This unit develops hands-on seamanship skills for safe, efficient short-trip sailing: anchoring, docking, launching, sail and hull trim, basic navigation, and everyday maintenance. Students practice knots, line handling, emergency communications, and decision-making around tides, currents, and weather to prepare for longer cruises and advanced instruction.
Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate proper procedures for anchoring, mooring, docking, launching, towing, and essential knots (square knot, cleat hitch) by completing instructor‑evaluated on‑water drills safely and efficiently
- Apply sail trim, fore‑and‑aft trim, and crew weight placement techniques to control heel and optimize boat speed in specified wind conditions during practical exercises
- Analyze basic piloting and passage planning using charts, compass bearings, landmarks, tides, currents, and sea breeze patterns to develop and execute a simple navigation plan with safety margins
- Evaluate vessel safety and emergency readiness by performing pre‑departure maintenance and safety checks, identifying and mitigating hazards (fouled prop, dehydration, sun exposure, storms), and demonstrating standard communication/call‑for‑help procedures in a simulated scenario
Curriculum
- 1 Section
- 35 Lessons
- 30 hours
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- Unit 3 — Practical Seamanship and Boat Handling35
- 1.1Dropping the Anchor20 mins
- 1.2Sailing Flat Is Fast: Ease, Hike, and Trim20 mins
- 1.3Pull That Line — No, THAT Line20 mins
- 1.4Kiteboarding and Windsurfing Safely20 mins
- 1.5Knowing the Rules of the Game20 mins
- 1.6Fouling the Prop20 mins
- 1.7Caring for the Hull20 mins
- 1.8Enjoying a Longer Trip20 mins
- 1.9Eyeing Popular Cruising Grounds20 mins
- 1.10Square Knot20 mins
- 1.11Where Should You Buy a Boat?20 mins
- 1.12Steering Clear of Sunburn20 mins
- 1.13Practicing: The More, the Better20 mins
- 1.14Picking the Right Shoes20 mins
- 1.15Sitting at the Dock on the Bay20 mins
- 1.16Pulling In Lines20 mins
- 1.17Getting Your Boat into the Water20 mins
- 1.18Catching a Tow20 mins
- 1.19Going with the Tide and the Current20 mins
- 1.20Basic Navigation: Piloting20 mins
- 1.21Digging In for a While20 mins
- 1.22Positioning for Proper Fore-and-Aft Trim20 mins
- 1.23Powering Up Your Sails20 mins
- 1.24How to Win — or at Least Get Started20 mins
- 1.25Surviving a Storm20 mins
- 1.26Looking Under Your Boat20 mins
- 1.27Having Fun at Anchor20 mins
- 1.28Cleat Knot20 mins
- 1.29Where Do You Plan to Keep the Boat?20 mins
- 1.30Defeating Dehydration20 mins
- 1.31Taking Advanced Classes20 mins
- 1.32Packing What You Need20 mins
- 1.33Steering (And Riding in) the Boat20 mins
- 1.34Communicating and Calling for Help20 mins
- 1.35Understanding Sea Breezes20 mins
Instructor
Free
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