WYC Skipper Keelboat Class

Dennis Bogh, Scott Voltz, Goran Zivkovic, and Bill Smersh offer a skipper keelboat class this spring 2009. We are looking for people eager to learn, self starting individuals who will do the required reading, show up on time, and participate physically, mentally and vocally. This class picks up where the novice keelboat class leaves off, incorporating multiple Puget Sound cruises where you will be challenged by wind, tides, currents, navigation, anchoring, and emergency procedures. This is tough class and will require a significant time commitment from each class member.

Your time in this class will be divided into three activities.
1. Six Tuesday night classroom sessions 5:30 to 9:30, From April 7 until May 12
2. Tuesday night and Sunday day sailing on Lake Washington
3. Weekend Puget Sound sailing overnights starting weekend of 4/25

Requirements:
WYC Keelboat Novice rating, similar ASA or US sailing rating. Demonstrated experience may be substituted in lieu of rating.
Prospective students will be contacted early on to establish eligibility.

 

The classroom sessions will be followed by evening and Sunday sailings and also multiple, overnight sailings on the sound. The sailings will be self paced and be limited to 6 students at a time, 3 per boat. It is up to the student to schedule sailing time and reserve (and pay for) boats. There is no set time limit for this class as it is self paced. You decide when you can sail and collaborate with other class members to fully crew the boat. A WYC keelboat rated skipper will accompany each boat that goes out on Puget Sound.

Students will keep a log of their sailing activities, recording details about the boat and crew. This log will also contain navigation details and trip planning when the student is the Navigator or the Skipper.

The instructors will keep a checklist for each student, recording progress in the classroom and sailings. The checklist will be more detailed for Puget Sound trips to ensure that each student successfully completes multiple instances navigating the locks, anchoring, calculating tides and currents, navigation, heavy weather sailing, and commanding the boat and crew.

WYC Keelboat skipper ratings will be awarded to those who complete assignments, pass the quizzes and final exam, demonstrate practical sailing knowledge, and fulfill the requirements set forth in the WYC By Laws, Section II: Ratings H. Rental Keelboat Skipper.

 

Weekly readings: Each week, before class or sailing read the following:

Local Notice to mariners - weekly supplement http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/d13/
Weather Forecast - Puget Sound Marine Forecast: or weather radio VHF channel 1
Tides - http://www.dairiki.org/tides/
Email with questions. Just look me up in the UW directory Scott Voltz

 

Checklist

Syllabus		NOAA Chart # 18441 NOAA Chart 18440 Shore Line Aerial Photos +++++ our Port Madison Anchorage
Scheduled Cruises
Float Plan
Cruising Log   Example			Lake Washington Ship Canal Bridges
Cruising Under Sail - required reading			Tides and Currents
Shopping for gear			Dennis' Rules of the Road Powerpoint
			Dennis' Weather Powerpoint
Grog's Boating Knots			Nav Rules -a program
The Beaufort Scale of Wind Forces			NOAA demo Charts
Tides and Tidal Currents			NOAA printable charts
Keelboat Sailing: Basic Procedure Sequences			Boater Info System - Winds, Tides, Currents
Sailing Simulator			Wind on the Water
BoatUS Foundation General Boating Course			Ferry Weather
Some sailing pictures 5 meg download			Smith Island - West Point ( just off Shilshole)