Intermediate Program
Coaches: Head coach is Nathan Snead assisted by Bob Moscowitz
Developing Into Independent, Confident Sailors
The intermediate program will develop our young sailors past the beginner phase, and build on the basics they have learned over the past couple seasons. We will focus on becoming proficient at the skills the students already have from rigging the boat, to making it sail where they want more efficiently. Building confidence in their skills will make it more fun so they can enjoy the experience of being out on the water even more. The hope is that by the time they are done with the intermediate level they will be ready to move on to race if they so desire.
Each week we’ll work on different skills, and how they help sailing on the water.
- Essential sailing knots
Learn the essential sailing knots: Figure 8 Bowline Square Knot Half Hitch Cleat Hitch Clove Hitch Double overhanded stopper Five essential sailing knots required for Optimist sailors and 420 sailors Square knot Half hitch Stopper knot Cleat hitch Bowline Knot combinations you should know: Dock pole 2 wraps and 2 half hitches Two half hitches… Read more: Essential sailing knots - Intermediate Program – Week 1 Boat PartsBoat Parts Rigging the boat, learning the parts of the boat. Chalk talk/hands on.Some of this will be information we have previously covered, but we will dive deeper. This should be the transition from coaches rigging the boats up to the students doing. Each week after, the kids will need to be “rigged and ready”… Read more: Intermediate Program – Week 1 Boat Parts
- Intermediate Program – Week 2 Capsize RecoveryCapsize Recovery The goal here is to take the fear out of capsizing, we want every aspect of sailing to be fun, so we get everyone comfortable in the water, and righting their boat. Then it’s all just a game! We’ll involve some treasure to make it even more fun!
- Intermediate Program – Week 3 Sail TrimSail Trim This week we will focus on getting the most out of our sails. We want the sailors to understand where the sail needs to be positioned for each point of sail.
- Intermediate Program – Week 4 Upwind SailingUpwind Sailing We’ll do a short chalk talk then try it on the water. One of the hardest skills to learn is to sail into the direction of the wind, but it is one of the most important. If home is in the direction of the wind, you have to be able to get there.
- Intermediate Program – Week 5 Buoy Course SailingBuoy Course Sailing This practice will work on our ability to make the boat go where we want it to go regardless of the wind direction – practical upwind and downwind sailing. This will also be our intro into racing, the kids will begin to learn how to make their way around a racecourse.
- Intermediate Program – Week 6 Sail to beachFun, Fun, Fun We’ve got to have a little fun in the middle of all our hard work, so we’ll do some sailing and exploring and maybe some sweet treats. Big boats and Optis Stiletto and Optis sail to the island beach for fun and practical sailing in our local environment.
