Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning!
It sure was a beautiful morning, but the red sky suggested rain and thunderstorms later in the day. It did eventually happen, but not until we had finished our program and everyone had left the sailing center.
The common phrase "red sky at morning" is a line from an ancient rhyme often repeated by mariners: Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. The rhyme is a rule of thumb used for weather forecasting during the past two millennia.
Intermediate Sailors - Morning Session
Our Team was almost back at ‘full strength’ today. We used five RS Fevas of which three boats sailed singlehandedly with mainsail only and the other two boats sailed doublehanded with jib. We had perfect wind conditions for what we wanted to accomplish. The day began with a short chalk talk on the Safety Position, continued with a Land Drill, and then hands-on Sailing Practice. In my view, this focus skill is the beginning of racing. The Safety Position is where you slow the boat down, which is perfect for waiting for other boats to catch up so that everyone can Line-Up and sail together, just like when Racing. What’s equally important is to learn how the get started quickly so that other boats do not have to wait for you. Otherwise, it could take all day to Line-Up!
Homework
In order to speed up the learning process, I’m encouraging the kids to visit www.teamparadise.org/classroom in order to prepare for their next lesson!
Beginner Sailors - Afternoon Session
Kids from CARE Elementary and Breakthrough Miami joined in with our regular group today. Our coaching staff was almost back to full strength and that is always beyond greatly appreciated. These are highly valued volunteers who come to help and make it all happen! We used two RS Venture and three RS Fevas. Four kids from the intermediate morning session stayed and helped as mentors. The wind was a bit lighter compared to the morning, but enough to get the bots sailing nicely.
Thunderstorms were predicted for the afternoon, so in order to make a quick escape and get back to shore quickly, we anchored up at #paradiseisland305. The pictures below offer a thousand words.
Spring Session:
Our Siebel Sailors Spring Session begins next weekend. It runs every Saturday from April 9 to June 4 (no sail 5/28).