Advanced Blue Jay Sample Eight Week Teaching Outline Weeks 1-2

 

Week 1

Program and Harbor rules

Sportsmanship

     - team sport

     - working together

     - working as a crew

     - safety consciousness (Rule 1)

Health

     - exercise

     - sun protection

Parts of boat - All

Bowline, cleat knot, 8-knot, half hitch, square knot,

     clove hitch

Coil and throw a line

Rigging and de-rigging

De-masting

Trailering demo

Avoiding contact (Rule 14)

Where, when and how to sit

Finding the wind

Actual vs. apparent wind

Swim  tests

Safety position and whistle

Capsize and Recovery

Towing and Towing rules

Leaving and returning to the dock

Starting and Stopping

     - head to wind and backwind

     - safety position

Mini races with no finishes to assess racing skills

Drills to assess boathandling

Review racing rules

Organization for regattas and competition
Week 2

Initiate rule of the week

Port/Starboard (Rule 10)

Boat tuning

Terminology

     - points of sail

     - all parts of boat

Equipment quality check

Mast rake

     - checking and adjusting

Fixed traveler

Shroud tension

Centerboard position

     - marking lines

     - for different points of sail

     - for different conditions

Boat maintenance

     - proper stowing and securing

     - washing

     - minor repairs

     - jury rigging

     - wet sanding ????

Tacking

     - mechanics

     - rolling

     - rules (Rule 13)

     - tacking in waves

Gybing

     - mechanics

     - rolling

     - gybing in waves

Spinnaker

     - rigging

     - fixing on water

     - hoists and takedowns

     - flying

     - gibing

 

Advanced Blue Jay Sample Eight Week Teaching Outline Weeks 3-4

 

Week 3

More on where and how to sit

     - for different wind conditions

     - for different water conditions

     - for different points of sail

How a sail works

     - pushing

     - pulling

     - centerboard as a foil

Upwind sailing

     - sail trim

     - telltales

     - finding and holding the groove

     - awareness

     - sailing over waves

     - windward/leeward (Rule 11)

     - hiking

Mark rounding

     - wide and tight

     - mechanics

     - tactics

     - rules (Rule 18)

     - timing arrival

Starting

     - mechanics

     - favored end

     - current

     - line sight

     - strategies

     - timing (watches vs. mind)

     - rules and things to watch for

Week 4

Clear ahead – Clear astern (Rule 12)

Sail controls

Boom Vang

     - downwind leach tension

Cunningham

     - adjusting luff tension

     - controlling draft position

Outhaul

     - adjusting foot tension

     - controlling depth of sail (power)

Mainsheet

     - control of speed

Jib sheet

     - control of pointing and speed

Sail controls and you

     - different points of sail

     - different wind conditions

     - different water conditions

Adjusting sail controls for speed while racing

Speed trials for tuning

Weather

     - simple weathers systems

     - clouds and what they mean

     - wind and weather

     - weather reports

     - barometric pressure

Weather and sailing

     - racing….. finding the wind

     - safety

Current and tides

     - tide charts

     - current indicators

Downwind sailing

     - sail trim

     - sail controls

     - weight placement and use

     - tactics

     - awareness

     - pumping on crests

     - steering waves

 

Advanced Blue Jay Sample Eight Week Teaching Outline Weeks 5-6

 

Week 5

Changing course (Rule 16)

Review of weak points

Mini Series

Puffs and lulls

     - how to spot

     - what to do

Wind shifts

     - headers

     - lifts

     - what action to take when racing

Balance and weight placement

     - quiet and gentle movement

     - steering with weight

     - for different wind and water conditions

Rudderless sailing

Backwards sailing

Finishing

     - dueling tactics

     - sportsmanship in finishing

Doing penalty turns

Protests and Arbitration

     - knowing the rules

     - knowing who to ask

     - sportsmanship and hearings

     - mock protests and scenarios

Week 6

Tacking rules (Rule 13)

More on spinnakers

    - making spinnaker work subconscious

     - more OTW spinnaker problem solving

     - testing the guy

     - trimming the sheet

     - flying without a pole

     - flying on beam reach (hiking)

Rowing

Navigation

     - North, South, East, West

     - using landmarks

     - using a compass

     - water depth

     - reading a chart

     - navigation buoys

     - instruments

Intro to big boat sailing

     - relating the Blue Jay to a big boat

     - MOB drill

     - anchoring

     - sailing as a way to get somewhere

     - using navigation

Land and Sea orienteering

Long distance sail

 

Advanced Blue Jay Sample Eight Week Teaching Outline Weeks 7-8

 

Week 7

Team Racing….only for very advanced sailors

TR motivation

TR rules

TR combinations

     - winning

     - losing

TR moves

     - hi – lo

     - passback

TR starts

TR mark rounding

TR finishes

TR legs

     - upwind

     - running

     - reaching

Review and reinforcement of the first six weeks

Community activity

     - volunteer as a group (team) somewhere

     - do something to give back

     - builds team spirit

Week 8

Review and reinforcement of last seven weeks

Club series

     - standard races

     - fun races

Communication

     - sailors run a drill

     - sailors run reviews of skills

Knot boards and competitions