COURSE II: COASTAL CRUISING: OCT. 7, 8 & 9, 2000.

Having finished our course on Basic Keelboat Sailing, we now embarked upon the next level of certification, called Coastal Cruising, designed to certify that you are able to cruise safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary (with an engine) sailboat of about 20 to 30 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions. Certification in Basic Keelboat is a prerequisite for this standard.

For purposes of this standard, Gary Jobson, in our text, defines cruise as "a journey by boat from a home harbor to another harbor or anchorage. A cruise may take as little as an afternoon or it may take weeks or years."

We were fortunate to have Jim Pinno as our instructor again, for his teaching style is enjoyable, and quite conducive to the learning process, and he has the patience of a saint, a quality probably very rare when sailing the high seas with green students who may all be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. But he has taught us well, and provides excellent supervision while letting us do the sailing.

We sailed a 30-foot Pearson for the three days of this course, a much larger boat than the Beniteau 210 (22 feet), and with an inboard engine and wheel as opposed to a tiller, so we all felt like captains while at the helm. Additionally, we were instructed on the technical aspects of the auxiliary sailboat, including through-hull fittings, wheel, binnacle, and rudderpost, and running lights (required of every boat when navigating at night). We learned more about the Rules of the Road, rules governing required conduct when on a collision course, or nearly so, and about sound signals required when meeting, crossing, or overtaking other vessels.

We learned how to prepare an auxiliary sailboat for sailing, including identifying and opening the through-hulls, checking the engine oil and fuel, and operating the boats batteries. We powered up the engine, and left and returned to both mooring and dock under power, and lowered and recovered the anchor, taking bearings to make sure it was firmly set. We tacked and jibed many times, and reefed the mainsail in heavy wind conditions. Oh yes, and learned more sailor's knots, including the reef knot, round turn and two half hitches, and sheet bend, and the proper uses for each. We also learned to read nautical charts in detail, and to further identify aids to navigation (buoys, etc.) by shape, color and number, and to know their purpose.

I'll say one thing, there's a lot more technical knowledge required for safe, intelligent, and proper sailing than I ever imagined, and I am enjoying learning all the little details that go into a proper foundation for sailing. Something else I really like: if we pulled on a halyard or jib sheet and it snagged, Jim taught us one of the fundamental rules of sailing: ease up on it, don't force it, it's not supposed to be that hard...SAILING IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!

And for me, it is at least that. It is also challenging, breathtaking, and exhilarating, all at once, and when that 30-foot Pearson was heeling to leeward after a tack, the boat leaning over, the crew at our positions, whether at the helm or manning the mainsheet, traveler, or one of the jib sheets, the power of nature reigned supreme, but harnessed by our knowledge and teamwork, and the erstwhile dream of 2 Idiots in a Boat seemed suddenly, somehow, within reach.