The PTSA Monday Dinghy Program is off to a great and enthusiastic start. The PTSA Lasers have been out on the water on Mondays in May and this was supplemented by an on shore training evening at the Clubhouse this past Monday. Paul Denison, co-leader of the dinghy series, fashioned a Laser simulator from his repurposed Timberframe home construction business “scrap-pile.” He lead more than a dozen participants through the intricacies of tacking and jibing a Laser: proper positioning in the boat, how to transfer weight from one side to the other, how to handle the tiller and sheet. There are definite tricks to the trade, and it pays to do it right from the start!
The program has been ably assisted by Jeff Brantley who has brought out the race committee boat (“Committee”), Ellie Meopham who has driven the NW Maritime Center RIB in support, Piper Dunlap, and experienced members of the high school sailing team.
Small boat sailing on Monday nights. It’s happening. It’s a thing. Bring your Laser, bring your sailing tenders and dinghies, become a member of PTSA and come and use one of the club Lasers.
A certification program to let members take out the Lasers on their own is being developed. Casual racing starts this month.
Come and join in the fun of small boat sailing on Port Townsend Bay.
UPDATE FROM PAUL DENISON
Below are some notes from our body mechanics session, along with links to YouTube videos demonstrating the techniques on the water. Everyone did great on the LaserSimulator 2000™ and it helped to illustrate the fundamentals of maneuvering our bodies on the boat. However, transitioning those skills to the water will be another learning curve. Learning how to tack, gybe, and perform other maneuvers on a small boat is akin to starting from scratch on a musical instrument. Initially, it may feel like all you can do is force your fingers into a chord shape on a guitar. It may be awkward and uncomfortable at first, but with practice over weeks, new neural pathways develop alongside increased finger strength and flexibility. Remember, mastering it all won’t happen in a single session on the water, so be patient with yourself!
Notes:
Sitting in the Boat while Going Upwind: Start by sitting as far forward as possible, with your hips rotated forward about halfway between facing the sail and facing the front of the boat. Practice keeping your knees together and try resting them on the front of the cockpit by the centerboard. Most importantly, find what is comfortable for you! While there are other specific techniques that differ, this is a good starting point. And of course, don’t forget to hold the tiller in front of you like a microphone. Bring your best karaoke song this Monday!
Downwind: Keep your body a little closer to the centerline of the boat. Use your back leg to firmly hook the hiking strap so you feel firmly rooted in the boat while still being nimble. Sweep and arc with the tiller as needed to maintain a good angle to push/pull the tiller.
Tacking: Here’s a great video on tacking that differs slightly from what I demonstrated. She is very nimble and does not put her back leg over the strap before the tack. This is fine technique, but while learning it’s helpful to get the back leg over the strap before starting the maneuver. This video delves into some more technical points. Take in what you can, but feel free to focus on the basics for now: getting from one side of the boat to the other while maintaining control. [Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPLVXOC2mak]
Tacking Step by Step:
- Look around!
- If reaching (sideways to the wind with the sail halfway out), turn the boat close hauled (up to, but not into, Irons aka the ‘no-go zone’) while trimming the sail. This maintains the speed needed to finish the tack while taking slack out of the sheet to prevent it from getting caught on the back.
- Place your back foot over the hiking strap. This positions your body well for the maneuver and gives you an anchor point for after the tack.
- Tiller toward the sail to turn through the irons. Crouch forward and in to get under the boom. Switch sides (but not hands!) while keeping control of steering.
- Make sure you are steering the intended course and that you are out of irons.
- Once the boat is under control, allow the sheet to slide through your back hand so you can grab the tiller extension. You can now free your front hand to take the sheet while your back hand reorients to microphone position.
Gybe:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQjC4fmVv4]
Similar to tacking, but the tiller moves towards you. Before the gibe, sheet in (pull the sail in) and give it a hard flick to help the sail across and take the slack out so the sheet doesn’t get caught.