Ok...my building update is that I have completed cutting all keel parts...but lagging on the next steps as I count down the last days of school (high school teacher) and I can build full time...
In the meantime I took a huge step forward...started my 6 week sailing program with the Vallejo Yacht Club's Learn to Sail Program. We were in little sailing dinghys and it was fun...it was hard because they were really small---my Weekender will feel like a mansion when I get it built...
The first week was a little sail time and a lot of class time, but they kept promising that starting next weekend most of the time will be on the water...so I am really excited...
Just wanted to keep you all in the loop----18 days of school...WOOOOOT!!!
Matt
OK Matt, put that peanut butter sandwich down and screw that keel together. Should take an hour.
I took adult sailing lessons myself. I found them frustrating in some ways as there were multiple students crammed on to a boat that was too small for us. "However" - I chose to go through with it and ended up with the confidence to go out on my own.
Good for you. The smaller the boat you learn on, the better sailor you'll become, no kidding.
Even with sailing lessons, I suspect there is a learning curve with a gaff rigged boat. Most lessons are on Bermudian rigs. I'm looking forward to learning!
Dave
If you don't get wet, you're not learning anything. If you can keep from getting your wife's butt wet, they you've learned more then you realize.
I taught myself how to sail, no book's, no instructions, when I was in my 20's in the gulf of mexico. I had a 14 foot Scorpion (I think sunfish makes them as they favor the same build
. But you wanna talk about getting wet? Man I flipped that boat over a zillion times (had a blast doing it), After a while I figured it all out and only fliped the boat when I wanted to lol. BUT! I did have to get the book, sailing for dummies when I began my build to become familiar with the terms used in sailing, LOl not just that rope thingy and that rudder stick thingy and such lol.
Brian.
Thanks for all the encouragement...
TODAY was lesson #2 and we got a lot more sail time! And I got WET! On my 2nd "run" I had the boat on the rails and water came in...almost tipped entirely but some how I recovered and was able to sail back to the dock...and bail some water...
Then later we had to all jump into the super cold water...put on our life jacket that was tossed to us...and then we had to swim over to a capsized boat...pull it over...and then climb into it from the water (WHICH WAS ACTUALLY THE HARDEST PART, BUT i DID IT MUCH BETTER THEN EXPECTED) and then we had to re-capsize it...and swim to the dock...
It was actually super windy and cloudy and not too warm...in the upper 50's so afterwards you had to change...
But I am really glad that I got to see how to handle the boat from in the water...of course much different outside a protected harbor and people standing by...but good experience...
Thanks for watching!
matt
Hey Matt, absolutely nothing compares to "ridin the rail" and gettin wet! Keep it up, Warren ;D
Having provided these types of sailing lessons many times, a tip: enter the boat over the stern, maybe using the rudder to climb up on. Each boat is different, but the rudder can make a very handy foot hold and the boat doesn't roll around, like it does when you climb over the side. Some think you can swamp the boat this way, but you can't unless you're a really big guy, getting into a really small boat.