Why aren't sailing instructors sailing?

[Kenomac]

I burned 100 gallons of diesel last week, and will probably burn another 100 gallons during the next month. The powerboat anchored next to us probably burned 100 gallons of diesel during it’s first hour out today... and I’m not bothered one bit.

The cruise ship docked at the wharf.....

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I burned 100 gallons of diesel last week, and will probably burn another 100 gallons during the next month. The powerboat anchored next to us probably burned 100 gallons of diesel during it’s first hour out today... and I’m not bothered one bit.

The cruise ship docked at the wharf.....

The oil companies love you guys. More money for them

But it's pretty sad we have become so dependent on fossil fuels that smell the place up and create more global warming when there are alternatives

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by thomm225

The oil companies love you guys. More money for them

But it's pretty sad we have become so dependent on fossil fuels that smell the place up and create more global warming when there are alternatives

Whether you choose to believe it or not doesn’t matter one bit to me, but sitting there in your house you’re responsible for the burning of probably five times as much fossil fuels as I am.... and probably more than that. You’d be shocked by how much fuel goes into the production of electricity for your home and gasoline for your car.

So please come down off your high horsey before you fall and hurt yourself.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Whether you choose to believe it or not doesn’t matter one bit to me, but sitting there in your house you’re responsible for the burning of probably five times as much fossil fuels as I am.... and probably more than that. You’d be shocked by how much fuel goes into the production of electricity for your home and gasoline for your car.

So please come down off your high horsey before you fall and hurt yourself.

I'm simply saying we can do better.

Its like the overweight deer hunters of today with their 4 X 4 trucks and a 4 wheeler in the back. Then heated socks and donuts while they wait for a deer to shoot with a high powered rifle and a scope.

The movie Last of the Mohicans actually shows men physically involved in the hunt (for an elk) and using their own bodies to get in position for the shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9oW0Nk7Dm4

[JPA Cate]

There might actually be a place for using a trimaran such as Sean proposes, for some classes in some areas.

However, the need for reaching children beginners quickly means you have to be two places at once, sometimes. (A puff can capsize many.) You want the kids to have fun, and gain confidence, they're not doing that when chilled and tired, which is what they get when capsized.

Litigious society being what it is, I doubt parents or clubs would be satisfied with the trimaran approach, they want their kids helped NOW, and the RIBs provide the closest thing to NOW that we have.

Furthermore, there's the attention issue. The instructor who is sailing his fast tri to kid #1, has to be paying attention to to his boat, and the kid. Usually, there are two people to a RIB, driver and spotter, rescuer for the smaller kids. As the kids grow in experience and skill, i've seen them out with one.

Ann

[MRees]

At our club, the instructors use Boston Whalers to move around and coach a fleet of students in Optis (which don't have room for an adult) or Club 420s (which have room for two people, but almost always have two students in them). The students learn by hands-on sailing. They end up widely dispersed, so the instructors move around between the sailboats. Also, the instructors set and move marks and start practice races. When a student needs a break, they can ride in the whaler for a while. Occasionally, the whalers help rescue capsized boats or tow them in. Finally, I see the instructors out in the evening club races and regattas kicking our asses on the race course. None of that can't do ... teach thing going on here.

Mike.
Portland, Oregon.

[Discovery 15797]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Thanks for all the replies. My question has been answered.

Was it a serious question, or just a senseless rant?

The 'tools' used to train younger students are often mandated by the national/international training organization based on experience to enhance comfort and increase safety of the young students.

There are mediocre 'trainers', just as their are people who buy a boat, figure out how to raise the sails and fill them with wind to make the boat go in a general direction and call themselves sailors.

Ignorance is a lack of understanding; stupidity is refusal to understand.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Discovery 15797

Was it a serious question, or just a senseless rant?

The 'tools' used to train younger students are often mandated by the national/international training organization based on experience to enhance comfort and increase safety of the young students.

There are mediocre 'trainers', just as their are people who buy a boat, figure out how to raise the sails and fill them with wind to make the boat go in a general direction and call themselves sailors.

Ignorance is a lack of understanding; stupidity is refusal to understand.

There are also people that buy a boat, raise the sails and fill them with wind then go racing (for years and years) to learn the rest.

Then there are sailors that buy a boat, raise the sails and fill them with wind then go on a cruise to learn the rest (after having repaired/refit their boat themselves)

That's what these kids did and possibly the OP also

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lwbHYOFD-4

[StuM]

Originally Posted by thomm225

There are also people that buy a boat, raise the sails and fill them with wind then go racing (for years and years) to learn the rest.

Then there are sailors that buy a boat, raise the sails and fill them with wind then go on a cruise to learn the rest (after having repaired/refit their boat themselves)

That's what these kids did and possibly the OP also

All of which has absolutely zero relevance to the topic of what sort of support boat should be used with a fleet of learners undergoing practice/instruction on the water.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

All of which, like your other self promoting posts in this thread, has absolutely zero relevance to the topic of what sort of support boat should be used with a fleet of learners undergoing practice/instruction on the water.

Well, I'm sorry that my post upset you so much that you thought you needed to respond, but after 84 posts, I think we have figured all that support boat stuff out.

[mwlipari]

Like the other USSailing Instructors, when you have kids in dingy's where a single instructor is working with 6-8 boats, it is about what makes sense to be able to safely rescue boats as well as being able to work with multiple sailors. If you are sailing, it is hard to get to the all of the kids that need instruction, support or advice.

With that said, when I work with the older kids (kids that have power boat licenses) there are many times that I'll get on one of their lasers or 420s and let them take the power boat in order to show them a technique such as roll tacks and jibes, proper sail shape for the wind conditions etc. I only do this when I have a competent power boat driver and in many cases the kids I put on the power boat are 16 and have also taken the USSailing Instructor training.

[secrabtree]

fter learning the basics on a one person boat you can then learn small two-person dinghy's. Starting learning, by in a class or not, in a bigger keelboat usually means that it'll be longer before you become proficient.