This is the day that all of the new volunteers from May this year, as well as some who have requested information in the last month met to go sailing, find outhow to rig and de-rig, practise using the hoist, going around a course, and have a short lesson on the theory of sailing. They were shown how our boats work, what to bring to sailing, and how to check the suitability of the weather.
Helpers Eli, Ralph, Barry, Tony, Jackie, Vince, Kandy, Ivan, David, Alan, Jim, John and Marie took the boats out of the shed, got them half-way to being rigged, picked up Charlie’s Chariot, set a course, and prepared morning tea. New volunteers: Kellie, Sarah-Jane, Jacinta, Jerome, Nicola, Tania, Ariane, Jack, Mal, Jenni, Helen, Susan, Niamh and Alice, what a fantastic group, helped finish off the rigging, put the boats in the water, and add the keels. This efficiency ensured that the morning started early. Round the course, back to the pontoon, eat morning tea, get the boats out of the water, wash them, pack everything away and we were ready to go upstairs and learn everything we really need to know about sailing our little boats on the waters of Manly Cove.
We were so lucky to have Kingsley and Nicola, from the Manly Juniors go through the theory of sailing. What to wear, what to bring, how to check for perfect sailing weather was only the start. Following this, we learnt about points of sail, how to set the sails, how to change direction to get around the buoys. A short discussion of the rules followed.
How did the clock get from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m? The time just flew away, and we did not even get time to cook lunch, let alone eat it before it was time to leave. A most active and productive morning, so we will all be ready jump into our sailing program on the following Wednesdays and Saturdays of this busy season.
