4 Sailing
Now the boat is fully rigged you are almost ready to set out sailing. Before doing so you should
always check over the entire boat and ensure all the shackles, and knots are tight and everything is
ready and connected.
4.1 Launching
Launching is one if the trickiest parts of sailing, not only do you have to deal with breaking waves and
swimmers, you have to do so with minimal rudders and centerboards.
Check over the boat and make sure everything is connected and all knots and shackles are tight prior
to launching.
Make sure you are familiar with the rudder mechanism and all other aspects of the boats systems
before launching.
4.2 Recovery
Despite the fact that a catamaran is essentially a stable platform capsizes happen, even to the best of
us. Here are a few tips in minimizing damage when this happens and recovering the boat after it has
happened.
As the boat rolls over you will most likely fall towards the rig. If possible avoid landing on the sail or
rigging as this can seriously damage it or yourself.
As soon as you hit the water, release yourself and the crew from all lines, including the trapeze wire
but DO NOT let go of the boat. Hold onto any piece of the boat you can; the capsized boat may drift
away faster than you can swim.
Release the Cunningham, mainsheet, traveler, jib sheet and spinnaker sheet. If the spinnaker was in
use at the time then it must be pulled into the spinnaker chute before attempting to recover the
boat. This can be done from the underside of the boat but care must be taken not to catch the
spinnaker as it is being retrieved.
It is essential for righting the boat to point the mast into the wind. If not already the case, let the boat
pivot by moving your weight to the tip of the bow.
To Next Page
Loading...