SailMaster - November 2009 Issue
Welcome to the
November Issue of SailMaster - StartedSailing.com's Monthly Ezine, filled with information on tips, tricks, techniques to improve your sailing as well as stories and my experiences this month!
Welcome to our new subscribers! We welcome you and look forward to you being a part of our growing sailing community!
If you like this Ezine, please 'pay it forward'. Pass it along to a friend or family member who is interested in Sailing/Boating/Yachting. They will thank you for it! To pass it on just email them and ask them to look at "https://www.startedsailing.com/sailmaster-171109.html".
If a friend forwarded this to you, and you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting..."https://www.startedsailing.com/ezine.html".
Best Regards
Alex Dotsch
In This Issue...
If you don't have time to read the whole ezine, click on the topic that interests you. This month you will find:
Editor's Note
Thank you for reading the November Issue of SailMaster.
Before I start the website report, I'd just like to fill you in on my sailing to date. Last weekend, you might know that the wind reached an average of 70 knots over the UK! Thankfully, it didn't reach that speed on the Welsh Harp, but it made it up to 40 knots maximum. Mark and I ended up going swimming at least 10 times!
Well I have been a busy bunny, developing the latest of StartedSailing's community tools: SailTube! SailTube is the place to post your favourite sailing videos and I will be soon be allowing direct uploads without having to upload to Youtube first, so stay tuned for that. Having started SailTube just a few days ago, there have already been several submissions and I will be keeping a sort of video 'blog' every week where I will find a great video and then post a short article about it.
The first of these video blogs is already available for viewing and is about Gate Starts. You can check out SailTube by visiting this link.
The next thing on my agenda, is a High Definition sailing video course that I will construct myself using original footage from Mark and I sailing. This will hopefully be available soon and is specifically geared at novice sailors or those who haven't even tried sailing. So it might be a great Christmas present for someone you know you likes sailing, but hasn't tried it.
This will be a paid course, since it will take so much time to build and create, but won't cost that much. The course as a whole is likely to last 6-12 months and will include lengthy articles, videos and photos to help you learn how to sail. Each lesson will be mailed to your inbox and as well as this you will have full access to member only resources such as a full sailing link directory, Master the Attitude audio lessons to help you make the most of the course, e-books and more.
However this is all still in the planning stage and probably won't be around for sometime.
I am always looking for ways to improve the site. If you see any errors or would like to contribute in any way, please contact me!
Till Next Month,
Alex Dotsch
Exclusive Article - How Important Is The Crew?
A lot of people thing that the helmsman is the most important person in the boat, simply because he is the one giving the orders. He sits there on the bench with his tiller extension in his hand and his mainsheet in his other hand and only moves during manoeuvres. However only the very best helmsman do not require good crews.
The crew does everything from getting rid of weed on the side of the boat to re-sheeting the spinnaker when the sheet goes under the centreboard. The crew has to also keep on top of his main job of keeping the genoa in check and the centreboard at the right position. He also must be proficient at flying the spinnaker and moving his weight around to keep the boat flat. Finally he needs to be prepared to not take the constant criticism and irritation from the helm to heart and instead wait it out.
On the otherhand it is likely that the helmsman has had significant experience in sailing and that is why he is helming and the crew is more junior is crewing. So I am not saying that the crew should just ignore the helm, because that would not make an efficient boat. The crew and helm are meant to be a team optimising and changing the boat sails and controls in order to make the boat be as efficient as physically possible.
In conclusion, the crew has a very difficult job and helms should understand that the crew isn't superman and can only do so much. So although the helm is the boss, the crew is often the one giving constant advice, suggestions and making tactical decisions such as whether to tack or duck an oncoming starboard boat.
Funny of the Month
The Real Sailing Terminology...
Amidships - condition of being surrounded by boats.
Anchor - a device designed to bring up mud samples from the bottom at inopportune or unexpected times.
Anchor Light - a small light used to discharge the battery before daylight.
Berth - a little addition to the crew.
Boom - sometimes the result of a surprise jibe.
Bottom Paint - what you get when the cockpit seats are freshly painted.
Chart - a type of map which tells you exactly where you are aground.
Clew - an indication from the skipper as to what he might do next.
Companionway - a double berth.
Dead Reckoning - a course leading directly to a reef.
Deadrise - getting up to check the anchor at 0300.
Deviation - any departure from the Captains orders.
Dinghy - the sound of the ships bell.
Displacement - when you dock your boat and cant find it later.
Estimated Position - a place you have marked on the chart where you are sure you are not.
First Mate - crew member necessary for skippers to practice shouting instructions to.
Foul Wind - breeze produced by flying turkey.
Freeboard - food and liquor supplied by the owner.
Headway - what you are making if you cant get the toilet to work.
Heave-Ho - what you do when youve eaten too much Ho.
Jibe - either you like it or you dont and it gets you.
Keel - term used by 1st mate after too much heel by skipper.
Landlubber - anyone on board who wishes he were not.
Latitude - the number of degrees off course allowed a guest.
Mast - religious ritual used before setting sail.
Mizzen - an object you cant find.
Ram - an intricate docking maneuver sometimes used by experienced skippers.
Rhumb Line - two or more crew members waiting for a drink.
Sheet - cool, damp, salty night covering.
Shroud - equipment used in connection with a wake.
Starboard - special board used by skippers for navigation(usually with "Port" on the opposite side.)
Swell - a wave thats just great.
Square Rigger - a rigger over 30.
New Pages on The Website
Plastic Dinghy - A counter to the wooden dinghy page in order to show the benefits of having a plastic dinghy versus a wooden dinghy.
See all the rest at my Started Sailing Blog!
Thank you for reading the November Issue of SailMaster! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this issue.
If you enjoyed this issue of SailMaster, please feel free to send it to any friends or family and ask them to subscribe on my website.
Best Regards
Alex Dotsch
www.startedsailing.com
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