Cat Skills Building Technical Clinic #3

Coach: Dylan Tredger

Catamaran Technical Clinic

This is an on-the-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:

1. Helm the Catamaran competently and attentively in up to 20 knots of wind
2. Gybe in 15 to 20 knots of wind without having the main sail “slam” across
3. 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
4. Awareness of the power zones and cool-off zones (power management)
5. 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.