short report about last week

What a fantastic week I had last week. Sure, it was early morning starts....7am collecting students followed by a 45 minute drive....but the little boat trip across to our base each morning made it all worthwhile. Salcombe really is a wonderfully picturesque estuary/harbour.

We did so much sailing last week – in horrendous conditions...at times it was force 6, gusting force 8 and in a Laser Pico that is no joke – exhilarating! I have never sailed so fast in such a small boat before..........leaning out so far that your head is in water at times – awesome! Anyway, we managed to film all the sailing...but for security reasons I cannot show it obviously. I have put some short clips together which don’t identify students – we were racing with one student per instructor to give them a ‘thrill ride experience’ in force 5 winds with gusts to force 7. You can find it here at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV_51o7ffk0


It was really difficult finding shelter areas in which teenagers could learn to sail but surprisingly by end of week at least 12 had gained RYA levels 1 and 2 – a testimony to the talented instructors we used. We travelled everywhere, Mill sands at the outer estuary edge; frogmore creek and south pool..........when the tide is in some of the little river tributaries are wonderful.

We did have a day of carnage ......21 capsizes in 35 minutes......violent gusts; but all the teenagers, none of whom had sailed before, picked themselves back up and got on with.......sailing....very brave despite some being terrified. All want to come back again next year!

The day of Armageddon saw 51 capsizes in 55 minutes......when I looked around at one point I saw EVERY single Pico except mine capsized with kids hanging on laughing themselves silly despite horrendous windy gusts.....that’s just great to see in this day and age of XBOX addicts! I know some of you will say that is ridiculous...they were only starting sailing.......well they were safe; there were several safety boats out; an instructor ratio of one to four; it was a hazard free sailing area; they were able to opt out if they wanted to ........and they were having FUN!

Of course, there were other funny times......like when the instructors set up a race only to watch all the teenagers sail straight across a mid channel sandbank and get themselves stranded in 50cm of water.......all having to jump out and wade their boats out of trouble – hilarious.......well you had to be there really! I found it funny because I had the good sense to raise my rudder and dagger board and so avoided trouble.......with a falling spring tide already 2 hrs down.......sheer carnage!

Sailing Arwen has made me a lazy sailor – there was lots I had forgotten about sail trimming; boat balance and trim etc......make a mistake in a high speed Pico and it ends in tears....well in the water! Sadly I’m getting too old for this acrobatic movement from one side of the boat to the other....and of course I sail an aft rigged boat – so a centre rigged one initially caused me a few problems. At the end of the week I’d only capsized once and given the conditions – I’m really quite proud of that! It was good to go back through the level 2 syllabus and practice things like sailing on and off beaches...something I rarely do in Arwen as I resort to the outboard to easily....shame on me!

I’m intending to get out sailing in Arwen within the week and so will post a report then......I plan on doing lots of sailing now the summer holidays have arrived!!


Steve