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Intermediate Sailing Intermediate Sailing Intermediate Sailing Intermediate Sailing &&&&
Seamanship Skills Seamanship Skills Seamanship Skills Seamanship Skills ManualManualManualManual
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INTRODUCTION
Your log and manual are designed to help you improve your sailing and seamanship skills. The manual
provides a comprehensive outline of suggested sailing activities and opportunities to improve your
skills. It is the individual’s responsibility to maintain and update the personal sailing log and training in
the manual.
It must be remembered that this manual has its limitations. It can be a start to the aspiring sailor in
building a foundation of practical knowledge and in providing enough background to make each
experience more than a mechanical set of motions. For those who have sailed, it can be used to
organize knowledge already gained, as well as to provide an outline for studying any unfamiliar areas.
Beyond this, however, experience must be the teacher. No manual can give a person the intangibles
that make a good sailor. Individuals must develop these in themselves. One must learn to anticipate
and to be constantly aware of the boat and its environment. Sailing is a thinking sport, requiring
forethought, endurance, sportsmanship and teamwork.
The data in this manual are in three parts:
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Sailing Log. This Sailing Log documents your sailing experience. Fill in with any particulars
you find useful to you such as activities and evolutions you completed, things you
learned, things that may require further improvement, boat, sea and weather conditions.
This is your log! Document what you feel is important.
Record of Training Received. Enter all courses, certifications, classroom or on-the-water
seminars, etc. that you believe would applicable.
Skill Building Exercises. These are some of the challenges that you should try to complete.
Although the activities are broken down into modules, they can be completed in any order
you wish. It’s just a grouping. Complete the exercises as opportunities occur. This list is
not complete, so please feel free to add to it.
And lastly, HAVE FUN!
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SAILING LOG
DATE VESSEL REMARKS (Document particulars of sailing experience: trimmed jib,
tied knots, steered, weather conditions).
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DATE VESSEL REMARKS (Document particulars of sailing experience: trimmed jib,
tied knots, steered, weather conditions).
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DATE VESSEL REMARKS (Document particulars of sailing experience: trimmed jib,
tied knots, steered, weather conditions).
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RECORD OF TRAINING RECEIVED
DATE COURSE REMARKS (seminars, classroom on-the-water, certifications,
licenses, etc.)
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DATE COURSE REMARKS (seminars, classroom on-the-water, certifications,
licenses, etc.)
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MODULE 1 HEAVY WEATHER
EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Identify weather patterns, cloud formations
and wind direction and speed. Do this on 3
different days.
• Note barometer readings and temperature.
• Note wind direction, speed and duration of
thunderstorms.
• Note wave heights, periods and directions.
• Review heavy weather crew roles and
responsibilities with skipper.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Reef main or jib on 3 different boats to become
acquainted with various reefing systems.
• Shake out or change up jib.
• Set up jack lines for moving about boat during
heavy weather.
• Put on PFD and harness with tether and walk
around boat using jack lines.
• Conduct preparations and drills for heavy
weather.
• Assist in boat and crew preparations.
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MODULE 2 SAFETY AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Conduct Fire Drill while underway.
• Review crew roles and responsibilities.
• Exercise all preparations for firing flares.
• Review types, usage and operation of all flares.
• Conduct radio communications with Coast
Guard.
• Note position and other important information
for CG.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Conduct Damage Control drill.
• Review crew roles and responsibilities.
• Know location of critical through hull valves
and key tools and equipment for boat flooding
situation.
• Do this on 3 different boats.
• Conduct Emergency Tiller drill in preparation
for failure of the wheel cable system.
• Steer using emergency tiller.
• Conduct Abandon Ship drill. Review crew
roles and responsibilities.
• Run through abandon ship bag, prepare life
boat, conduct dingy drills.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Try to steer boat using sails only for situation
when rudder has failed.
• Try to rig or at least discuss a plan for
installing a temporary emergency rudder.
• Conduct MOB drills. Rig block and tackle if
available. Steer and take various deck positions
during drills. Winch MOB on board. Discuss
care of MOB victim when on board. Try to
conduct MOB drill using sails only, as well as
the engine.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Review all safety and emergency gear.
• Locate all thru-hull fitting locations and wood
bungs.
• Discuss all crew roles and responsibilities for
day sail, night sail and emergency situations.
• Sail at night. Understand new limitations and
precautions to be taken.
• Rig jack lines, wear life vest, and harness.
• Take the helm to experience sailing at night.
• Discuss what precautions and actions are to be
taken when under very restricted visibility
conditions, such as fog.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Become acquainted with safety equipment,
such as foghorns, signals, gongs, and whistles
along with requirements for their use.
• Review crew roles and responsibilities under
these conditions.
• Practice handling boat under short-handed
situation when one or more crew has been
incapacitated.
• Try steering and executing tacks and jibes
with one other person.
• If you are not comfortable with this then
discuss how these evolutions can be done.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Discuss what actions are to be taken when one
stay or shroud has parted.
• Simulate this situation by moving boat to the
appropriate wind location.
• Discuss action plan when boat has run
aground.
• Consider kedging, motoring off, sailing off
options. Are these options affected by type of
keel and bottom composition?
• Assuming an engine failure, try to sail up to a
mooring to experience boat momentum
dynamics.
• Also drop and weigh anchor by sailing off.
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MODULE 3 ANCHORING
EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Outline preparations for anchoring.
• Discuss:
� Roles & responsibilities of each crew member
� Different anchors on board and their usage
� What point of sail where to drop anchor
� How to tell anchor is holding or not
� Anchor watch
� Amount of rode to set out in various
conditions.
� Chafing gear
� Laying out rode
� Communicating signals
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EXERCISES COMMENTS DATE
• Lower and weigh anchor taking on various
positions (at the bow and at the helm).
• In one exercise, use hand communications
only.
• Lower and weigh anchor using sails only.
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• Set up bow and stern anchors and discuss when
used.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Conduct a Med moor and discuss when it is to
be used.
• Set out and retrieve two bow anchors to be
used during heavy weather conditions.
• Discuss how a second anchor can be used to
point the boat into swells when the wind is not
in line with the swells (e.g., behind a point of
land).
• Set out and raise anchor during raft up.
• Assist in rafting and raft breakup.
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MODULE 4 NAVIGATION
EXERCISES COMMENTS DATE
• Before leaving the slip, plan a route using the
navigation charts, weather predictions, courses
to be sailed, leeway, and current.
• Plot actual positions against the planned route
and discuss differences.
• Do this on 3 different days.
• Identify and record every type of navigational
aid in view during one day on the water (can,
nun, day mark, channel mark, range, etc.)
• Record boat's position on the chart using the
GPS.
• Use plotting tools.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• During one day of sailing determine and record
boat position using compass, dead reckoning,
and visual sightings.
• Use a hand-bearing compass.
• While sailing at night identify navigation aids
and vessel lighting configurations.
• Utilize all navigation aids on board and know
when and how each is used.
• Assuming very restricted visibility such as fog,
determine and plot boat position using radar,
fathometer and dead reckoning.
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MODULE 5 MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AT SEA
EXERCISES COMMENTS DATE
• Discuss medical kit contents, who is to be
assigned medic and what medical precautions
are to be taken prior to embarking on a sail.
• Take a CPR class.
• Discuss care in the event a crewmember has
hypothermia/hyperthermia.
• Discuss symptoms and treatment.
• Under what medical conditions is the Coast
Guard contacted?
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EXERICSE COMMENTS DATE
• Discuss treatment and care of crew
experiencing bone breaks, head injuries or
other major trauma.
• Discuss treatment and care of crew
experiencing serious seasickness.
• Discuss treatment for major bleeding.
• Discuss plan in the event skipper is
incapacitated.
• Identify new skipper and crew roles and
responsibilities.
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MODULE 6 KNOTS
EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Review the three basic knots that are used on a
sailboat (bowline, figure eight, and square
knot).
• Use them on board a boat.
• Learn five new knots (possibly: clove hitch,
two half hitches, sheet bend, rolling hitch, and
anchor bend).
• Learn how each is used on a sailboat, and use
them.
• Teach two of the knots to someone else on
board.
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MODULE 7 RAFTING, DOCKING AND TOWING
EXERCISES COMMENTS DATE
• Toss/receive lines during 3 different raft-ups.
• Learn about the placement and tying on of
fenders during a circle raft.
• Learn about rafting procedures by attending an
SOS rafting seminar.
• While in a slip, assess the situation and name
the order of release for lines.
• Do this on 3 different boats.
• Before entering the slip, assess the situation
and name the order in which lines should be
tied. Do this on 3 different boats.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Once back in the slip, understand the re-
adjustment of lines to center the boat and to
allow for tidal change while in the slip.
• Discuss with 3 different skippers how to get
their boat into and out of their slip under 4
different wind conditions.
• Dock and undock a boat from a slip.
• Learn the variables for attaching tow lines
(possibly: rigging a harness, line size and type,
and when to raft the towing boat to the side of
the towed boat).
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MODULE 8 HANDLING SHEETS AND LINES FOR SAILING
EXERCISES COMMENTS DATE
• Before leaving the dock, prepare the mainsail,
mainsheet and traveler for sailing. (Know why
the cover can come off the main but not the
ties.)
• While underway, learn when to bring in and
when to ease the jib sheet.
• Understand the options of changing course or
adjusting the sails.
• Learn when to adjust the traveler.
• Operate the vessel in a way that would require
adjusting the traveler.
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EXERICSE COMMENTS DATE
• Learn how and when to use the vang.
• Adjust the vang on 3 different boats.
• While jibing, steer and give direction to crew
concerning the jib sheets and main.
• Understand the importance of a controlled jibe.
• While tacking, steer and give directions to crew
about when to release and when to pull in the
sheets.
• Understand the mechanics of the roller-furled jib.
• Give directions to crew about rolling up the jib
with proper use of the control line and the
significance of keeping load on the line.
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EXERICISE COMMENTS DATE
• Reef or change down the jib on 3 boats.
• Reef the mainsail on 3 different boats.
• Execute heave-to maneuver.
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MODULE 9 MARINE ENGINES
EXERCISES COMMENTS DATE
• Learn several battery configurations for engine
start procedures.
• Ask about battery configurations on 3 different
boats.
• Turn the engine on and off on three different
boats, plus one Atomic 4 gasoline engine.
• Check all fluid levels on several engines.
• Check for leaks and proper belt tension.
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EXERCISE COMMENTS DATE
• Replace sea water and engine oil filters.
• Know the type of fire extinguisher needed for a
diesel engine fire.
• Know how to stop a runaway engine.
• Know how to check battery fluid levels and
state of charge.
Feb. 2005