Laser Youth Training at Weir Wood Sailing Club
by Jon Emmett 8 Dec 2017 07:22 AEDT
1 December 2017
Laser Youth Training at Weir Wood © Lynne Graham-Trol
Nearly 20 young sailors travelled for the Laser winter training at Weir Wood Sailing Club, Forest Row, East Sussex, on December 1st, the 2nd one of the series. The Laser class trains actively throughout the winter which is why it is such a great class in which to improve your sailing.
This weekend the theme was boat balance, and coach Jon Emmett jumped into a Laser on shore to demonstrate tacking, with the sailors lifting the boat to not only see detailed hands and feet movements but also the amount of roll required. The practical on-the-water sessions looked at boat balance with sailors completing half a dozen races standing up with only the occasional falling in when they attempted hand stands. This was shown on facebook live and can still be viewed at the UKLA facebook page.
This time of year, the weather is extremely changeable so the theory covered was all about meteorology with the young sailors learning the important difference between stable/unstable vs consistent/shifty winds and lulls/gusts vs pressure differences, something that even many experienced sailors struggle with.
Even with the light winds which rarely peaked above 6 knots the sailors had a great time with each training session having distinct themes. The previous weekend’s theme on starting and short course racing was held on 11th November, with sailors doing a 2 minute dry capsize to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day. The theory for this weekend was rig setting with Emmett capsizing a boat onshore so sailors could have a bird’s eye view of the affect that sail controls had over sail shape. Training sessions finished with video debriefs.
You can see a short video of all the fun they had below. Training continues throughout the winter so please do come and get involved.