Sailing Fundamentals

381 Pages·1998·10.11 MB·English

by  Gary Jobson

SAILING FUNDAMENTALS
The Official Learn-to-Sail Manual of the United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary
Revised and Updated
ILLUSTRATION BY MARTI BETZ
BY GARY JOBSON
A TOUCHSTONE BOOK
PUBLISHED BY SIMON & SCHUSTER
New York London Toronto Sydney New Delhi
TOUCHSTONE
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 1984 by American Sailing Association Copyright © 1987,1998 by
American Sailing
Association and Gary Jobson All rights reserved, including the right of
reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
TOUCHSTONE and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster
Inc.
Designed by Barbara Marks Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jobson, Gary
Sailing fundamentals.
Includes index.
1. Sailing. 2. American Sailing Association.
1. American Sailing Association. II. Title.
GV811J62 1986 797.l′24 86-20338
ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-7308-4
ISBN-10: 0-7432-7308-7
eISBN: 978-1-439-13678-2
DUE TO ONGOING CHANGES IN GOVERNMENTAL
SAFETY AND NAVIGATION REGULATIONS, THE
PRUDENT SAILOR SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF ANY
SUCH CHANGES SINCE THE DATE OF THIS
PUBLICATION BY CONTACTING THE NEAREST U.S.
COAST GUARD REPRESENTATIVE.
CONTENTS
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION TO SAILING
Overview: The Sailboat and the Wind
SAILING KNOWLEDGE
All About Boats
The Basic Boat
Responsibilities of the Skipper and Crew
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats
Review Questions
SAILING SKILLS
Boarding
Sailing Checklist
Attaching the Sails
Rigging Checklist
Using Winches
Raising the Mainsail
Getting the Boat Moving
Getting Out of Irons
Coming About or Tacking (Mainsail Only)
Jibing (Mainsail Only)
Raising the Jib
Reaching with Mainsail and Jib
Coming About with Mainsail and Jib
Sailing a Figure Eight
Jibing with Mainsail and Jib
Ending the Sail
Stowing Sails
Docking
Summary
PART TWO
BASIC SAILING
SAILING KNOWLEDGE
Sail Trim
What Makes a Boat Sail
Points of Sail
Rules of the Road under Sail
Review Questions
SAILING SKILLS
Communications
Sailing Close-hauled
Sailing on a Run
Sailing on a Reach
Stopping the Boat
Summary
PART THREE
SAFETY AND SEAMANSHIP
SAILING KNOWLEDGE
The Safety Harness
Deck Safety
Hypothermia and Clothing
Seasickness
Review Questions
SAILING SKILLS
Sailing a Triangular Course
Rescuing a Man Overboard
Sailing in Confined Waters
Summary
PART FOUR
BASIC SEAMANSHIP SKILLS
SAILING KNOWLEDGE
Daysail Planning
Chart Symbols
Aids to Navigation
Anchors and Their Uses
The Anchorage
Knots
Dock Lines and Their Uses
Review Questions
SAILING SKILLS
Anchoring
Heaving To
Docking under Sail
Mooring
Summary
PART FIVE
BASIC COASTAL CRUISING
SAILING KNOWLEDGE
Terms and Definitions
Running Lights
Duties of Skipper and Crew for Cruising
Rules of the Road under Power
Essential Safety Equipment
Review Questions
SAILING SKILLS
Engine Operation-Outboards
Troubleshooting the Engine
Handling a Vessel under Power
Summary
PART SIX
BASIC COASTAL CRUISING II
SAILING KNOWLEDGE
Sail Selection
Weather
Heavy-Weather Sailing
Reefing Systems
The Magnetic Compass
Preparing for Coastal Cruising
Running Aground and Other Nuisances
Review Questions
SAILING SKILLS
Reefing
Sailing a Compass Course
Steering with the Sails
Basic Coastal Cruising Checklist
Summary
PART SEVEN
SPECIAL SAILING INFORMATION
Special Sailing Information
Dinghy Sailing
Sailboards
Catamarans
Launching, Storing, and Maintaining Your Boat
A Final Word
APPENDIX A
Answers to Review Questions
APPENDIX B
Float Plan
APPENDIX C
Accident Report Form
GLOSSARY
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Sailing Fundamentals is also the official sailing textbook of the United States
Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX). The USCGAUX is the volunteer civilian
component of the United States Coast Guard (USCG). It consists of
approximately 35,000 members who wish to further their boating education and
who provide administrative, operational, and other support to the USCG.
Safe boating education is one of the major missions of the USCGAUX.
USCGAUX courses include both classroom and distance-learning (home-study)
classes. The USCGAUX does not offer on-the water courses to the general
public, although such training is made available to members who wish to engage
in search and rescue (SAR), aids to navigation (ATON), and other operational
activities that require boat-crew qualification.
The USCGAUX public education program includes special courses for
children and the Boating Safely Course (BSC), an eight-hour course for
powerboaters, operators of personal watercraft (PWC), hunters and fishermen,
and others interested in boating safety. The Skipper’s Safe Boating course is a
distance-learning course for those whose schedules do not permit classroom
attendance. The core program includes the Boating Skills and Seamanship
(BS&S) course for powerboaters and the Sailing Fundamentals course for
sailors. Boaters with an interest in coastal navigation may take the USCGAUX
Basic Coastal Navigation (BCN) and Advanced Coastal Navigation (ACN)
courses. Members of the USCGAUX are eligible to take advanced training in a
variety of topics, including communications, seamanship, SAR, and navigation,
and courses on related topics offered through the USCG Institute.
The Skipper’s Safe Boating Course, BSC, BS&S, and Sailing Fundamentals
courses are approved by the National Association of State Boating Law
Administrators (NASBLA) and graduates may satisfy state requirements for
certification in those states that have mandatory education requirements. (Check
with your state Boating Law Administrator [BLA] to see if this course is
approved in your state.) Additionally, students who graduate from the S&S
course also pass the classroom portion of the ASA Basic Keelboat Sailing
Standard.