19 August 2022. Friday evening. For the first time in ages, there was wind. I booked a training session at the #sailingacademy base in Orekhovaya Bay on the Pirogovo Reservoir. An older instructor greeted me and introduced himself as Andrey. As we rigged the yacht, we got talking about berthing without an engine. Someone ashore waved us off without waiting, and the two of us cast off.
I felt uneasy. Dark patches covered the water, showing the approaching gusts. Whitecaps formed on the waves. The wind kept heading us, so I was constantly adjusting the helm. With the heel, I was almost standing on the opposite side of the boat.
Andrey showed me how to steer in those conditions. He headed up further, letting half the sail luff and sailing on the remaining part. We still had enough speed. Until then, I’d thought you should ease the sails, reef, or flatten them by tensioning their edges.
By then, two latecomers had arrived by RIB. We spent the rest of the session tacking upwind and gybing downwind.
Video: https://youtu.be/xG_O0Q5PJtQ
I felt uneasy. Dark patches covered the water, showing the approaching gusts. Whitecaps formed on the waves. The wind kept heading us, so I was constantly adjusting the helm. With the heel, I was almost standing on the opposite side of the boat.
Andrey showed me how to steer in those conditions. He headed up further, letting half the sail luff and sailing on the remaining part. We still had enough speed. Until then, I’d thought you should ease the sails, reef, or flatten them by tensioning their edges.
By then, two latecomers had arrived by RIB. We spent the rest of the session tacking upwind and gybing downwind.
Video: https://youtu.be/xG_O0Q5PJtQ
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