Sailing Terminology
- Irons: a point of Sail, facing the wind
- Close halt: a point of Sail, 45° angle from the wind
- Beam Reach: a point of Sail, 90° angle from the wind
- Run: a point of Sail, turned away from the wind
- Tack: turning the boat by crossing Irons
- Gybe: turning the boat by crossing Run (similar to Tack, except a little scarier)
- Main Sheet: the sheet of the dinghy
- Tiller: the thing that steers the boat
- Capsizing: when the boat flips, or is turned to it’s side
Recently, I took a sailing course on learning how to sail ‘Escape’ dinghy’s! Before this course, I had no prior experience with sailing and what to do on the water (other than swimming). Therefore, I was pretty excited for this summer camp to start, to see whether I like it or not.
Day 1:
The first day of ANY summer camp is a little scary, especially when you’re not going with someone you know. You have to face the fact that you are going to meet strangers, and learn something new for the first time without any background support.
I learnt the basic of sailing Escape dinghy’s, such as: steering, the parts of the dinghy, how to use the main sheet, and the position of the dinghy. It was a little overwhelming, but I quickly got through and caught up!
I also tried Tacking for the first time! Pretty hard, to be honest. In order to Tack, I have to turn past irons, where if I didn’t have speed, then I would get stuck. But I had a pretty good partner, who was in charge of the tiller, and we both made it without capsizing! Pretty sweet!
Day 2:
On Day 2, it was a little more challenging. This was because they wind was extremely light, and for Tacking, I mostly got stuck in irons most of the time because I didn’t have speed to turn. Even with sailing normally, the wind didn’t pick up on my sail to move against the waves.
I also learnt how to Gybe! It was much scarier than a Tack, because the boom of the boat would swing across the boat at a speed, and would knock your boat out of balance for a second. And you had to be on your senses, because you’re on Run, and if you didn’t control the boat, it would be sailing away! Especially if it’s a windy day, because then the swing of the boom would be even more dramatic and may as well tip your boat.
Funny thing, I also learnt how to capsize! It was a little strange, learning to capsize. Because capsizing only meant accidental times where you are unable to control the boat, but here I am, learning HOW to capsize. It was some nice exercise to learn how to right the boat and get on once you capsize, and what to expect. Of course, I wasn’t in THAT deep of the waters, there wasn’t any dangerous sea life around me, and I had people with me, but it wouldn’t hurt learning the different situations in the water!
Day 3:
Day 3 was windy, really windy. An extreme opposite of the day before. I had expected it to be like the day before, and totally came unprepared! The Gybe’s were scary, because I was scared that I would hit my head somewhere! Speaking from experience, it’s not the best.
Usually, I work the main sheet. Pulling it in and letting it out when necessary. But today, I traded places with my partner and used the tiller instead! Of course, for the first few minutes, it was pretty chaotic. I was constantly turning the wrong direction, based on logic, and my partner didn’t know when to pull in the sail, or what to do with the sail when Tacking or Gybing. In the end, we both caught on and did our best! (I say I did better with the tiller than my partner).
Day 4:
The winds in Day 4 were light, just like Day 2. It was a little hard to steer the boat and catch speed, but occasionally, the wind would come and push my boat a little forward. The water was colder than yesterday, and it was cloudy, so I didn’t plan on capsizing or swimming. Though I admit, I nearly capsized one time, because another boat crashed into us while we were tipping.
I think Day 4 was by far my favourite day, because not only do I get to sail, but it was some fun experience on the sea. The waves were calm, and my partner and I had a lot of fun. I didn’t learn anything new, but it was nice to review things once in a while!
Day 5:
Day 5 was a little sad, because it was going to be the last day of the sailing course. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun! The waves were bigger than ever! Crazy winds! I had decided I wanted to use the tiller, and my, it was hard. It was hard having to use your strength to push against the waves in order to steer, but it was definitely worth it! Because, despite the waves and winds, I didn’t capsize! All the other boats had capsized, except mine! This, to me, is a big praise. Basically saying that I’m better than the others (lol jkjk).
Despite that, we had to go in early because everyone was drifting and the boats were out of control. Nonetheless, I still liked Day 5!
In conclusion, I would definitely experience this course again someday! I was nice being able to be by the water amid the heat wave in Canada. Unfortunately, when my family came to try to see me in action TWICE, I had already gotten onto shore early because all the students were unable to control the boats. Hopefully next time, eh?
