Spring training is a long-standing tradition that benefits everyone who participates in Club events. This year our three training sessions covered a wide spectrum of skills applicable in many sailing and on-shore situations. In April, Club members and guests gathered for On-Land Training at the Hills Recreation Center in Basking Ridge. Club skippers and first mates provided a full day of lectures and activities covering boat handling, safety, and navigation. Participants learned to tie a bowline knot and practiced properly cleating lines. A navigation exercise took the class to San Francisco Bay, site of this year’s late summer trip, to help plan the itinerary. Using traditional navigation tools the students had to read their charts for depth, bridge height, and navigational marks and determine proper sailing headings.

This free session is always a lot of fun for the trainees and very fulfilling for the trainers who enjoy passing along their knowledge and experience.

A week later we convened again — this time at the Whitehouse Rescue Squad — for American Heart Associated (AHA) certified CPR/AED, and Basic First Aid training. AHA Instructor and Club Commodore Bob Rainey took a dozen Sailing Club members and guests through this invaluable training.

The Club’s annually offered CPR/AED and First Aid training not only helps skippers and first mates maintain their required certification but allows all members of the Club to learn these critical safety skills. The more sailors on our trips who are CPR certified, the safer we all are. And at $37 for the course ($54 with book), it’s a fantastic deal.

Finally, in May a dozen sailors took to the water in Rock Hall, Maryland, for hands-on training. The two brand new 38-foot Jeanneaus that we used were a pleasure to maneuver and sailed beautifully. Everyone had a chance to steer under sail and power and practice basic sail handling. The two boats did a practice raft-up in Swan Creek for lunch. Because unobstructed docks were not to be found in the local marinas, each boat took a turn acting as a “dock” for the other boat’s crew to practice touch-and-go dockings. This afforded the “dock” boat’s crew to observe the other crew’s technique and, in some cases, offer critiques.

Thanks to OWT trainers Steve Krakauer, Larry Sherwood (who took over for Steve on day two), and Mia McCroskey.

Thanks also to Bob Rainey, Julio Menendez, and Henry Gibson for on land training and CPR/AED/First Aid.