To go below from the cockpit, you go down 'the companionway'.
QUESTION. What is a companionway?
a) The main access to the interior of the boat from the cockpit.
b) A sort of cross between stairs and a ladder that should ALWAYS be treated as a ladder. ie. Go down it backwards.
c) The place the skipper always seems to stand because it is the most comfortable spot when sailing.
d) A place to fall down if you don't remember b)
As children we are encouraged to 'go solo', to
walk unaided and not have to hold hands.
Sorry, but on ANY boat, you should always
have your hand on something 'just in case'.
By going down backwards you have
something to hold onto. Get into the habit.
It is for your own safety.
The immediate reaction of some people is that
it is rather cramped below. (downstairs or inside) Actually she is a typical boat of her size and you soon realise that compact would be a better word than cramped. Besides the whole world outside is our living room.
Up forward (at the front) is a double cabin
which is reserved for guests. To port is a
locker (cupboard) with ample shelf space,
and just outside your cabin is a hanging
locker. (wardrobe)
There is a large hatch above the bed
which gives great ventilation and
gives you lovely views of starry nights.
QUESTION. What is a hatch?
a) A sort of window in the roof (deck).
b) A sort of window in the deck you can easily fall down if you are not careful.
c) A sort of window in the deck above your berth (bed) that should be closed at sea unless you LIKE sleeping in a wet bed.
(A light-hearted look at life on board Lady H .)
Lets go below and I will show you around.
Being serious for a moment. I have the scars to show that even well seasoned sailors can put a foot wrong as I recently put my foot on an open hatch. We tend to close them when we are working on deck, but in port they are often left open for ventilation. (it can get HOT in the Med). You have been warned!
Just aft (towards the stern) of the forward
cabin is/are the head(s). It comprises,
washbasin, shower head that doubles as
a tap, an almost full length mirror and a
sea toilet. (You will be briefed on the
magic of sea toilets on your arrival.)
When showering the water is collected
below the the floor and pumped
overboard. Once again, you may find it
'compact'.
QUESTION. What is/are the head/heads?
a) Nautical term for the toilet/bathroom
b) A place that can cause embarrassment as one feels one is in audible contact with one's fellow crew.
c) A nautical term for toilet in which you should NEVER put anything that you haven't digested first.
But is it 'head' or' heads'? I have no idea yet would love to know. One belief is that it is 'head'. and one 'went to the head' when one defecated over the bow near the figurehead on ancient sailing ships. As for what should go in it, just remember that anything that goes down a sea toilet should either be toilet paper or digested food!
Aft again is the main cabin. (open plan lounge/dining room/kitchen and office.
Top left. Port settee/sea berth. In port it is a comfortable settee. When at sea it can be used as a sea berth. (a place that, with the aid of a lee cloth, is more comfortable than anywhere else should you want to sleep.
Top right. Starboard settee/sea berth. The pedestal is a drop leaf table which can seat five comfortably.
Bottom left. Navigation table. It is from here that we plan and monitor our travels. We have VHF radio for communication, GPS (bit like the one you might have in your car except without an irritation voice that says 'turn left at the next wave'.) and NavText (a device for receiving navigation information in text form)
Bottom right. Galley. The place where meals are cooked and copious cups of tea are made for the Skipper.
QUESTION. What is a lee cloth?
a) A canvas screen that stops you falling out of bed.
b) A device that you really should have used when off watch when the skipper told you to.
c) A device that is not sissy to use.
d) A device that makes you snug in
bed and vaguely reminds you of
your childhood.
Further aft, either side of
the companionway are
two aft cabins.
Each one is a double but
tend to be used as single
cabins.
Lady H is a sloop which means she has two places to set (hang) sails. The one aft of the mast is the Mainsail. The one forward of the mast is the Foresail or Headsail.
The first thing you will notice is that there seems to be an awful lot of wires and ropes. Well, actually, they are only wires and ropes until they are put to use, then they are given different names. Collectively they are either standing or running rigging.
Question. What is the difference between running and standing rigging?
a) Running rigging is nylon rope used to control the sails. Standing rigging is WIRE ropes that stop the mast falling over.
b) Running rigging is something you should NEVER use as a handhold.
c) Standing rigging is great thing to hold on to when going on deck.
d) Standing rigging is rigging that does not move. Running rigging is rigging that can move or is moving.
You can forget about the standing rigging for the moment. Let's look at the running rigging. A rope used to pull something up is a 'halyard'. We use the main halyard to haul up the mainsail, the headsail halyard to haul up the headsail.
A rope used to control the angle the sail is to the wind is called a 'sheet'. The mainsheet is used to control the mainsail and is the blue one attached to the end of the boom which gets in the way when you want to go below.
The headsail sheets (there are two - one on each side of the cockpit) go to the large winches.
QUESTION. What is a winch?
a) A device for safely handling ropes under tension - if used correctly.
b) A device that should ALWAYS have the rope wrapped round it in a clockwise direction.
c) That round thing in the cockpit that the Skipper always wants to get at when you are sunbathing.
But before we get the sails up we need to get out of the marina. You will see that we are 'attached' to the land by 'lines', (Ropes used to attach a boat to land) and that we are either bow to the land or stern to the land. This is the typical way in the Mediterranean.
So we start the engine. (Notice the engine control is a simple single lever. Move it forward and you go forward. Move it backwards and you go backwards) And to steer, we use a tiller.
QUESTION. What is a tiller?
a) A sort of horizontal stick used to steer the boat.
b) A device for steering the boat that some people prefer to a wheel.
c) A rather phalic thing that SOME people get fun out of!
Okay. Engine is running. Let's cast off (let go) the lines and away we go. First thing I want you to do is go on deck and remove the fenders, and don't forget to hold onto something when moving on deck.
QUESTION. What is a fender?
a) A sort of inflated rubber thing that is hung over the side that prevents the boat being damaged by things it is rubbing against.
b) Something that should NEVER be left hanging over the side when sailing.
c) A sort of damned, inflated rubber thing that keeps you awake at night when it squeaks.
Now we are out of the harbour, I want you to take the helm (steer the boat) while I put up the sails. Notice that to make the boat go left (to port) you have to push the tiller to the right (starboard), and vice versa. You will get used to it!
Being serious for a moment. We owe a lot of our English phrases to our naval heritage. The act of steering a boat is 'on the helm', so if you are steering 'Lady H' you are 'on the helm'. You are NOT helming. Oh how I hate that expression. - Oh, come on. I bet you have some trivial things you hate as well!
To set (put up) the mainsail we need the boat heading into the wind. It is hauled up from the mast. When it is up, we can change direction so that we are at an angle to the wind and set the headsail. Now depending on our direction in relation to the wind, depends on how much the sheets are hauled in or let out. What we want to do is haul them in just so they stop flapping. They are then at their most efficient. They are secured by using a cleat.
QUESTION. What is a cleat?
a) A device used for securing a rope.
b) A two-horned device on which a rope is always wrapped clockwise in a figure of eight.
c) A sort of jamming device to stop a rope becoming slack.
d) A bit on a boat that is great for stubbing one's foot on.
Our direction, in relation to the wind is our 'point of sail' No sailing boat can sail directly into wind, and the best we can make is about 50 degrees to the wind. This means that to go in the direction of the wind we have to zig zag (tack) backwards and forwards.
The wind comes in various strengths measured by the Beaufort Scale.
QUESTION. What do the different wind speeds mean?
Force 1. Light airs. 1-3 knots = Start the damn engine.
Force 2. Light breeze. 4-6 knots = Sails plus engine.
Force 3. Gentle breeze. 7-10 knots = Lets get the cruising chute out if we are going down wind.
Force 4. Moderate. 11-16 knots = Hey this is starting to be fun!
Force 5. Fresh breeze. 17-21 knots = Hey this IS fun!
Force 6. Strong breeze. 22-27 knots = Time to reduce sail area by reefing the main. = Fun most of the time.
Force 7. Near gale. 28-33 knots = Hey this is getting serious!
Force 8. Gale. 34-40 knots = This IS serious!
Force 9. Severe gale. 41-47 knots = Oh my God!
Force 10. Storm. 48-55 knots = I want my Mummy!
Oh stop being flippant, Timothy!. The truth is, wind speed is relevant to your direction. Imagine walking up your local High Street in the winter and into wind. It is cold! Yet if you turn and walk the other way it doesn't feel so bad. Simply by walking into or with the wind you are adding, or subtracting about 4 miles an hour to the wind speed. On 'Lady H' the difference can be as much as 10 miles an hour.
Force 1, 2 & 3 can be a bore. Force 4 and 5 are perfect. Force 6 and 7 can be uncomfortable, and Force 8 and above depend on so many factors it could be fun to down right scary. Each is only relevant to the direction you are going.
Now lets go on deck and set out to sea. It will give you a chance to learn a bit more about life on Lady H.
www.Lets-go-Sailing.co.uk
Welcome Aboard