New Racer

[Tucks]

Hi all. I have just began racing along the Gulf Coast. I am brand new to both sailing and racing. I really don't want to irritate my skipper or look like an idiot so I'm asking for any input you all have. I haven't seen my boat yet or my crew but I have met my skipper. Folks say her boat is sleek and fast so I really want to do a good job for her and win loads of races...regattas. Are there any books or magazines that might help get me up to speed on terminology, equipment, and technique? I'd love any information you can provide. The more, the better. Thanks.

Tucks
'Tucks knows what it means to miss New Orleans'

[tonic]

Port means left. Starboard means right. Sheets are lines. Mains sheet and jib sheet. One controls the main sail, two control the jib, only one is loaded at a time. The one trimming the jib on the leeward side is the working sheet the one on the windward side is th lazy sheet. They lead to winches, allways wrap the sheet around them the way they spin from the bottom up, the more wind the more wraps you want. Usually three is enough for a smaller boat. Got to go. You'll get plenty more help here. PEACE HAPPY SAILING. Get the book The Complete Sailor by David Seildman. Covers about everything.

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by tonic

Port means left. Starboard means right. Sheets are lines. Mains sheet and jib sheet. One controls the main sail, two control the jib, only one is loaded at a time. The one trimming the jib on the leeward side is the working sheet the one on the windward side is th lazy sheet. They lead to winches, allways wrap the sheet around them the way they spin from the bottom up, the more wind the more wraps you want. Usually three is enough for a smaller boat. Got to go. You'll get plenty more help here. PEACE HAPPY SAILING.

See...you can go now...good luck!!!

My advise...shut the hell up and listen to what they tell you to do...and do it...resist to the urge of replying.....at this stage you are not doing anything important other than getting the sandwiches, get the favorite drink to the MASTER AND COMMANDER, make sure you don't spill it, and sit with your legs over board, on the side that is high (don't confuse these or they will get slightly pissed off at you!!).

You go from Port to starboard, passing under the boom, DO NOT HIT IT WITH YOUR HEAD...will piss the owner off and will make all joke at you...duck, see observe...do 5 races and come back here....

RULE 1) SHUT UP AND LISTEN...you will agree with me in a year.
RULE2) See rule 1

As you go along see where and what position would you like to perform on the crew...tactics, helm, bow, piano, sail handler, bitch....then look at how and what the guy doing it now does it...see and SHUT UP...

Take this 3 times a day, with a galss of water, for 5 races....see me again after!!!


Just one question, how can you been racing along the coast in a boat you haven't seen??? have you actually raced already?? inside the boat???

[sailingdog]

While there are tons of books and videos on raicing... it is often best to start with the basics... David Seidman's book, The Complete Sailor covers the terminology, equipment and basic techniques fairly well. Start with that and then move up to a racing specific one. The reason I am suggesting this, is that the racing specific ones often assume a basic understanding of terms like jib sheet, telltale, etc. that you as a sailing newbie probably don't yet have.

Good luck and remember to have fun.

Damn...need to refresh my browser more often... And don't mind Giu...he's usually the captain on his boat, at least 'til Fred gets on-board, so his viewpoint is a bit skewed, and he's usually foaming at the mouth...

[Giulietta]

Actually my advise was done in a serious mode...I was not joking at all...

Did it sound like I was joking??

[sailingdog]

Giu-

I didn't say you were joking... just that he shouldn't take you too seriously.. there is a difference.

Besides, your advice is excellent for when he is on the boat, actually racing. But it is not so useful for him to prepare for the racing season... which is what he was asking about in the first place. Reading David Seidman's book is going to be far more useful IMHO... since that will give him the foundation of knowledge to be able to tell a jib sheet from a jib halyard, and what the telltales are and how to read them.

[Giulietta]

Sorry...he said "keep up to speed"..to me that meant he was already moving...

But ok...Sorry

Tucks..read his book, and then SHUT UP AND LISTEN

[Sailormon6]

Giu's advice is actually pretty good - blunt, but good. Your skipper probably already knows you're a newby, and that you don't know how to do anything yet, so she'll have you do things that are within your skill level, like sit wherever she tells you, to use your weight as movable ballast, and move from one side of the boat to the other.

As a general rule, stay out of the cockpit unless you're told to be there. The only people who should usually be in the cockpit during a race are the skipper, tactician and pit man, unless it's a really big boat. Those are the people who need to be there, and others will get in their way. When it's time to take equipment out or put it away, such as folding sails, be ready to help. It'll be appreciated.

Watch what each person is doing, and how they do it. Ask other crew members to explain how and why they do what they're doing. A good skipper will look for opportunities to let you try different jobs when he thinks you're ready, while sailing out to the race course, for example.

Be willing to help and eager to learn, and, as Giu says, "shut the hell up and listen to what they tell you to do." You'll soon learn that racing a sailboat isn't primarily a physical sport - it's a cerebral sport. The skipper and tactician have a gazillion things to think about, and it requires intense concentration. Don't break their concentration by asking them questions during the race.

Many non-sailors have difficulty imagining how it can possibly be fun to race a boat that often doesn't go much faster than a man can walk, but you'll soon understand. Enjoy!

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by Sailormon6

race a boat that often doesn't go much faster than a man can walk, but you'll soon understand. Enjoy!

Why you.........speak for yourself...you......try and walk near my boat

Reminds of that song about God.....

But even if you did...you might need to bring your bicycle!!!

[Sailormon6]

Why you.........speak for yourself...you......try and walk near my boat

Giu, I've been in some light air races when I could have crawled on my belly like a snake, and gone faster than the boat was going!