About SchoonerSail’s Learning To Sail A Schooner Articles
John, Trinovante’s skipper started writing these articles after some Trinovante Crew asked for more information on the fundamentals of schooner handling. These articles are not imagined theory. John has written about specific situations that have arisen. This is a standard manoeuver we are doing it all the time.
Seafaring is an ongoing learning process and John cautions against set piece manoeuvers. You need a plan but it needs to be flexible because things don’t always go according to plan.
Sail Training involves learning how to safely handle ropes, tying basic knots and using winches, among other things. The crew need these skills is to be able to carry out manoeuvres under sail or power.
Full in-depth knowledge of exactly what is going on is not essential, so dip into these Learning To Sail articles only if you want to.
Lines 1, the bow line and line 4, the stern line, hold the boat into the quay. Line 3 is the head spring and 2 is the back spring. The head spring stops the boat from going ahead and the back spring stops it going back.
Together they prevent Trinovante from surging ahead and astern in the berth. Individually they are invaluable in close quarters manoeuvring.
Image 2
All the lines have been taken in except the head spring No 3.
In slow ahead with starboard rudder applied the ship is in a stable position held into the quay by the tension on the head spring and the prop wash deflected from the rudder.
Now only one line is left for the crew to cast off
Image 3
The engine is then taken out of gear and the crew ease some slack in the head spring so that it may be cast off from ashore. We can also use a slip line if there is no handy passerby.
The line is then hauled in by the crew.
The ship will now blow sideways away from the quay with the bows tending to fall off the wind first.
This can be corrected if necessary with a short burst of ahead with full port rudder.
Image 4
We return to the same berth but with vessels moored either side. We can get close enough to pass a head spring ashore.
With starboard rudder and steady power applied the ship will be bowsed in to the quay. The spring is surged as necessary to exactly position the vessel in the berth. This line will be heavily loaded and in the charge of an experienced crew member.
Fri 9th to Mon 12th July 2021 Fri 16th to Mon 19th July 2021 3 nights £420
Two sailing weekends to get out on the water in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Sat 24th July to Sat 31st July 2021 7 Nights £945
Sail in the UK from Ipswich to Littlehampton
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/sailing-near-gothenburg.jpg15001500kenhttps://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.pngken2021-03-10 12:11:542021-04-07 17:44:54Ipswich To Littlehampton
Sat 7th Aug to Sat 14th Aug 2021 7 Nights £945
Sail from up channel to the Thames Estuary
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gaff-sail-booms-uk-sailing-holiday.jpg15001500kenhttps://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.pngken2021-03-10 20:49:162021-03-18 17:07:38Littlehampton To Brixham
Sat 21st Aug to Sat Thurs 26th Aug 2021
Thur 2nd Sept to Tues 7th Sept 20215 Nights £685
Two Cornwall Sailing Holidays with relaxed day sailing.
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cornwall-sailing-holiday-fowey.jpg15001500kenhttps://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.pngken2021-03-12 10:37:192021-03-26 17:19:10Brixham To Falmouth And Falmouth to Brixham
Thurs 9th Sept to Sat 18th Sept 2021 9 Nights £1175
Sail in the UK from Brixham to Ipswich
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Schooner-Trinovante-Ipswich.jpg15001500kenhttps://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.pngken2021-03-10 12:50:052021-03-18 17:09:34Brixham To IpswichSchoonerSail
Tues 21st Sept to Sat 25th Sept 2021 4 Nights £540
Sail the rural rivers of the Thames Estuary and sail up the Thames to Tower Bridge.
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/london-bridge-square.jpg15001500kenhttps://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.pngken2019-10-30 17:17:302021-03-18 11:30:54Ipswich To London
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