Taste of Sailing
Objective
This course is your first introduction to sailing! It's all about having a blast and seeing how much fun sailing can be. Explore the Start Sailing Objective to see how your skills will progress.
Clothing & Equipment
To get ready for sailing, you'll learn that wearing a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) is super important. Review Clothing & Equipment from the Start Sailing course for more advanced preparation tips.
Sailing Techniques & Manoeuvres
First, you'll learn to figure out where the wind is coming from. This is called identifying the "windward" side. Hold your hand up and feel it on your cheek, watch flags onshore, or look at the ripples on the water. On the boat, you can also look at a wind indicator at the top of the mast if your boat has one. You'll practice identifying the wind's direction from different spots on the boat to always know where the wind is coming from.
To sail straight across the wind (a "beam reach"), you'll gently hold the tiller (the steering stick). The tiller moves the rudder (the steering fin). To steer to the right, you push the tiller to the left, and vice versa. Use small, smooth movements – think of steering a bicycle, not a car! You'll also pull in your sail (the "sheet") just enough, so it's puffed up, making the boat go forward. The sail should be pulled in until it just stops flapping (flappy sail is not a happy sail). This balance between tiller and sail is key to going straight.
To stop the boat, you'll simply let your sail out all the way. This is called letting the sail "luff" (flap freely). The wind won't push it anymore, and the boat will slow down and stop, facing directly into the wind, a position called "in irons." When you're ready to go again, you'll pull your sail in until it fills and gently turn the tiller to catch the wind and start moving.
Turning the front of the boat through the wind is called tacking. This is a move where you change which side the wind is coming from (from one side to the other). You'll learn the sequence: turn the boat, then move smoothly from one side of the boat to the other (this is called "changing sides"), swapping hands on the tiller and main sheet. The key is smooth coordination between the helm (you, steering) and the crew (your sailing partner).
To keep the boat flat and happy, you'll learn to move your body weight. This is called "balancing" or "hiking." If the boat tips a little to one side (heels over), you lean your body weight to the other side to balance it, like a seesaw! This keeps the boat flatter.
You'll practice moving the daggerboard (or centreboard) up and down. This fin acts like a keel, stopping the boat from slipping sideways. When you're sailing, it goes down to help the boat go straight and point into the wind. When you're near shore or in shallow water, you pull it up, so it doesn't hit the bottom. The rudder goes down in the water to steer and up when you're finished or in shallow water.
Capsize Recovery
If your boat ever tips over (capsizes), your instructor will teach you to always stay with your boat. Review Capsize Recovery from the Start Sailing course for more advanced techniques.
What Next?
Your instructor will tell you all about the next exciting course, "Start Sailing," and how it builds on what you've learned here.