1. South Woodham Ferrers Yacht Club
WELCOME TO
Start sailing a dinghy

2. Domestics Please Sign in Toilets Fire Exits First Aid Tea & Coffee
Mobile Phones

3. Programme
The SWFYC start sailing programme is the basis to learn to sail a dinghy in 5 modules:-
Session 1: Introduction and the boat, practical tacking reaching and running, afloat 2 Hours
Session 2 : Enterprise simulator Rigging, practice tacking reaching and running ( gybing), reefing. Tides, capsize recovery
Session 3: Sailing a triangular course afloat helming the boat
Session 4 Rules of the road and buoyage, Weather , Beaufort Scales and Sea states, launching and recovery
Session 5 Sailing fig 8 round marks, MOB, capsize drill. Boat handling

4. SWFYC Stepping stones New Dinghy member Competent dinghy sailor
Proposed new ‘stepping stones’ support structure for new dinghy members, which perhaps we should also consider to other categories of member. Developed with the RYA
SWFYC Stepping stones
New member briefing at welcome meeting
New Dinghy member
Novice dinghy sailors
Experienced sailors
Escorted Dinghy picnic (s)
Escorted (Easy) Club Cruise
Race Briefings
Individual dinghy buddy identified to encourage and help settle in for 1 year
Start sailing a dinghy modules
Crew with an experienced sailor x3
Talk about the locality and pitfalls
Escorted first sail
Competent dinghy sailor
Race Training modules
Escorted first sail
Certificate awarded

6. How a dinghy sails Wind from behind blows a boat forward
Wind blowing over the side of a boat and sails angled, blows a boat forward and sideways
(To prevent it blowing sideways a board is lowered)
Sailing nearer the wind (up to 40 degrees) is possible as the sails act like an aircraft wing creating lift. The boat will sail forward if the centreboard is fully down

7. CLOTHING ITS COLDER ON THE WATER Bring dry clothing and towel
Lifejacket or buoyancy aid
Use multiple thin layers not single thick layer
Modern synthetics preferred to wool or cotton
For winter base layer, middle layer, oilskins
Use sun cream
Wear a hat, gloves, boots / trainers
the head can provide 20% of heat loss
Bring dry clothing and towel

8. Today High Tide is 18:37 so the tide is going out
Weather forecast today is:
We will be escorted by the Club Rescue boat

9. RYA Safety Checklist
Inform someone where you are going and when you plan to be back
Get a weather forecast
Personal and boat buoyancy
Alternative means of propulsion
Anchor chain and warp
Bucket, bailer or bilge pump
Sharp knife

10. Lets go sailing!

11. Debrief What lessons did you learn?
Did you understand what was happening?
Did you enjoy the sail?
Next session Thursday 9 May at 18:30

13. SWFYC Start sailing a dinghy
Session 2
Enterprise simulator
Rigging,
Practice tacking, reaching and running ( gybing)
Tides
Capsize recovery

14. Let’s recap What did we cover in the last session ? How a boat sails
Basic sailing techniques: Sails, centreboard, weight distribution
Clothing
Checklist

15. Getting Started Choose your heading or course
Let out the sails until they flap
Pull in the sails until they just stop flapping. The sails are now set and will propel the boat
The burgee will tell you where the wind is blowing from
If the wind gusts ease the sheets out momentarily until the gust passes
Centreboard position
Up for running with the wind from behind
Half way down for reaching with the wind across the boat
Fully down for beating or close hauled with the wind from ahead
Correctly balance or trim the boat
Try to keep the boat upright by sitting on the side nearest the wind, if it is gusting you may need to lean out or ease the sails out ( or both).
Sit toward the stern when running
Sit in the middle when reaching
Sit nearer the bow when close hauled

16. Steering the boat (The rudder has 2 functions)
The rudder helps resist sideways slip of the boat (especially when the blade is fully down)
To steer the boat, the more the boat is moving the more sensitive the rudder will be.
The rudder is operated by the sideways movement of the tiller a lever on top of the rudder. Moving it to starboard ( the right) will turn the boat to port. Turning it to port (the left) will turn the boat to the right.
With the centerboard down
pulling the mainsail in ( with the jib released) will turn the boat into the wind
Pulling the jib in (and releasing the mainsail) will turn the boat away from the wind

17. Teaching Points Helm sits on the windward side of the boat
Helm holds and steers with left hand
Helm holds mainnsheet in his front hand
Crew uses body weight to keep boat upright
Crew holds jib sheet in aft hand
The jib and mainsail should be roughly parallel

18. Parts of a sail

19. Boom fittings Fixed and sliding gooseneck
Kicking strap, used to pull the boom down and control the twist

20. Sailing terms

21. Practical Session on the simulator
Rig the sails on the simulator
Use checklist
Practice starting from stationary
Practice tacking
Practice reaching
Practice gybing
Practice lying-to

23. Tides What makes the tides How often are the tides
Neap and Spring tides
Where do we find the tides
What does it mean to me as a dinghy sailor at SWF

24. Avoiding a capsize Watch out for gusts ( ripples on water)
Keep the sheets in your hands, ease or let go when a gust strikes
Hike out (lean out) in strong gusts
Sit right back to lift the bow when running in strong winds
Consider tacking around rather than gybing in strong winds

25. If the worst happens : capsize drill

26. Capsize recovery Crew swims to the stern of the boat
Helm holds mainsheet as lifeline and goes around the hull to centreboard
Helm pulls himself up onto the centreboard (near the hull) using the jibsheet
Crew manoeuvres into centre of boat
Helm leans out and rights the boat, stepping over the gunwhale into the boat as it comes upright
Crew is scooped into the boat
Bring boat into the wind and bale water out with bucket

27. Debrief What lessons did you learn?
Did you understand what was happening?
Did you enjoy the sail?
Next session Thursday 9 May at 18:30

29. SWFYC Start sailing a dinghy
Session 3
Rigging,
Checklist
Launching
Practice tacking, reaching and running ( gybing) whilst helming
Stopping the boat
Reefing.

30. Stopping the boat Alter course to head almost into the wind
Centreboard down
Let the sheets go
Back the jib

31. Reefing to reduce sail area

32. Reefing to reduce sail area

33. Debrief What lessons did you learn?
Did you understand what was happening?
Did you enjoy the sail?
Next session Thursday 23 May at 18:30

35. SWFYC Start sailing a dinghy
Session 4
Enterprise simulator
Rules of the road
Practice tacking, reaching and running ( gybing)
Reefing
Local conditions
Some Knots

36. WEATHER FORECAST Essex Radio Inshore Forecast : 6 miles to sea
VHF from Coastguard Ch16 every 3 hours - 12 miles out to sea
Telephone – Marinecall, Metoffice, Coastguard
BBC radio :48, 05:25, 12:00, 17:54,
Marinas
WEB
www. xcweather.co.uk

37. WEATHER WARNINGS Always check the Weather Forecast
IMMINENT - Within 6 Hours
SOON Hours
LATER Hours

38. BEAUFORT SCALE Force Knots (MPH) Description State of Sea
Wave Ht at sea
0-1
(1MPH)
Calm
Like a mirror
Dinghies drift with the tide
0 m 1
1-3
(1-3MPH)
Light air
Ripples
Dinghies just have steerage way. Sails left loose 2
4-6
(4-7MPH)
Light breeze
Small wavelets, still short but more pronounced.
Sails filled and draw, allow plenty of curve in the sails
0.1 m 3
7-10
(8-12MPH)
Gentle breeze
Large wavelets, crest begin to break, a few white horses
Good sailing breeze
0.4 m 4
11-16
(13-18MPH)
Moderate breeze
Small waves growing longer, fairly frequent white horses.
Dinghies may be over canvassed and require a first reef, or head sails reduced to working sails
Limit for cat D boats
1 m 5
17-21
(19-24MPH)
Fresh breeze
Moderate waves, taking more pronounced form, frequent white horses.
Dinghies may require 2nd reef
Cruisers put in a first reef at sea
2 m 6
22-27
(25-31MPH)
Strong breeze
Large waves forming, white foam crests more extensive, probably some spray.
A yachtsman’s gale
Dinghies have 2 reefs and spitfire jib inshore. Unpleasant conditions and survival for some boats offshore
Wind over tide make very nasty conditions
3 m

39. Other factors that affect wave height
Direction of the wind – speed slows down over land
Distance (fetch) from shelter
Wind against the tide
Rebounding waves off an obstruction
Uneven seabed
Funnelling effect

40. COLREGS KEEP TO THE RIGHT
Always keep as close to the right hand side of channels and restricted waterways as safe navigation allows. Keep clear of buoyed deep-water channels if possible

41. When two sailing boats meet
If the yachts have the wind on different sides , the yacht on port tack gives way
The vessel in black is the vessel that gives way in these 4 situations

42. Boats with the wind on the same side
If boats have wind on the same side , the boat nearest the wind gives way.
When running windward is the side away from the mainsail
The black boat gives way

43. COLREGS
If one yacht is overtaking another, the overtaking yacht must give way. This also applies to a yacht under sail if overtaking a powered craft.
Overtaking means approaching from more than 22.5o abaft the beam

44. COLREGS
When a yacht under sail meets a motor boat (or a yacht under power even if the sails are set)
(a)power gives way to sail except when sail is overtaking
NB it is good manners for a yacht to keep clear of large commercial vessels even if it has theoretical right of way

45. COLREGS
When a yacht under sail meets a motor boat (or a yacht under power even if the sails are set)
(b)Yachts & motor boats must give way to all large, powered vessels constrained by their draught in narrow channels

46. COLREGS In shipping lanes
(a) always cross on a HEADING which is as near as possible at right angles to the direction of the traffic flow, even if this means that the action of the tide will result in a course made good at an angle to the lane.

47. Gybing Check kicking strap is tight Raise centreboard
Uncleat or let go the jib sheet
Grab the other jib sheet and get ready to pull it in
Pull the kicking strap to pull the boom across the boat
Cross the boat when the wind flips the boom across the boat
Trim the jib, pull in the new jib sheet as much as necessary to fill the jib

48. Distress Signals Continuous sounding of fog signal
Slowly and repeatedly raising outstretched arms
Signal sent using SOS
Flares – (Wear gloves)
Red Smoke
Lasts 60 secs but minutes of usage life
Best flare for daylight
Red Flare
Lasts about 60 secs
Best in dark
Fire in twos
A sqaure flag with a ball above or below it
Flames on the vessel

49. Debrief What lessons did you learn from today?
Did you understand what was happening?
Did you enjoy the module?
Next session Thursday 30 May at 18:30

51. SWFYC Start sailing a dinghy
Session 5
Afloat and helming the boat
Rigging
Launching and recovery
Sailing a figure of 8 course
Capsize drill

52. Debrief What lessons did you learn today?
Did you understand what we have covered in the course?
Did you enjoy the sails?
Do you feel confident to go on to the next step?