Complete Novice Orientation

[Foswick]

I have a few friends traveling up next month to crew for me. Amongst them, they have a combined experience of zero ... but they want to learn. And, before we leave the dock, I need to get them to the point that if they really had to, they could get the boat under control and call for help. So, when they arrive, we will have plenty to go over. I don't want to have to get bogged down in basics - like what a winch is and which way is starboard.

And, they're keen to learn on their own to be better prepared.

I used to teach sailing, but I don't really have any videos or any suitable materials for this kind of thing. I'll teach them the things that really need to be hands-on, but I am trying to find some basic video lessons (or something like that) that covers things like:

• Basic terminology - stuff that you really kind of need to know so we can talk to each other (port, starboard, cleat, winch, forward, aft, etc.) - maybe the top 12 terms - keeping it simple.
• Basic running rigging - just the essentials of what does what - very basic, without getting into trim or procedures like tacking.
• How to use a winch
• Basic boat orientation - like where is the cockpit, midship, foredeck, companionway, main mast, mizzen mast, lifelines, bowsprit, etc.

I have found a number of crew orientation videos, but surprisingly nothing that keeps it so basic. To me, the key at this point in their training is not ensuring that they get the information they need, but in filtering out what they don't need to know, at this stage. All of the information is freely available, but a novice does not yet know what is and isn't important.

A good example of this is that I can find a video that explains port, starboard, fore and aft. But, that same video goes into points of sail - which they just don't need to know at this point, but they don't know they don't need to know it.

I guess I could just go out and record my own. Wondering if folks knew of something suitable, already.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Wondering if folks knew of something suitable, already.

Yes, doing it before you leave is useless. How many times have we heard the story about the orientation about how to use the marine head, and when they go they still ask how?

Take 'em out, tell them before you leave to hold on and don't fall off the boat. Then, when you're out there, SHOW THEM. KISS.

 

[thinwater]

Actually, you need to be at a point where you can singlehand. Then there will be no need for them to rescue you. It is not fair to place that responsibility on novice crew. Like sailing with small children. Also, you need to be able to recover a MOB with no help from the crew other than staying out of the way. Same reasoning. And I'm also sure you have this covered.

But yeah, teaching is great.

Oddly, IMO learning the points of sail, how to trim for each, is the most basic tenant of sailing. Which way is the wind blowing and how am I moving in relation to that. The first thing a beginning sailor needs to develop is an instinctive attention to the wind direction. That is more important than starboard, north, or to a point, up. Of course, I learned sailing dinghies.

A soon as we get past not falling off, that is the first thing I teach. Which way is the wind blowing and what does that mean to us. Winches and systems are what you learn after you understand what sails do. How could I understand hoisting, furling, and reefing without knowing about courses and wind direction?

I would have them study dinghy sailing basics. Winches and procedures are less theoretical and can be quickly learned hands-on. The fundamentals of wind are more important IMO.

 

[dlochner]

Give them some homework before they arrive. Find a basic learn to sail book and send it to them. If they do their homework they will have a basic general sense of what sailing is about and be familiar or at least read the terms we use.

Before any maneuver is attempted go over in some detail what you want each person to do and what the boat is going to do and feel like.

 

[kloudie1]

Preparing the novice for heeling is a good thing to do. Help them to understand that the boat will lean over a bit but it will not fall over.

 

[FastOlson]

Preparing the novice for heeling is a good thing to do. Help them to understand that the boat will lean over a bit but it will not fall over.

Good point! I also like the other points about "basics" of a boat. To that point I have always given newbies (including experienced sailors) a quick tour of the vital safety stuff. How to use the radio, start and stop the engine, locations of fire extinguishers, and use of PFD's.

As for the head (!) I emphasize our rule that "everybody sits" ..... this much reduces 95% of the potential problems in the head compartment. Also, go over the flushing procedure, i.e. pump everything clear thru and out after about every 6 sheets of TP.
Port and Starboard and fore n aft are good to learn and can be assimilated as we go. It's an endless list to some extent, but some things seem really important, whether we are out motoring around and picnicking on a 0 knot day or sailing rail-down.

 

[pgandw]

What thinwater said. You need to be confident in your abilities to single hand. I wasn't, and I probably spoiled sailing for my son in law by ending yelling at him, "no the other starboard!". In the excitement, the dockside talk always gets totally forgotten.

When you can manage on your own, then you can calmly tell newcomers to pull or release a line, having to describe to them several times which line it is. And the newcomers will enjoy not being yelled at, and might actually learn something, and come back again.

Don't go out on a day where the wind/weather is going to make things happen faster than you can handle. Especially so if the guest you are trying to impress is a non-sailing woman. Ask me how I know. Another story - my next door neighbor boating novice bought an inboard ski boat, and was eager to launch it and drive around to his boat lift. The launching ramp was on the shallow side, and the wind had piped up to 15 kts with about 3ft seas. I finally refused to help him, said we needed to wait for a better day. At first he was a little angry, but a week later he thanked me for keeping him out of a situation he wasn't ready for.

Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 Sweet P

 

[Foswick]

Thanks for the comments.

I am not really looking for advice on what to teach or how, though thoughts/perspectives are definitely heard and appreciated. I've taught dozens (hundreds?) of people to sail. What I am looking for is a resource as I described, because the logistics and goals of this situation are different than what I am used to.

The points made about learning on the water and picking up terminology as we go are well-taken, but this particular situation calls for something different. It has to do with how these friends learn and the logistics of their upcoming trip. It just will be smoother if they know these things ahead of time.

Also, teaching wind before winches is backward, for this group. There is a good chance they will not get to the point they really understand how to sail on this trip (depending on how weather cooperates). But, they will need to know how to raise/lower the main, start the motor, use the VHF, etc. before we leave the dock. It is just a safety issue.

This isn't a matter of confidence single-handing. In fact, I see that as a real problem - if just one person knows how to manage the boat but takes out other people who do not. It puts those people in danger, should anything happen to the skipper. I see that a lot and call it "magical skipper armor" - the idea that the one person capable of controlling the boat in an emergency is somehow not at risk of being the emergency.

As a rule, our boat doesn't leave the dock for any duration unless there is one person, in addition to the skipper, that could control the boat if they had to ... or the skipper is alone. While I generally like the Captain Ron school of sailing, if I leave the dock with newbies that just know "hold on and don't fall in", they are at risk within a few minutes of departure, should anything happen to me. Granted, in life, there are many risks like this. This one is easily mitigated though.

 

[jssailem]

An online source that may be helpful, is the Duncan Wells “StressFreeSailing” site and videos.

Chartering Checklist - For a Stress Free Sailing Holiday - STRESS-FREE Sailing

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His presentations are clean clear and functional.

 

[Foswick]

An online source that may be helpful, is the Duncan Wells “StressFreeSailing” site and videos.

Thanks! I had seen some of his stuff and like his approach.

 

[BigEasy]

Sounds like you need to develop your own instructions to fit the level of detail (or lack of detail) that you desire. Email the document to them a few days before the outing instructing them to not only read it, but bring it along as a reference during your pre departure orientation.