Start Yachting

This is what I learnt from my Start Yachting Course in September.

Tides.
The tides influenced where we went, and to an extent, what time of day we sailed. Water sweeps up the English Channel and back, and our route was designed to travel with the tides rather than against them.  A table gives the time and height of low and high tide for each day of the year using universal time (which we know as GMT so add one hour in British Summer time). A series of charts show the direction and speed of the flow at high tide and at each of the six hours before and afterwards.

Sleeping.
There is a cabin in each of three of the corners of the boat with the heads (toilet) and water tanks etc in the fourth.  These cabins sleep two quite cosily if there are eight on board, or one more comfortably if there are only five, as we had. You still have to get in the bed from the head end.  The other two beds are on the bench seats either side of the table. On these you can swing your legs over the side, but have to prevail on one of the cabin occupiers to store your kit during the day.

Slip Knots.
Before we set off, the ropes that secured us to the jetty are replaced by ropes that are not tied to the dock (or slip).  Instead they are simply looped around the cleat, with both ends secured on the boat. When we are ready, one end is held and the other released, so the boat can slip away.

The Motor.
Although we came to learn to sail, there is no escape from learning to use the motor. As well as being able to get home if the wind drops, the motor is needed for navigating in and out of harbours and berths.  Sometimes the mainsail was up and pulled tight while under motor. A cone with the apex down hoisted in front of the mast indicates to other craft that the boat is under motor.

Mainsail and Topsail.
From my dinghy sailing, I am used to calling the Topsail a jib. We had a Genoa, which is similar but larger, extending beyond the line of the mast. Using the term Topsail avoided having to make this distinction. It was furled and unfurled by a pair of ropes running down the port side and cleated near the stern. These were the only ropes I could see that were cleated by hand. For the rest I needed to learn about winches.

Winches.
On my dinghy, you can cleat the jib sheet, or just hold it with one hand. This is out of the question on a larger boat with a larger sail. You can pull the sail from one side to the other by pulling it by hand, only after it is wound twice round the winch, to pull it tighter, the rope goes another two times round and into a guide that makes the fifth turn hold it tight, so that it can be turned using the winch handle.

The tricky bit to learn is winding the three extra turns. You have already pulled it hand tight, so you do not want to lose that by letting go. You wind it using one hand drawing a wide circle so your hand does not caught, and you wind each one higher than the last to avoid them crossing each other and prevent them turning.
The strenuous bit is turning the winch handle. You brace yourself with one leg either side of the inside edge of the deck, facing forward so you can see the sail. You will be on the lower side of the boat if it is heeling. Especially in a race, it needs to done quickly, but in your haste you do not want to start turning the handle before it is fully inserted.
On the next tack your job is easy, simply release the sheet so that your partner on the other side can pull the sail to his side, then wind the sheet twice round ready for the tack after that. In a narrow channel with the wind against you, the tacks come quite often, and it can be hard work.

Eight Cleats and two Winches.
On either side of the cabin hatch are one winch and four cleats holding four ropes, each of which can be tightened using the winch. I did not fathom what they all were. One was the main sheet, three were reefing lines, and three were halyards, which makes only seven.  The cleats had long handles, they needed to be lifted up and pushed forward to be open.

Steering the Boat.
I have to say I did not master this. It is different using a wheel, there is a mark to show where straight is, but I did not keep track of it very well. I tended to over steer, perhaps because the boat takes longer to respond than a dinghy, perhaps because I lost touch with where straight is. In rough sea, we had force 5 and for 6 winds, the waves and gusts meant you were continually having to correct the direction, easier with land ahead than behind. Also you had to brace yourself against the movement of the boat, using other parts of the boat, not the wheel. Unlike a dinghy, you did not have hold of the main sheet, and you were not taking action to keep the boat level and avoid capsizing.

Setting the Sails.
There was little fine tuning of the sails. Very largely they were set for the course and left for the duration. In the open water we kept the same course for long stretches and the wind direction did not vary much. We did slacken the main sail for some gusts, but I suppose the gusts just turned the boat to windward, not a problem in open water.

Stugeron.
Once you feel seasick, it is a little late to take Stugeron, and it is easier to feel yuk on deck than to go below deck to fetch it. I was fine when we were sailing, but when we went heave to I started feeling nauseous, and another crew member was sick. I joined him and one other at the second occasion we were heave to.  To Heave to, steer into the wind, when the topsail backs the other way turn fully the other way and lock the wheel. You can drift safely, but as I discovered not necessarily comfortably.
Whether I was better the next day because I was used to it, because we did not heave to in open water, because the water was calmer or because I took Stugeron the night before, I do not know.

Man Overboard Procedure.
We practised it like this. Skipper throws bucket and buoy overboard. One crew member keeps his eye on it and points towards it till it is picked up, but taking care not to be hit by the boom. Helm turns to wind and start the engine. When the engine is started the jib is furled.  The boat approaches the buoy at right angles to the wind direction, aiming to arrive just upwind (not down wind as in a dinghy) slowing the motor and using reverse if necessary.  As the boat drifts toward the buoy it is picked up using a boat hook.
A real event involves throwing a lifebelt, either one attached to the boat, which avoids the need for the manouvre if the man overboard can grab it, or the one that signals by light and radio beacon its location, and therefore the approximate location of the man overboard. Meanwhile a crew member sends a distress message on the radio, first an automatic message by holding the button in for three seconds, and second giving the same information by reading out the information from the board behind (name of vessel etc) and the instrumentation (exact position) and the nature of the distress.

Coming into Berth.
Approaching the harbour requires local knowledge, whether to keep strictly to the channel or whether you can take shortcuts when the tide is high. The channel for Lymmington begins what seems like half way across the Solent. Poole harbour has a bridge that is only opened by request at half past each hour. Once the motor is started the topsail is furled and the main sail lowered.
Then the fenders are moved into position along the side from the stern where they have been for the journey. A length of rope is loosely tied to the shroud near the centre of the boat, run to the Fairlight at the front, and then secured to the cleat using an OXO knot, round once, two diagonals and round again.  A second rope is similarly prepared at the stern end. As the boat comes in, two crew members untie the end from the shroud, step outside the rail, holding the shroud and facing into the boat. As soon as they can they step backward onto the berth and secure the rope around the cleat on the berth, simply holding it tight until they tie a knot. After this a further line is attached at the middle, but I will have to learn that next time.

Visitors' Berths.
When visiting a harbour, there may be limited space for visitors, so boats will come alongside the ones already there, and tie on to them. Unless your boat is shorter which makes it problematical, a second set of lines will pass round the first boat to reach the shore. You have to walk over the first boat to reach the jetty, and etiquette demands that you walk across their bow, never across their cabin.  At Lymmington we were the third of four, so we needed to negotiate with the fourth boat to accommodate our early start.

A Good Start.
It takes a five day course, or three two day courses to achieve the competent crew qualification. There is still much to learn, but this has been a good start. A big thank you to my colleagues you bought this taste yachting experience for me on my retirement.