Basic Optimist Sailing

If you are wondering about sailing over these school holidays this just might be the report for you. I’m going to tell all about Optimist Sailing and all of the basics you need to know in order to make this trip as memorable as you want it.

The very first thing that you need is a safety check. You need to make sure that you are wearing the right clothing like warm thermals and togs. Make sure that you have a life jacket on and good, hard shoes so your feet don't get glass in them. You will also need to make sure that your tiller and rudder are on properly and your sail is completely on the top pole and on the bottom pole. They need as tight as they can be. There are two bungs in the side’s and front of the boat. Make sure they are in tightly. If you have too much water in your boat there is a bucket at the front of the boat. Scoop the water out with it.

Once you have done the safety check make sure that your boat has been put together correctly. There needs to be a sail on the top pole. There needs to be 2 ropes hanging from it . On to hold it in place and the other to tighten and loosen the sail This is called the mainsheet rope. On the back there will the the rudder. The handle attached to the rudder is called  the tiller. On the sides there will be  two bungs. If there is any major water unplugged the bungees and you boat will not sink. If the water is  not so major you can use the bucket at the front.

Now this is the real deal. This is how to sail the boat. First of all you need to hop in the boat the correct way. If you have one person (Adult) in the boat they need to be lying down and be able to reach the mainsheet rope and the tiller. If you are a child just make sure that you are balancing the boat properly.  If you have two people in the boat. (One for each job) you both need to be sitting up if you are a child. Two adults can not fit. If you want to go faster pull on the rope to get  more wind in your sail and if you would like less speed loosen the rope. You always need to hold on to the rope so your sail doesn't fly away and the Boom will turn so make sure that you duck down so you don’t get a sore head. How to steer your boat is quite easy. If you would like to go left turn the tiller right and if you want to go right turn the tiller left. As easy as that. You will need some simple commands. To duck say Boom because some people get confused if you are pointing to a Duck. If you are at the front and you see something that you could hit say left or right to tell the other person to steer out of the way.

Capsizing can be a fun thing if done on purpose but when it comes out of nowhere it can be freaky. If you would like to capsize you need to lean to one side of the boat and take your centreboard out. Then you can tip. To recover capsizing you need to lean on on your centreboard and try to lean to the other side of boat. Also you need to have some hand signals. If none of these techniques has worked you need to yell “Help” and wave your hand so they see where you are and what they can do to rescue you. Once you are up right sail slowly back to shore or get someone to tow you back if anyone else is in the water with you.

My overall experience of yacht was very exciting and challenging because I have never done it before. I had a really great time and thought it was fun to try something I have never done before. My favorite part was going in around the buoy that they out out. You need the right regulation of speed to get through and around right. The water that you sail in can't be that choppy so Pandora Pond can be the best place to go Optimist Yachting because on a slightly windy day the water is fine and you can go in a yacht with no problems at all. My overall rating is 10/10 the boats didn’t have holes in them and you just cruise around the pond and enjoy the pond waters as you sail away from shore.

I hope this guide helped you plan your trip for Optimist Sailing. This activity can be fun and you can also learn how to even become a pro sailer by starting on these. They are also very good for kids to learn how to sail a boat or even the first time in a boat.  I hope this guide will help you to have the most memorable boating trip of your life.