The Role of the Helmsman
02/26/2012 09:43
STEER THE BOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I now instruct all new Helmsmen or Helmswomen with the simple sentence “Your job is to steer the boat." And just to be clear I ask for them to repeat the instructions. "What’s your Job?" Followed by a chorus of “Steer the boat.” The sentence is simple, relatively easy to understand, yet so often tough to comply with.
As I instruct students in sailing on a 35’ C&C sloop, I have seen a reoccurring problem. It is a slow acting yet devastating disease, which can effect all on board-both physically and mentally debilitating, yet most likely, not fatal and almost always curable. The disease is called “Helmsman lack-o-attention-itis”.
As things are happening and the crew is responding, adjusting, trimming and doing the general house cleaning required. What do we find the Helmsman doing-much of the time, watching. After all, this is interesting stuff. As the boat slowly continues in a slow arc, following a truly exquisite tack. The just trained sail trimmers desperately try to figure out why the procedures they were just taught don’t seem to be working. Followed by the smack of the sails back winding, the ring of the boom hardware crashing taught to the other side of the boat, sometimes preceded by the scream of “Heads up” We find the Helmsman happily watching the activities of the crew and wondering what just happened. From time to time a new Helmsman may utter “cool”. This is “Helmsman lack-o-attention-itis”
The disease stems from the distractions generated by the pristine day, movement of the crew, and the reaction of the boat hardware to the fresh breeze. The cure, pointed instruction on the importance of the Helmsman’s job. Steer the boat! As Helmsman it’s vitally important that you decide on your course or course change. Then plan and execute that course. Following a course change, trimming takes place and trimming works best with a consistent course set as soon as possible. Without a consistent course chaos soon follows in the cockpit.
How do we as Helmsmen get on and hold that course? By following the steps out lined below.
1) Preplanning. Decide on the direction you want to go. Verify that you can sail that direction by checking your windex and making an educated guess what affect the apparent wind has on your decision. Remember apparent wind is always ahead of the true wind and this must be taken into account when you choose a new course. After a tack it’s difficult to trim sails if you end up in irons or you have selected the snake course. Locate a spot on shore, a cloud, or a compass heading to identify the course you planed.
2) Inform you crew. Communication is important. Both for safety and to minimize the distractions.
3) Smartly execute the turn. Turn quickly to your course. Locate your success point and place the bow on it. A too slow turn or a violent turn is frustrating or in the case of a violent turn dangerous.
4) Now hold the boat on course. While your crew responds to the new course do your best to hold that course. Avoid the distractions. If using a point on shore or a cloud just aim and attempt to hold a steady course. If using a compass course, make your turn then look quickly at the compass for a count of two. Now look out front. Watch the bow of the boat on the horizon. If the bow is moving left or right on the horizon, make the appropriate adjustment to the wheel to stop that movement. After a count of ten take another look at your compass for about a count of two. Make another adjustment if needed while watching the bow on horizon. After a count of ten, recheck your compass heading. Make another adjustment if needed. Continue the ten count of looking out at the horizon and two count of looking at the compass to avoid chasing your compass and creating a snake like course while totally frustrating your crew.
5) Have a one-track mind. Do your best to not be distracted by the crew’s actions or other things happening on the boat. (Unless there's some sort of emergency). STEER THE BOAT. That’s your job, it’s your destiny. Your crew depends on you to help them look good.
6) Practice. Practice. Practice. This builds anti bodies. Like a vaccination you have had the class and instruction. But you need to continue to build those all-important anti bodies if you would like to remain free of disease. We instructors are sailing physicians not magicians. We can vaccinate but the cure is practice.
Carry the concept into docking as well. While docking your job, as helmsman is not done until the lines are secure. Resist the urge to leave the wheel and help with the lines. Many recently trained Helmsmen cannot resist leaving the wheel to grab a dock line only to hear the crunch of the boat into the dock as wind or residual movement left unchecked works its magic. Unless you are single handing the boat, stay put behind the wheel. STEER THE BOAT or in this case stop the boat. Let your crew secure the lines while you stay at the helm. Be ready at the helm to apply small corrective amounts of power while your crew attends to the lines. Be aware of the wind. What will the wind do to a boat with no way on? Will the wind push you in the slip too far? Will the wind blow you back out of the slip? Apply the appropriate amount of throttle to hold the boat steady for your crew. When all is secure you can then relax and leave the helm knowing you are surly building antibodies against the dreaded disease “Helmsman lack-o-attention-itis”.
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