SOS Part 2 - A Great Success
Gunfleet's Cadets and Otters turned up in force last Saturday 20 February when the Cadet Officer, Andy, gave the second part of his sail training course, this time all about maximising boat speed. Using a variety of teaching aids - PowerPoint, whiteboard, models, and interactive diagrams, Andy brought the whole thing to life, explaining exactly how you can get that extra speed on the water and how in turn you can win races. As well as understanding the technical reason for a dinghy to go fast there was also the opportunity to see how the use of the kicker, downhaul and outhaul can change the shape of the sail and so increase performance; Andy showing how the greater ratio of pulley blocks could exert tension that just wouldn't be achievable otherwise.
With all this knowledge, some of the more senior sailors will certainly have to watch-out this season as many of the young members will likely be running rings around them!