Cat Skills Building Technical Clinic #2

Coach: Beata Sejane

Catamaran Technical Clinic

This is an On-Water Skills Building Session

DESCRIPTION

Catamaran Technical Clinic is a community driven practice session geared towards Cat 1 Helms at JTown to work on developing their Cat 2 Helm skills. The Clinic is led by a Catamaran Examiner or a volunteer catamaran sailor who has their Cat 2 Helming category at JTown and is willing to support the catamaran sailing community. This Technical Clinic features a hands-on approach with nearly all of the time spent on the water, with a minimal on-land portion.

OBJECTIVE

Sailors will work towards obtaining the following skills during the Clinic:

• Sign out the boat and rig it correctly
• Guide the boat to the dock and secure it appropriately
• Raise the mainsail and launch from the dock safely
• Sail with your head up, looking where you are going (only glance briefly if you need to look at something inside the boat)
• Sail out and around a mark
• Learn how to stop/park the boat at a mark
• Be able to consistently execute clean maneuvers (tacks and gybes)
• Get out of irons
• Perform a man overboard maneuver without tacking
• Perform a capsize recovery
• Dock safely
• Put the boat back on the ramp, and the equipment away

In addition:

• Helm the Catamaran competently and attentively in up to 20 knots of wind
• Gybe in 15 to 20 knots of wind without having the main sail “slam” across
• Demonstrate basic understanding of location of forces on sails and rudders (center of effort and center of lateral resistance) by moving the body weight accordingly
• Awareness of the power zones and cool-off zones (power management)
• Cognizance of their surroundings (traffic management and collision prevention)

Participation in the Clinic does not automatically guarantee Cat 1 or Cat 2 Helming privileges are granted. These privileges are based on on-water demonstration of competence and safety on the water.