Advanced Sailing Class
The 2024 series have ended. Stay tuned for future series.
Saturdays 1pm – 5pm
US Sailing Instructor Ovidiu Adam will run this 7 weeks class starting on 5/04/2024, and followed by 6 more Saturdays from this list: 5/11, 5/18, 5/25, 6/1, 6/8, and 6/15 at 1pm-5pm. This series will focus on higher skills of sailing, including high wind techniques, proper rigging, use of a trapeze and flying a spinnaker.
This class can be attended in _real_ mode (practicing in a sail boat on the water – up to 10 students), or _audit_ mode (observing the practice from the motor boat – up to the capacity of the motor boat)
This class is open to all adult club members who have a basic rating and meet the following prerequisites:
- Required for _audit_ mode:
- MSC dues up to date
- Liability waiver signed for the current year
- Basic rating or higher
- Respect the boats. Boat safety is second only to sailors safety. Return the boat in the same condition or better.
- Required for _real_ mode:
- All of the above, plus:
- Know the direction of the wind at all time.
- Able to maintain a beam reach course, observing the wind shifts.
- Able to maintain a broad reach course, _without_ accidental jibe.
- Able to hold the boat in a “safety position”.
- Able to swim, right up a capsized boat, and wear a life preserver when on the water during the class. When on the water, expect to get wet.
Students are expected to attend every week as each lesson builds on the previous one. If you need to miss a week, arrangements can be made to make up the missed the lesson, on the catch-up day concluding the series. This class is _not_ for occasional drop-ins, but drop-in auditors are welcome.
The class is limited to 10 adults (18 or older), on a first-come first-served basis. More students are accepted as auditors, up to the capacity of the instructor’s motor boat. The class is not open to youths or parent-youth pairs, though they may audit. The lessons will last 4 hours which includes rigging, chalk-talk, sailing, un-rigging the boats, and final arguments/conclusions/feedback.
Boats: FDs, 470s, and Melges 15. These are double handed boats, students will need to pair with partners they are comfortably sailing with, under the MSC Covid guidelines at the time of the class.
Class plan: 6 lessons + 1 catch-up day. The 6 lessons include:
- The first class (on shore): Prepare the boats for the new season (stepping masts up, find sails and blades, ensure boats in good sailing condition).
- The second class (on shore): Boat Controls (including sailing theory and rigging).
- The following 4 classes in random order, depending on the wind conditions:
- Negotiating gusts (windy)
- Trapeze (windy)
- Spinnaker (light air)
- Capsize with spinnaker
Note: The above plan closely follows the US Sailing Level 2 Instructors class.
If it rains, we will meet for chalk talks and watch YouTube examples.
Please email Ovidiu, ovidiu@michigansailingclub.org to sign up. View the course outline here: Advanced Sailing Class
