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                                                                     INTRODUCTION TO SAILING  CLASS


This four day class, presented by the Director of Bonneville School of Sailing and Seamanship, has been specifically designed with the entry-level sailor in mind. For anyone who has ever been curious as to what it’s like to harness the wind and sail away to new adventures, this class is for you.

Lesson1: Nautical Etymology and Parts of a Boat
Maritime language is a language unto itself. Learn the history and development of words you may have heard, but are not sure of their meaning. Starboard actually comes from the Old Norse vocabulary stýra (“being at the helm”) and borð (“meaning board”). Words like fathom, crows nest, cup of Joe, son of a gun, take us back to the earliest beginnings of our modern language. Once we’ve learned “salty speak” we’re introduced to the various parts of a boat, which too, have curious and unusual terminology affixed. Skeg, shrouds, lazzerette, fo'c'sle, saloon, and so on.
 
Lesson 2: Wind, The Invisible Force
It doesn’t matter if you’re an ocean navigator, competitive racer or local day sailor, a solid understanding of wind and what makes it blow, is fundamental to all mariners. A working knowledge of barometric pressure, coriolis effects, cloud identification and local meteorological data will be introduced. Bernoulli’s Principle on “upwind” sailing and sail trim will also be explored.
 
Lesson 3: Sailing in a Desert
Utah Lake is the largest naturally occurring fresh water lake, west of the Mississippi. At 27 miles long and 7 miles wide, it’s not too hard to get disoriented, if you haven’t been paying attention. And when sailing on the Great Salt Lake, navigation skills can become critical, if you venture far from shore. Learn how to navigate your vessel, using latitude and longitude coordinates. We will also explore the use of GPS and Celestial Navigation as tools for the navigator. Marine charts and chart plotting tools will be discussed.
 
Lesson 4: The Sum of the Parts:
With all of 3 lessons under our belts, let's plan a sailing adventure to say...Panama. We'll have to do some figuring here on how to provision for a trip like this. Fuel, food, water, passports, money, charts, guidebooks, clothing...etc. How about weather, tides, language barriers, medical emergencies, and pirates (yup, we still have folks out there willing to take all your stuff without your permission). A slide show Power Point will be available to highlight our 2018 sail to Panama aboard a 46' catamaran. Also made available, Bonneville's "Navigation Log Book" to illustrate route planning procedures. Let's go sailin'.

Handouts and power point visuals will help the student internalize each lesson concept.
 
Cost  $125.00

Dates and Times:  TBA

Please call 801.636.5204 to register.
Contact Us
    •   (801) 636.5204
    •  Utah Lake State Park
       4440 West Center St.
       Provo, Utah 84601
        •  M-Sat: 8am - 9pm