht Club? I know where you mean I think.
I see what's up, you take the boat to where all the MILF hang out. Good thinking.....

This is getting good.

We'll all be expecting lesson-by-lesson debriefings.

Curious minds need to know....