Community Sailing Center :: On Lake Champlain :: Burlington, VT

7/31/10

Lesley Chapman — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:00:05 +0000

Class is in Session

Burlington From the Water

Emma Hermanek, Instructor — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:00:49 +0000

Last week I took a group of kids sailing who had never been on a boat before, let alone a sailboat. This is not at all uncommon at the Sailing Center, but I don’t think these kids ever thought they’d go sailing in their lives and definitely didn’t know what to expect when they got on the boat. It was a day with very good wind and we we’re cruising as soon as we got off the dock. The kids loved it. They were so amazed that we were moving without a motor and even became scared as the boat started to heel. As their eyes grew in wonder, their smiles grew too and soon came the questions. They wanted to know everything about sailing that I could tell them in a short three hour period and wanted to see as much of the lake as they could. We sailed northwest towards Lone Rock and as the new sailors looked back, they experienced Burlington in a whole new way. “Wait, is that really Burlington?”, one girl asked. They’d lived near the lake their whole life but had never been able to experience something quite like this. Being on the water feels like second nature to me, and sometimes I feel I take the lake for granted. These students were excited about their new experience; and one kid even stayed to help me put everything away, asking more questions as we did. This was one of my favorite days at the Sailing Center all summer. I was so thrilled to be able to share sailing with young people who might never have been able to get out on the water without the Community Sailing Center.

-Emma

7/30/10

Lesley Chapman — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:00:16 +0000

Big Splash!

7/29/10

Lesley Chapman — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:00:54 +0000

Fun in the Sun

7/28/10

Lesley Chapman — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:00:54 +0000

Cannonball!

Free Friday Night Races Build Skills

Anna Taylor, Instructor — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:00:36 +0000

My favorite night of the week is Friday night. This is not because I get to sleep in Saturday morning. It is because every Friday night at the Community Sailing Center we have 420 races. These races are one of the few times when you can get on the lake for free and are a great way for our former students or other members of the sailing community to casually get together and hone their racing skills. The races are casual and laid back, which creates a friendly atmosphere for beginner racers. Results are not tallied and racers are more focused on improving their skills than on winning every race. Before the races start, each Friday the sailing center hosts a mini-refresher. This mini-refresher is great for people who have sailed before, but need to brush up on how to rig our boats, or have a couple quick questions. After the mini-refresher people grab 420s and head out onto the water. After a few races we start heading in. This part is the best part of the night. The sail in is almost always accompanied by people discussing the races while admiring a beautiful sunset over the Adirondack mountain range.

-Anna

7/27/10

Lesley Chapman — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:00:33 +0000

…and the Living is Easy

7/26/10

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:00:51 +0000

Monday Mornin’

Sails Grazed the Surface, But No Capsize

Sarah Smith, Waterfront Manager — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:00:33 +0000

This last Sunday I finally got to go sailing, in a Sonar! I grew up sailing dinghies. At the age of eight, I went to sailing camp for two months and was thrown into an Optimist. I sailed those bathtub Optis until I was 13. When I turned thirteen, I began sailing 420s. I immediately fell in love with the speed and agility of the 420. Everything is fast and fun in these boats, and in high wind there is nothing better than getting out on the trap; it feels like you’re flying. When I finally graduated out of 420s I took a little break from sailing. I wasn’t gone for long though, because by the time I hit 20, all I wanted to do was get back on the water. The Yacht Club I sailed out of had developed a fleet of Vanguard Nomads. One of my best friends bought one, and we began to race every week. It was unbelievable. My experience being a crew in the 420s made it easy for me to crew in a Nomad, the spinnaker was just a touch bigger. The one problem with the Nomad is that it is very beamy and almost impossible to right after a capsize. During one regatta, it took us almost three hours to right the boat, even with the help of the race committee!

This past Sunday, I sailed a Sonar. I had never sailed a Keelboat before, so it was almost impossible for me to imagine not capsizing. It was blowing about 15 knots, maybe gusting a little more. I found myself pinching and dumping wind from my sails almost instinctively, only to have my crew yell, “What are you doing! This boat wont flip!” I was perplexed. How could the boat be almost horizontal in the water, sails grazing the surface and yet not capsize? It was frustrating, but also motivating. I can’t wait to get back out there, put mind over matter, and sail that boat with the sails as close to the surface as the boat will allow. A keelboat will never flip, the keel is way too heavy. It’s going to take some mental practice, but I am totally up to the challenge of this new and unbelievably fast boat!

-Sarah

7/25/10

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:00:12 +0000

Before the Storm