Nantasket Noreasters Sailing Team

Week 5

The first sailing season of the Nantasket Nor’easters has gotten off to a great start! The team reunited after April Vacation (some of us even sailed during the vacation) with increased spirit, strength, and drive. With all of the hugs, stories, and swapping of cool shaped rubber bands (the new trend on the team), we rigged the boats and headed out on the water for another fun-filled day. Great conditions led to a wonderful day of practice; working on team racing tactics such as the “Top Gun” (yes for all you Tom Cruise fans, it’s just like the movie!). This tactic is a great way to get your boat into clean air and out of a wind shadow. Our boat handling has drastically improved as we are all getting used to sailing with each other and with these sail boats. Another drill for the day was “tacking on the whistle.” This occurs when we are sailing up wind and we can work on our roll tacks and usage of the running lines. Overall it was another great day for the Nantasket Nor’easters!

Thursday proved to be a more challenging day. We were faced with what is called “survival conditions” which included gusts up to 48mph and white caps in the harbor. Needless to say we did not go out. Instead, we retied all the boats to make sure we had no more casualties or incidents, checked all of the sails to see if they needed batons or lines, and freshened up on sailing rules and terms.

Saturday was the sailing team’s open house, which was a huge success. In the morning, the team rigged the boats and headed out for a bit of practice. After working on up- and down-wind sailing, we set up a course near the docks for some races. We did two team races and a few fleet races until the open house started. Then we demonstrated our amazing skills for the spectators to see. After a couple races, the skippers took some of the spectators out for some racing. It was great to see some younger kids enjoying their first time sailing! With a truly beautiful day and prime conditions, the open house was a tremendous success that everyone enjoyed.

Kate Durant
Cohasset High School Class of 2010



	Week 5 The first sailing season of the Nantasket Nor’easters has gotten off to a great start! The team reunited after April Vacation (some of us even sailed during the vacation) with increased spirit, strength, and drive. With all of the hugs, stories, and swapping of cool shaped rubber bands (the new trend on the team), we rigged the boats and headed out on the water for another fun-filled day. Great conditions led to a wonderful day of practice; working on team racing tactics such as the “Top Gun” (yes for all you Tom Cruise fans, it’s just like the movie!). This tactic is a great way to get your boat into clean air and out of a wind shadow. Our boat handling has drastically improved as we are all getting used to sailing with each other and with these sail boats. Another drill for the day was “tacking on the whistle.” This occurs when we are sailing up wind and we can work on our roll tacks and usage of the running lines. Overall it was another great day for the Nantasket Nor’easters! Thursday proved to be a more challenging day. We were faced with what is called “survival conditions” which included gusts up to 48mph and white caps in the harbor. Needless to say we did not go out. Instead, we retied all the boats to make sure we had no more casualties or incidents, checked all of the sails to see if they needed batons or lines, and freshened up on sailing rules and terms. Saturday was the sailing team’s open house, which was a huge success. In the morning, the team rigged the boats and headed out for a bit of practice. After working on up- and down-wind sailing, we set up a course near the docks for some races. We did two team races and a few fleet races until the open house started. Then we demonstrated our amazing skills for the spectators to see. After a couple races, the skippers took some of the spectators out for some racing. It was great to see some younger kids enjoying their first time sailing! With a truly beautiful day and prime conditions, the open house was a tremendous success that everyone enjoyed. Kate Durant Cohasset High School Class of 2010

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