An Ideal American Summer Ideal 18 Program

An Ideal American Summer Ideal 18 Program SAILING DIRECTOR Kevin Broome americanycsailing@gmail.com 914.815.2434 FLEET CAPTAIN Carolyn Russell carolynhlr@gmail.com 203.962.5939

Be part of an exciting sailing program that is convenient, fun and has something for everyone. Sign out an Ideal 18 and be sailing in less than 10 minutes. Take family and friends out for a cruise and see Rye from the water. Learn or brush up on your sailing skills with the Women s Sailing Program, Saturday morning clinics, or a private lesson with the Sailing Director. Join our Thursday Evening Series for casual non-spinnaker racing, or try team racing. THE PROGRAM The Ideal 18 program is a great way for all club members to meet each other at the club and to introduce their families and friends to the joy of sailing. Big boat owners often enjoy a quick evening sail without the need to arrange for crew, and the racer can experience more starts on a Thursday evening than in a month of weekend regattas. The season runs from mid-april through October, and the boats are available seven days a week from 0800 till sunset. The Ideal 18 is a fantastic keelboat day-sailor that is stable and not intimidating for the beginner, yet it still provides a stimulating sail for one-design racing. The boats are easily sailed single handed yet comfortably seat four adults. They are raced with two people. The program s annual family membership fee is $195 ($175 if you sign up by Friday, May 30). The Program is complimentary the first year for newly elected members to the Club. This fee entitles participants and family member over 18 years of age, living in the same household, to participate in recreational day sailing, women s programs, clinics, team racing, and Thursday evening fleet racing and local regattas. Skippers are required to complete a waiver before beginning each season. A certified Ideal 18 Program member must be on the boat with any guest. Any AYC member who is not an Ideal 18 Program member is considered a guest. Each new member who plans to skipper a boat is responsible for making arrangements with the sailing director or assistant sailing director to be certified. The certification process consists of a written exam and an on the water check out. However, lifelong sailors are generally given an abbreviated familiarization. Family members must be checked out individually if they wish to skipper. Call or email Kevin Broome at 914.815.2434 or americanycsailing@gmail.com to book a convenient time and date or plan to attend the familiarization clinic and harbor hazards tour. The program member using a boat is responsible for the insurance deductible in the amount of $250 per boat or $500 per incident. Each member must report, upon returning, any damage or loss incurred. Fault while racing is determined by The Racing Rules of Sailing. 2

RECREATIONAL SAILING Members may sign out a boat for recreational sailing any time the boats are not reserved for a scheduled event. You may reserve a boat in advance on-line at www.americanyc.org or by calling the Club s front desk at 914.967.4800, or just go to the front desk and check for boat availability. On weekend and holidays, only one reservation may be made at a time for a maximum of 3 hours. However, if there is no one waiting, then you may book the next contiguous session. Please call and cancel if you can t keep your reservation. Your reservation may not be honored if you are more than 15 minutes late. Please take care to return your boat on time for scheduled events and to get to your mooring by sunset. WOMEN S SAILING (Women on the Water) The Women s Sailing Program provides an opportunity to develop a confident command of boats while learning in a comfortable and informal environment. Keep an eye out for the summer s clinic schedule it will be posted online at www.americanyc.org, posted in the AYC News, and in the weekly AYC Ondeck email. RACING Thursday Evening Racing is intended to be fun and low key. Spinnakers have not generally been used. Sailors of a wide variety of skills and experience are encouraged to participate. The Ideal 18 is raced double handed, and you can sign up as either a skipper or crew. Racing begins on May 26 and runs until August 18. The harbor start is at 1800, and participants are encouraged to gather back at the club at sunset for refreshments and to exchange ideas on the evening s events. The sign up procedures for racing sessions are intended to accommodate as many members as possible and to ensure that we have all of our boats on the line in each session. Members may sign up for a racing session online, over the phone at (914) 967-4800 or in person. Only one reservation may be made at a time for any series. You must wait until 0900 on the day after racing to make another reservation. FAMILY FUN Family Fun-Day Regattas are terrific days of family sailing on Memorial and Labor Day Holidays. We will sail a round robin from 1000 to 1200. Prizes will be awarded. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Social activities, both on and off the water, are planned throughout the season. Everyone is welcome to attend an informal introduction to the Ideal 18 Program to meet the sailing committee, welcome new members, learn about all the Ideal 18 clinics and programs, and meet Kevin Broome, our sailing director. 3

TAKING OUT AN IDEAL 18 SIX STEPS TO SAILING 1. Make a reservation. To take out a boat, make your reservation online or at the front desk. Check in at the front desk, at this time, you will receive a large red key that will be your launch pass to go out to your boat. Without the key, the launch operator is instructed not to take you to any of our Ideal 18 s. When returning from sailing, take the key back to the front desk and check-in. That way we know that both you and the boat are safely back, and the next scheduled sailors can have their turn. 2. Check the weather. The daily weather forecast, and the times of the tide and sunset are posted at the Dock House and can be researched on the computer at the front desk. Check before you go. If more than 15 knots of wind is expected, the main sail should be reefed. If more than 20 knots is expected, stay on shore! 3. Complete the checklist. Before sailing, please check the boat and the equipment to see if anything is missing or damaged. The following should always be on the boat: 4 adult size life jackets, chart, whistle, flares, pump, anchor & rode, paddle, fender, 2 dock lines, 1 tow line, sponge, sail ties and tiller tie down, spinnaker pole, spinnaker sheets, sail covers. Spinnakers are available from the Dock House. Parents are responsible for providing correctly sized life jackets for any children on board. 4. Rig the boat. a. Unclip the secondary mooring line from the mast and clip it into the tall buoy. You may drop the tall buoy over the side so that it does not get in the way while you get the boat ready. b. Remove the hatch cover and check the bilge for water. If needed, pump it out. c. Remove the mainsail cover and uncleat the spinnaker halyard to lower the jib cover. Fold the jib cover as you unzip it, as it tends to end up in the salt water. Ensure the spinnaker halyard is clear, and if not being used, attach it to the mast eye. Stow the covers either under the cuddy or in the spinnaker basket. d. Take the sail ties off the flaked mainsail. Remove the main halyard from the mast eye and secure it to the head of the mainsail. Before you raise the main, be sure that the main sheet is uncleated and ready to go, and ease the boomvang and Cunningham so that the sail can go all the way up. A topping lift has been added that runs down to the boom and back up to a loop in its standing part. You should slacken it by unclipping it from the loop before sailing. 4

e. Now raise the mainsail and adjust the outhaul, Cunningham, and boomvang for current wind conditions. Uncleat the roller furling line on the port forward cockpit combing, but do not unfurl the jib yet. You will need a clear deck to cast off the primary mooring line. Release the tiller and make sure both bailers are open. 5. Leave the mooring. Check the wind direction and decide what tack you would like to be on when you leave the mooring. Go forward and unclip the primary mooring line from the bow eye. Once clear and sailing, unfurl the self-tacking jib by trimming either end of the jib sheet. 6. Sail. REMEMBER: Check the chart. If you are not sure of the water you are sailing in, check the chart. The Ideal 18 is not designed to sustain even a minor grounding. If you do not know where THE ROCK is, ask. It s a doozy. Hint: it s in the harbor. DERIGGING 1. Get the mooring. Upon returning, furl the jib while sailing down wind to reduce the stretching of the sail. Ensure that the boat is on its assigned mooring. Please do not drag the mooring chain to windward. If you have approached with too much momentum, drop the tall buoy and attempt another landing. Secure the boat with one of the mooring lines. 2. Drop and stow the sails. When lowering the mainsail, pull the luff first to one side and then to the other to form full figure of eights. To flake the mainsail, retighten the topping lift by reattaching its clip to the loop so that the boom is parallel to the water and trim the main sheet tight. This will give you a stable boom to hold onto while flaking. Flake the mainsail neatly, secure with sail ties, take the main halyard off the head of the sail and attach it to the mast eye, and put on the sail covers. 3. Secure and shipshape the boat. Before leaving the boat, make sure both the primary mooring clip on the bow eye and the secondary line around the mast are secured. Secure and coil all lines neatly. Secure the tiller with the shock cord. Be sure bailers are open. Call for the launch with 3 blasts of the whistle that is attached to your key pass. Take any trash with you and return the spinnaker to the Dock House. 4. Return the key. Be sure to return your key to the front desk. Report any damage or missing parts on a breakdown form in the sign-out book at the front desk. Please be courteous of the other sailors and leave your boat, as you would like it left for you shipshape! 5

SAILING THE IDEAL 18 SAIL HANDLING, RIGGING AND TUNING TIPS The Ideal 18 keelboat was designed by Bruce Kirby as a strict one-design, accessible to sailors of all ages, weights, skill levels and competitive backgrounds. The emphasis is on strategy and tactical skills and boat handling, rather than tuning or special rigging. Some design specifications: 18 ft. LOA, 14.2 ft. LWL, 1240 lbs. displacement, 700 lb. ballast (lead keel), 168 sq ft. Main/jib (main 108, jib 60), and 240 sq ft. Spinnaker. The keel and rudder are both elliptically shaped, and relatively narrow, giving the boat good pointing ability. Resembling the Sonar, the hull shapes are mostly semi-circular, with a fine entry and little flattening of the hull shape aft of the keel. It has moderate overhangs bow and stern. The transom is reversed and opens through to the cockpit seats (known as the swim platform ). Freeboard is about 36 at its highest, making the boat dry, even at 20 degrees of heel. Maximum beam is about where the skipper sits. The ¾ fractional sloop rig has no permanent or running backstays; instead, rig stability is generated by 15 degree swept spreaders and a large cross-section mast. Pre-bend caries only slightly at varying rig tensions, and most sailors prefer to keep the upper and lower shrouds fairly loose up to 15 knots. Upper tension ranges from a low of about 180 lbs up to 300 lbs; lowers are one or two turn above hand-tight until 12 knots; thereafter, usually about 75% of upper tension. The harder the vang is trimmed, the more lower tension is used. The jib is self-tacking and roller furling. The curved jib traveler us non-adjustable sailing to windward, the car slides out to an end stop, creating a sheeting angle of approximately eight degrees. The spinnaker is small for an 18-foot boat, fairly high aspect for a onedesign and easily handled by any size forward crewmember: with standard twings, topping lift, foreguy, and Spectra sheet/guy. The spinnaker is stored in a mesh bag on the port side of the cockpit, just in front of the seats (set up for mostly port windward roundings). The Ideal 18s are comfortable and easy to sail upwind. No hiking straps are provided or allowed; in fact, sailors are required to keep their legs inside the boat, with no part of the body touching the topsides (i.e. no droop hiking). Handholds are provided for safety when sitting up on deck. Because of the no-hiking rule and heavy keel (ballast-displacement is 55%), a larger range of weights is competitive than in most one-designs. Winning teams in the class range from 260 to more than 400 pounds. In 5-15, any weight is equally competitive. Light crews have some advantage in chop and light air; heavier crews have some advantage in overpowered conditions. As always, the two bodies should be close together upwind, weight centered (athwartship) six or eight inches in front of the Barney post. 6

Ideal 18s are fastest with 5-7 degrees heel in winds under six, and flat as possible above eight knots. The circular hull sections allow the boat to heel without creating too much windward helm. In sitting out conditions, keep the notch of the transom opening even with the waterline s exit from the hull, and you ll be going fast with the bow knuckle one inch immersed and stern overhang just kissing the water. Take care not to sit too far forward as the breeze builds; when you move from the seats to the rail, sit back a foot or so. This keeps the bow up and the waterline long. Although it sails at extremely high tacking angles (approx. 80 degrees in full speed conditions), it is usually better to foot some and let the boat run. This is especially true when waves build up, because the boat maintains a good head of steam and doesn t do a lot of stopping-and-starting. It is often the case that a boat which carries a lower pointing angle will track higher, making better VMG. Main trim is more important that jib trim in all conditions. Until you are sitting in the deck, the vang is used to create approximately 5-10 degrees of twist (sighting up the leech). Once both crews are sitting out, the vang may be pulled harder to bend the mast, open the narrow slot, and get the tip of the spar to bend sideways above the hounds, which releases main leech tension somewhat. Above 15, pull the vang as hard as possible and be prepared to use the sheet aggressively. The main ordinarily likes a tight outhaul. Outhaul tension should be set before the vang. The Cunningham is a floating tack and the halyard nonlocking (Harken cleat), so the height of the whole main is adjustable. Set the height so when the Cunningham is trimmed to your liking, no hard lines radiate from the forward end of the boltrope in the boom slot. There is no main traveler a fixed non-adjustable bridle is located above the tiller. In light air you can drop one purchase on the mainsheet for quicker sheeting action. The jib is tall and narrow, more so than any one-design you ve ever sailed. Easing the jib sheet too much (more than two inches from normal ) in puffs, after tacks, etc. allows the top half of the sail to twist excessively. Typical jib trim is one-half inch to three inches from the clewboard to the traveler block. The clewboard adjusts the lead angle: top hole 0-3kns, second hole in 4-8kns, middle hole 8-18kns, 4 th hole, 18+kns. Jib halyard and length are non-adjustable. Because the main is large, bearing off (ducking transoms, etc.) requires some mainsheet ease above 2 knots. Aggressive ease-and-trim is also fastest on puffy conditions. Although the helm does not load up significantly, the boat slows down with the mainsheet pinned and cleated. With more than 10 degrees heel, it is typical to carry significant float in the main luff. In puffy conditions above 15, it is faster to luff the main and keep the boat driving than it is to feather up: partly because the boat sails at high tacking angles in the first place, and partly because this technique will keep the boat flatter. Downwind sailing is very much like in other dinghies. The spinnaker is tall for its girth. Whenever helm control is not a problem the pole should be square to the apparent wind; in moderate wind and flat seas, Ideal 18s may be sailed almost dead downwind with the pole 7

over squared and the clew eased to the headstay. Sailing higher downwind jibing angles is usually only effective in light air. There are no mysteries in raising, jibing or dousing the chute; but the techniques do require a bit of practice. During jibes, the crew stays in the cockpit some prefer to jibe the pole ahead of the main; others jibe the main first, then the pole. The skipper trims both the sheet and guy during jibes, and pulls the guy back on the hoist. Some skippers trim the spinnaker sheet downwind, and let the crew work on weight placement. On hoists, the crew moves the pole from the boom to the mast, raises the topping lift, clears the spinnaker out of its turtle and raises the halyard, while the skipper trims the guy back. Some skippers also trim the sheet; others leave it cleated until the crew is done hoisting. Dousing is essentially the opposite of hoisting. Some care must be taken to ensure the halyard runs freely when it is uncleated check during the approach to the leeward mark to make sure it isn t tangled with the other lines on the console. The idea is to keep the spinnaker in front of the boat, out form behind the main. If the sail repeatedly collapses or the head area goes soft, despite good breeze, it probably means the pole is not squared enough and the sheet is not eased enough. Ideal 18s surf well, but plane only in more than 15 knots of wind. The windward twing line is pulled down about halfway on reaches. When the pole is squared all the way aft, the twing must be released so it doesn t prevent the pole from being trimmed back. In windy conditions with moderate to large waves, the boat has a tendency to roll. This is okay to a point. If it rolls too hard the rudder comes about halfway out of the water. This is not okay, as the boat may broach to windward. One cure is to ease the pole forward a few inches and place slight pressure in the leeward twing. This technique is not faster - it only provides better control. When control gets tricky, it also pays to move aft (skipper at back of seats, crew behind barney post), raising the bow knuckle out the water, eliminating any tripping action, at the same time keeping the rudder well planted. Below 15 knots a little heel to windward is fast; above 15, keep the boat flat. The Ideal 18 is agile, more like a centerboard dinghy than a keelboat. It will turn 360- degree circle in little more than its own length. The result is that upwind, you can take advantage of even the smallest wind shifts to good advantage. It is common for teams to tack ten times on a quarter-mile beat. Sailors, who spend most of their time thinking about wind shifts, rather than the mechanics of sailing the boat, do the best. Finally, Ideal 18s are even in speed. Keels and rudders are identical, no fairing of underwater surfaces is permitted, the mast steps and partners area all located the same, and headstay lengths are fixed. They go around the racecourse like they are tied on a string. National level regattas often feature races in which seven or eight boats finish in a 30- second period, on a two-mile course. This puts a premium on boat-to-boat tactics; and gives trailing boats chance to catch up, even late in the race. 8

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CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS - MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: (Excerpted from US sailing s Basic Keelboat Course) 1. Describe personal preparation such as clothing, water, and sun protection. 2. Demonstrate ability to recognize and forecast local weather conditions, tides, and currents. Describe weather sources. 3. Demonstrate the proper procedure to reserve and sign out a boat. 4. Demonstrate how to properly board a boat. 5. Demonstrate how to put on a Personal Flotation Device and use a throwable flotation device. 6. Simulate the proper procedure for using approved distress and emergency signals. 7. Be familiar with the symptoms and treatment for victims of overheating, hypothermia, and seasickness. 8. Demonstrate the tying and use of: stopper knot, bowline, cleat hitch, sail lashing knot, and coiling a line. 9. Perform a pre-sail check of the boat, rigging and equipment. 10. Be familiar with the United States Coast Guard requirements for safety equipment. 11. Demonstrate the ability to read the chart, locate position, and be familiar with the restricted navigation zones. 12. Determine a plan of departure and perform crew briefing. 13. Demonstrate the proper rigging and use of the sails, halyards, Cunningham, outhaul, boomvang, sheets, topping lift, self-bailer, and tiller tie-down. 14. Demonstrate the appropriate helmsman and crew skill and coordination for departing a mooring. 15. Demonstrate under sail: starting, speed control, steering control, proper heel, crew coordination and communication, tacking, jibing, stopping, getting out of irons, backing the jib, and steering backward onto a specific tack. 16. Demonstrate proper sail trim with accurate sheet adjustment of the main and headsail. Make use of the sail telltales and identify points of sail. 17. Perform a heave-to maneuver per the prescribed method. 18. Demonstrate sailing by the lee and explain the inherent dangers involved. 19. Demonstrate how to reef and de-power sails. 20. Describe the proper procedure for anchoring: choosing a good location, proper scope, setting, retrieving, cleaning, and stowing. 21. Describe the proper recovery procedures for running aground: heeling, kedging off, and using a tow. 22. Properly demonstrate one of the overboard recovery methods: Quick Stop, Quick Turn, or Heave- To, while maintaining constant visual contact with the victim. 23. Describe the Inland Navigation rules for stand-on and give-way of sailboats and powerboats for collision avoidance. 24. Understand Aids to Navigation and respond accordingly. 25. Demonstrate appropriate helmsman and crew skill and coordination for arrival to and departure from a dock suitable to the conditions: boat handling, deploying fenders, lowering sails, line handling, and securing the boat. 26. Describe the difference and alternatives for leaving and returning to a dock under sail in upwind, crosswind, and downwind situations. 27. Demonstrate sculling both forward and backwards. 28. Demonstrate the appropriate helmsman and crew skill and coordination for returning to a mooring, and securing the mooring, tag line, and pickup stick. 29. Demonstrate stowing of sails, rigging, and equipment. Clean the boat, replace sail coves, tiller tie down, and open self-bailers. 30. Demonstrate how to hail the launch. 10

ON THE WATER CHECKOUT Date: Name: Conditions: Wind Time: Departure Phone: Weather, Sea, & Tide: Return Comments: Plan of Improvement: Certification Level * Crew Helmsman Skipper Racing ( Skipper Spinnaker) * Crew does not entitle a member to take out a boat without supervision or permission. They may attend classes, seminars, and sail with qualified members. See Plan of Improvement. Helmsman has successfully completed the Minimum Knowledge and Skills Requirements with a range of 5-10 knots. These requirements were performed safely with confident command of the boat in familiar waters. A Helmsman should not sail in conditions exceeding 10-12 knots. Skipper requires the ability to safely control the boat in stronger wind conditions and has the experience and judgment to be aware of the boat s limitations in these conditions. Racing Skipper shall have confident command in confined waters and have a sound understanding of the Racing Rules of Sailing. Spinnaker Indicates that the Skipper is familiar with the use of a chute. Authorized Signature: Date NOTES: 11