In a multitude of ways, being on water is the ultimate freedom. Sailing is the perfect water sport to imbibe life skills in you through a journey of self-discovery. Of course, with Aquasail, your initial sailing days will be a success as you adhere to the direction and guidance of our world-class and highly qualified instructors, with a good blend of self-discipline and courage.
Depending on your learning plan and goals, two days of basic sailing training at our Aquasail Yachting Academy (AYA), in Sundrenched Goa, Iconic Gateway or Magical Mandwa.
will be enough to start manning a small sailboat. The best part about learning to sail is that the physics of sailing are the same for any size craft and apply to any waters you wish to sail.
We have curated a list of skills to help you get to grips with your pursuit of true sailing mastery:
- Rigging checks
Every sailor must understand how the sails work. An essential part of enhancing performance of the sailboat, is balancing the weight. Mast and rigging play an important role in tackling weight balance. A regular checking of rigging is important especially when considering travelling significant distances.Becoming well versed with number, types and formation of sails your boat can use will make the first steps of becoming an expert sailor. The latter step is to understand the common use of sails and learning a work around the usual patterns during unusual circumstances.
- Navigation
Navigating a boat is miles away from anything like navigating a land vehicle. The skills go way beyond reading a map or using an electronic navigating device.The challenges of navigating the sea include dreary weather conditions resulting in the inability of seeking landmarks or any signs of land. Besides the conventional navigational markers outlining channels, it will take a stockpile of knowledge and experience over the years, to truly master the art of marine navigation.Various factors like comprehending the depth your sailboat can handle and learning to keep a safe distance around shallow islands are key. It is important to plot your course from point A to point B and ensure you have planned ahead for the duration of the course.
- Weather
Checking the weather forecast before putting to sea is a must before setting sail. A calm and breezy day is always a great time to sail but sailing in ferocious wind and unruly weather conditions require a high level of expertise. Days like those require different rigging, deployment of items like sea anchors and efficient change of course to prevent capsize. It is also advisable to cross reference a number of sources.
- Sail trimming
Trimming your sail will not only make your sailing faster but also make you heel less, point higher upwind and make less leeway. Learning to use the control lines to vary sail shape for different points and conditions of sail will accelerate the speed of the boat. Twist is one of the key aspects of a well-trimmed sail. Creating or reducing the twists influence the effects of a sail’s performance. It takes a lot of experience and hard work to implement a range of upward and downward trim skills, that include halyard tension, car positions and sheet angles to set draft and twist.
At Aquasail, our dedicated and professional instructors will explain all the primary and secondary effects of all controls and will simplify all complex notions of sailing. So book your session with us today as you set sail in the beautiful Arabian sea and nurture your mastery of sailing.
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