How much can a 12-year-old kid learn in five days of sailing on a lake?
I enrolled my son Alex in a five-day Windsurfing and Sailing I camp at Shoreline Lake. In the morning, he practiced sailboarding, primarily uphauling (using small, kid-appropriate sails), while learning to tack and jibe on his wide sailboard in the shallow, muddy Shoreline lake.
In the afternoon, when the wind increased, he sailed with his instructor and his buddies on a small Capri 14' dinghy (complete with a jib and a mainsail). When I saw him on my parents' sailing day (Friday, June 19), he had just won a dinghy race. Way to go!
I went out for a sail around the lake with Alex and one of his instructors. We sailed a short course on the lake, with Alex controlling the rudder.
He seemed to understand some points of sail, but I did not sense complete mastery yet. It took me many weeks of sailing on a J/24 (at the OCSC Sailing Club) to accurately judge wind direction and master all points of sail.
We had fun sailing the dinghy, and Alex showed me how to tack, though he wasn't very precise. During a tack (or going about), the skipper usually says, "Prepare to come about," the jib handler prepares to bring the jib across and the mainsail trimmer sheets in. At this point, the skipper says "Coming about" and guides the boat gently through the eye of the wind (the no go zone), while the jib handler brings the jib to the other tack. Alex didn't quite follow these instructions - but it takes some practice.
After we returned to the dock, Inna showed up (she was held up in traffic), and we sailed again - all three of us - without the instructor. I managed the jib and the main while Alex steered the boat this time. Inna was trying to keep her head below the boom and avoid getting in our way. I didn't realize that the Capri dinghy had a furling jib, so it took me a minute to unfurl it and set it up.
Alex was doing a fine job of steering. However, we experienced a few wind gusts (while tacking), in which the boat heeled a bit (Inna got a bit scared; she thought the dinghy might capsize). Luckily, I released the mainsheet and jib, and the boat quickly stabilized. We sailed back to the dock, and Alex docked the dinghy by turning it into the wind.
Shoreline Lake is a fine location for learning to sail. The Shoreline sailing camps are a delightful way to introduce kids and young adults to sailing.
I enrolled my son Alex in a five-day Windsurfing and Sailing I camp at Shoreline Lake. In the morning, he practiced sailboarding, primarily uphauling (using small, kid-appropriate sails), while learning to tack and jibe on his wide sailboard in the shallow, muddy Shoreline lake.
In the afternoon, when the wind increased, he sailed with his instructor and his buddies on a small Capri 14' dinghy (complete with a jib and a mainsail). When I saw him on my parents' sailing day (Friday, June 19), he had just won a dinghy race. Way to go!
I went out for a sail around the lake with Alex and one of his instructors. We sailed a short course on the lake, with Alex controlling the rudder.
He seemed to understand some points of sail, but I did not sense complete mastery yet. It took me many weeks of sailing on a J/24 (at the OCSC Sailing Club) to accurately judge wind direction and master all points of sail.
We had fun sailing the dinghy, and Alex showed me how to tack, though he wasn't very precise. During a tack (or going about), the skipper usually says, "Prepare to come about," the jib handler prepares to bring the jib across and the mainsail trimmer sheets in. At this point, the skipper says "Coming about" and guides the boat gently through the eye of the wind (the no go zone), while the jib handler brings the jib to the other tack. Alex didn't quite follow these instructions - but it takes some practice.
After we returned to the dock, Inna showed up (she was held up in traffic), and we sailed again - all three of us - without the instructor. I managed the jib and the main while Alex steered the boat this time. Inna was trying to keep her head below the boom and avoid getting in our way. I didn't realize that the Capri dinghy had a furling jib, so it took me a minute to unfurl it and set it up.
Alex was doing a fine job of steering. However, we experienced a few wind gusts (while tacking), in which the boat heeled a bit (Inna got a bit scared; she thought the dinghy might capsize). Luckily, I released the mainsheet and jib, and the boat quickly stabilized. We sailed back to the dock, and Alex docked the dinghy by turning it into the wind.
Shoreline Lake is a fine location for learning to sail. The Shoreline sailing camps are a delightful way to introduce kids and young adults to sailing.
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