My First Time Sailing - Essay Example

 Steering the boat includes raising and lowering of sails. In raising the sail, the main halyard raises up the mainsail up the mast and hence this raises the sail. The boat is steered windward to decrease heeling of the boat. Healing refers to when the boat leans away from the wind. By moving in the windward direction, the moment of the boat’s center is increased therefore increasing the buoyancy of the crew. Once the boat is sailed out, the mainsail is dropped; this is done by having the jib down and leaving the mainsheet on.

The course of our navigation was mostly reaching; this refers to traveling perpendicularly to the wind. Reaching is the most efficient and fastest way to steer the boat. Changing of direction includes techniques such as tacking and jibing. Tacking is the moving of the bow through the wind so in order to change the directions of the boat while jibing refers to turning the stern through the wind and as a result the boat shifts from one side to another. Tacking a safe method although most sailors prefer jibing because it involves less maneuvering.

While sailing, it is of more significance to know the rules of navigation (who has the right of way) e.g. an overtaking vessel must keep clear of the vessel being overtaken. Based on my first experience, sailing requires a lot of technological know-how and practice.