This guest post was written by Faith and Jessica.
Hello, visitors to Huzzah!
This year our Grade 6s got the wonderful experience of going sailing. We learned how to tie knots, rig the sails, work together to take the boat down the boat ramp, and get underway. On the water, we learned where the boat goes if you push or pull the tiller bar, how to read the wind, and most challenging of all, how to work as a team.
We had to listen carefully to our instructors.
Learning how to attach the sail to the halyard.
To make the boat move, you have to have wind, which we had a bit of while we were sailing. We learned that you can’t turn your boat directly into the wind or else your boat will stop moving and you will get stuck. The front tell-tales tell you if your sail is too loose. If they are flapping and going everywhere, that means you should pull in your sail until the tellies are going straight. It’s almost the same thing with the back tell tails. If they are flapping, that means you should loosen the sail until they are going straight with the ones in the front. There are two ways to turn your boat. Into the wind, and away from the wind. Turning into the wind is called tacking and away is called jibing. When you’re tacking, you have to pull your sail in, and when you’re jibing you have to let out your sail.
We had to work as a team to get the boat to the water.
Getting right in the water to set sail is cold work!
Even on days with little wind, we were able to sail.
To finish the three weeks of off, we went to a wonderful beach where our instructors have built a great hangout, the Tiki Hut. On our second-last day we went stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. It was so much fun! (Even though some people fell in multiple times. The water is warmer than usual, we were very lucky.) Stand-up paddle boarding is easier than it looks! All you have to do is kneel on your board, a very sturdy Styrofoam object, and paddle around a bit until you feel like you can switch hands at ease. Then carefully stand up. It’s a little like skiing, because it’s easier to stay on two feet if you a) bend your knees and b) keep your legs not too close together in both sports. Don’t forget about the paddle, though! To paddle correctly, you should have the angle away from you, like you’re looking down a mountain. If it’s backwards, then it will wobble in the water and be harder to control.
A wet suit was a definite benefit!
These sit-on kayaks were easy to maneuver.
Sailing is really fun, but it takes a lot of concentration. All of the grade 6’s had a great time sailing this year. It was a challenging learning experience and I think that everyone will remember the great times that we had sailing. The instructors were really nice and helped us a lot to learn how to sail and be safe on the water.
Readers, do you do any water sports? What is your favourite thing to do on the water? Let us know in a comment!
