Grupo Mayan Resorts: Learn to Sail
March 16th, 2009
Learning to sail, say the Grupo Mayan water sports experts, is best accomplished on the water with a professional instructor. There are, however, tips the Grupo Mayan pros can give beginning sailors to help you get started.
You must not start with a huge ship. The Grupo Mayan pros urge beginning sailors to learn at the helm of a small sailboat before moving up to a larger one. Small sailboats are easier to maneuver and making learning much easier.
The Grupo Mayan water sport pros also suggest learning in a small lake. You don’t want to learn in the middle of a vast ocean. A small lake will make you feel safer by allowing you to see your boundaries.
Learn the language, say the Grupo Mayan experts. Sailing has specific terms that sailors use when discussing the sport or sailing the boat. In order to understand your instructor or other sailors you must know the terms of sailing.
- Tiller: The tiller of a sailboat is located at the back of the boat. The tiller is a lever, an “arm,” that is used to maneuver the rudder.
- Rudder: The rudder, according to the Grupo Mayan pros, is also located at the back of the sailboat. The rudder steers the sailboat.
- Stern: the stern is the back of a sailboat.
- Port: Port side is the left side of your boat.
- Starboard: Starboard is the right side of a sailboat.
The tiller of the sailboat, say the Grupo Mayan experts, is the steering mechanism. You will use the tiller to steer the sailboat through the water. Do not think it will be like driving a car. To steer a tiller you sit in front of the tiller and steer it behind your body as you look forward. Steering this way takes practice.
The sail of a sailboat is what propels the boat through the water. You can think of a sail as a motor say the Grupo Mayan water sports pros. Your instructor will teach you how to raise and lower the sail. The sail is attached to a long, horizontal beam called the “boom”. From the boom, lines attach to the sail. You will use these lines to determine the speed of your sailboat on the water.
The beginning sailor must learn that a sailboat does not have a brake. Sailboats can be slowed to a stop by maneuvering the sail and allowing the boat to slide to a sop on the water. A sailboat, say the Grupo Mayan pros, can also be stopped if you can steer it into the wind.
One other important part of a sailboat is the keel. According to the Grupo Mayan water sports pros the keel keeps your boat straight and gives it enough resistance to allow for forward motion. Keels are located in different places on different boats. The location of the keel depends on the boat’s size.
The Grupo Mayan water sports staff hope the above information helps you as you begin to sail.