RYA Tactics
The perfect Tactical xmas present for your helm or crew
Personally signed by the author
RYA Tactics by Mark Rushall sheds a new light on the complexities of sailboat racing. No other sport requires the combination of so many elements – preparation, strategy, speed, tuning and most importantly tactics. However, it’s good tactics which can so often be that elusive missing skill.
As one of the sports top tacticians and coaches, and 2006 RYA Squad Coach of the Year, Mark’s book will help you sail better and improve your results. With easy to follow and logical diagrams, this book breaks new ground in presenting this essential and complex element of our sport.
“Covering almost every conceivable tactical situation, the book is a real tour de force by Rushall….yet comprises one of the easiest to read tactical situation books we have come across.” The Daily Sail, 1 May 07
“This book has come about from years of sailing and coaching at the highest level by an extremely analytical person. Mark …. is one of those annoying people who learnt from every sailing / coaching experience and has built an extensive memory bank of tactical scenarios and understanding.”
Chips Howarth, Fireball World Champion 2005
Tactics is the most comprehensive and accessible guide to racing yet. Providing an awesome and unique insight of sailboat tactics, it breaks down the race to tell you exactly what to think about, how and when to do it, and most importantly, why you should be doing it! No matter what your level of racing experience, you’ll have something to learn from Mark Rushall….”
Georgie Corlett, Editor, Dinghy Sailing Magazine
Start your 2008 season ready prepared and don’t go afloat without having read RYA Tactics.
Order your personally signed copy from www.rushall.net or for UK delivery send a cheque for £16 including P&P to:
Mark Rushall Tactics
Watermark Offices, 8 Lumley Gardens, Lumley Road, Emsworth, Hants, PO10 8AG, UK
International orders – please email tactics@rushall.net and postage rates will be advised.
Also available from www.rya.org.uk and most leading chandleries and book stores.
ENDS
Yacht Types
Our Yachts - Your Home
A succesful yachting holiday depends, of course, on the quality of your yacht itself. We pride ourselves on a range of craft to suit everyone - from a couple of first-time sailors to a large group of friends.
Yacht sizes vary, as do ages and prices, but you can always be sure that our teams of engineers have lovingly prepared your yacht for your holiday. Each yacht is equipped with a standard inventory of vital equipment, while some of our newer yachts come with added features.
To help you decide on your ideal boat, you can easily compare yachts, showing up to three alternatives alongside each other.
| Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 292 View Page |
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| Moody S31 View Page |
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| Beneteau Oceanis 320 View Page |
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| Beneteau 323 View Page |
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| Beneteau 331 View Page |
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| Beneteau 343 View Page |
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| Beneteau 361 View Page |
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| Beneteau 373 View Page |
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| Moody S38 View Page |
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| Beneteau 393 View Page |
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| Dufour 34 (Twin Head) View Page |
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| Dufour 34 View Page |
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| Dufour 325 View Page |
Dinghy Sailing
On a Neilson dinghy sailing holiday, everyone is welcome, from complete beginners to enthusiastic improvers and accomplished experts looking for sunshine and the best conditions. Our approach to dinghy sailing tuition, and the type and quantity of equipment varies from club to club, ensuring that whatever your needs we have a holiday to suit your requirements perfectly.
Sailing means many things to different people. Some like to potter around over crystal clear waters while others crave the excitement of zooming across the waves on a high performance skiff.
Whatever your level of experience, the sense of freedom that comes from sailing is hard to beat. We offer the best boats, instructors and sailing areas together with free RYA training courses, enabling you to step aboard and take advantage of our 25 years of sailing experience.
Dinghy Sailing Tuition
National Sailing Scheme
We work closely with the RYA in developing the National Sailing Scheme. This progressive approach to tuition provides a tried-and-tested way to learn to sail. Holidays shouldn’t feel like school, so we endeavour to make everything from your first taster to high performance race techniques, as much fun as possible!
Start Sailing - Level 1
Great for those new to learn to sail holidays, Level 1 provides a comprehensive introduction to dinghy sailing. It is designed to get you on the water using modern, single-handed dinghies and requires no previous experience.
The course covers a wide variety of skills to enable you to sail confidently such as; wind awareness, rigging basics, knots and sailing theory.
Start Sailing is available in all of our centres.
Basic Skills - Level 2
Level 2 aims to fine-tune the skills and boat handling manoeuvres learnt at Level 1. The course sets out the foundations of sailing with the aim of producing competent light wind sailors who are able to sail and make informed decisions in good conditions.
You can expect to learn more advanced techniques in a variety of craft including; rigging according to weather conditions, coming alongside a moored boat, capsize recovery and essential safety background.
Try Finikounda – Great for the progressing beginner. Holiday sailing at it’s best!
Seamanship Skills
Moving on from Basic Skills, the main focus of this course is fine-tuning skills already learnt and boat handling manoeuvres, whilst increasing your self-reliance and decision making skills.
Day Sailing
We are able to endorse most sections of this course, enabling competent sailors to confidently plan and execute a safe day cruise, aspects covered include pilotage, interpretation of charts and use of GPS.
Finikounda is the main place to go for day sailing.
Sailing with Spinnakers
Sailing with Spinnakers teaches you how to sail a dinghy rigged with an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker and some trapezing.
Try Porto Heli for a fantastic destination for a sailing holiday with tuition.
Start Racing
You will learn to race a variety of craft from single handers to performance boats. The aim is to gain a good understanding of the rules and techniques of racing, including the course and starting sequence, boat preparation, tactics and racing rules.
Performance Sailing
This is an advanced course for experienced sailors using high performance craft and covers a range of sessions including rigging, tuning, teamwork, trapezing, hiking, tacking and downwind sailing.
Porto Heli is the ideal place for performance sailing.
Dinghy Sailing Equipment
Advances in design and technology have continued to make dinghy sailing easier and more enjoyable than ever before. We've selected tghe best craft from leading British manufacturers Laser and RS, equipping our clubs with a range of kit to suit local wind and conditions.
Laser Funboats
Stable, safe and fun! Perfect for children. Available in all centres except Dahab
Laser Pico
A perfect beginners’ boat with easy-to-use controls. Available in all centres
Laser 1
The classic Olympic class single hander. Exciting sailing. Available in all centres except Vassiliki
Laser 2000
A popular boat for families and friends looking for a stable hull but no shortage of features.
Available in Halkidiki, Sivota, Ortakent, Finikounda and Porto Heli,
Laser 3000
A performance machine ideally suited to teenagers and lighter crews. Fast action with a spinnaker and trapeze. Available in Finikounda
Laser Bahia
A stable and spacious cockpit with space for up to 5 adults, together with a light hull and large gennaker makes a great day sail and cruising boat, with a performance edge.
Available in Lemnos and Lesvos
Laser 4000
Serious fun in the fast lane. A high performance skiff with adjustable racks and a large sail area. With tuition and practice, the 4000 flies. Available in Finikounda and Porto Heli
Laser Stratos
A good size family cruiser, the Stratos is ideal for day sailing, combining stability and performance features.Available in Lemnos, Lesvos, Halkidiki, Finikounda and Porto Heli
Laser Vago XD
Unmatched handling, versatility and exhilarating performance are harnessed by Laser in a unique modern design with high spec sails and trapeze. Available in Lemnos, Lesvos and Dahab
Dart 16
A popular catamaran equally at home pottering around on a day sail or on a trapezing joyride. The Dart 16 is a firm favourite in our centres. Available in all centres
Optimist
The definitive youth racer, the Optimist has traditionally been the first step on the road to success for competitive young sailors. Available in Porto Heli and Finikounda
RS Feva
A versatile dinghy, introducing several advanced features on a user friendly craft suited to younger sailors.Available in Finikounda, Porto Heli, Lemnos and Lesvos
RS 200
An easy to sail dinghy that brings the excitement of asymmetric sailing to everybody, including lighter sailors and youngsters. Available in Porto Heli
RS 400
LDC’s modern classic, a hiking asymmetric. The ultimate choice for the ambitious improver.
Available in Porto Heli
RS 500
Exciting performance with a simple user friendly layout and easy handling.Available in Porto Heli
RS 800
An exciting high performance skiff with twin trapeze that is remarkably easy for competent sailors to master.Available in Porto Heli and Finikounda
29er
A fast, exciting ride, the 29er is a high performance boat ideally suited to light weight sailors and youth racing.Available in Porto Heli
Children and Sailing Holidays
Hot Shots provides RYA tuition for 8-12 year olds whilst Starfish, Sea Urchins, Surfbusters and Sharksters provide fun for younger children and those less inclined to get out on the water.
Hot Shots
The water based activity club, for those that want it all: sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, snorkelling and plenty of sunshine, Hot Shots is the place to be.
Our fully qualified instructors help your youngsters master new skills and get first timers confident in no time at all. In-fact all our RYA qualified instructors will help your Hot Shots improve quickly, with the RYA Youth Sailing Awards, available to those who want to prove their skills.
When not out on the water, Hot Shots enjoy loads of land-based activities and making new friends has never been easier.
If your children are particularly interested in dinghy sailing, they will benefit from choosing a resort that specialises in that particular activity, such as Porto Heli
Hot Shots is open to all children ages 8-12 years and is available for a supplement of £80-£150 per week with the second week half price.
Where to go
Hot Shots is avilable in Lemnos, Finikounda, Vassiliki, Porto Heli and Dahab.
When not in our clubs, children under the age of 13 are welcome to windsurf with their parents. Children must be 13 years or over before they can join the adult windsurfing programme.
Flotilla Holidays
Flotilla Holidays - Another day. Another destination.
Explore hidden treasures every day; share your adventures in the evening with fellow sailors.
Life on flotilla is a holiday that just gets better every day.
Flotilla sailing holidays allow you to enjoy the independence of sailing your very own yacht from port to port during the day, but you also get to choose between pleasant evenings in the warm company of your fellow sailors, or spending them peacefully on your own deck.
On arrival
The Neilson Team will be there to greet you on arrival and show you to your yacht. Your lead crew will then join you on board to answer any questions you may have, show you where everything is and just check that everything is ship shape.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening is then yours to spend as you wish - enjoy a refreshing drink on deck, get to know some of your fellow sailors, explore the local area or stock up on any additional provisioning you require. You are then fully prepared for the start of your adventure the following day.
A day in the life…
As the morning sun peeps over your bow, your lead crew will join you for a chat about the day ahead, confirming the evening’s destination together with some great places to explore and idyllic lunch stops. Then as soon as everything’s ready, you’re free to slip your lines and set sail.
It’s entirely up to you and your crew how you reach your destination. You may want to race there before everybody else or meander there, anchoring for a lunch break and swim in a secluded bay. With the yacht to yourself, the day is yours to enjoy as you please. And if you wish to hook up with other parties on your flotilla they’re just a VHF radio call away - as is your lead crew, in case you need any help or advice.
As the afternoon drifts into evening and you glide into port, your lead crew will be waiting ashore to help you into your mooring, catch your lines and point out the location of shower facilities, bars and tavernas at your latest destination.
As the sun sets, you can settle in at one of the local tavernas, swapping stories with your fellow sailors over a bottle of wine and a hearty local meal. Of course, if all that sailing and sightseeing has taken it out of you, you can simply stay on your yacht and cook a meal in your own galley. That’s the beauty of flotilla holidays.
Your Yachting Experience
Our flotilla holidays in Greece and Croatia flotilla holidays require varying levels of confidence and experience due to the different routes and wind conditions in each area. It is important you select the right area for your party to ensure your safety and enjoyment.
The minimum experience we require on a flotilla holiday is that at least two people aboard each yacht are aged 18 years or over and must have had several day's active experience in charge of a yacht.
If this level of experience cannot be satisfied a Stay and Sail holiday, coupled with an Introduction to Yachting or Brush Up training course should be completed
Skippered Charter
If you want to regain your confidence afloat or just share the beginning of your flotilla with a like-minded sailor then you can pre book a member of the Neilson yacht team to join you on a skippered charter. They will spend the day with you, sailing from one place to another before retiring to the lead boat in the evening, allowing your party the privacy to enjoy some time alone. This option is available for one to three days for a supplement of £100 per yacht per day.
Please note, this option is not suitable for beginners who should complete an Introduction to Yachting course.
Bareboat Charter
Our Bareboat sailing holidays gives more experienced sailors the freedom to sail where, when and however they please. No itinerary, no set routes and no one to bother you. Bareboat holidays are the ultimate getaway.
Plot your own route around the many picturesque bays, lively little harbour towns and fishing villages scattered about the coastlines of our huge sailing areas. Spend as long as you like at any stop, return to your favourite places over and over, or keep on the move to discover something new around every point.
Of course, since you’re with Neilson you’ll still have the benefit of our expertise. Before you depart, our bareboat co-ordinator will go through the route you’ve planned, pointing out the highlights of your journey. And it’s always worth picking their brains, because they often have a nugget of advice that could really make your holiday. And naturally, they’ll also call or text you each morning to pass on weather conditions and check that everything on the yacht is as it should be.
All of our Bareboat holidays are provided with the following:
• Full tanks of diesel, water and gas
• Marine insurance
• Flights and transfers
• Comprehensive tools and spares
• A quick fix manual for everyday repair and maintenance
• Handheld GPS
• Additional charts and pilot book
• Mobile phone and charger
• Extra warps
• Starter pack
• No damage waiver or deposit to pay
Bareboat Holidays support Includes:
• A dedicated bareboat co-ordinator
• A full skipper and engineer’s briefing
• Details of all flotilla routes, staff and contact numbers
Experience Levels
When booking bareboat holidaywe ask that at least two people aboard are aged 18 years or over and have plenty of sailing knowledge and experience, having been in charge of a sailing vessel for several cruises, possibly on previous flotilla holidays. Both must be comfortable sailing in a range of conditions. If this level of experience cannot be satisfied, a flotilla holiday may be more appropriate.
Sail Training Courses
Yacht Training Courses
It’s not as hard as you might imagine to pick up the skills to navigate a yacht around the Mediterranean coastline. With our tried and tested courses and fantastic yacht trainers, you will be sailing with confidence in no time at all. We offer a number of courses to suit all ages and abilities.
Introduction to Yachting - four days
A course designed to be fun but informative, equipping complete beginners with the knowledge and skills necessary to skipper their own yacht on flotilla.
The syllabus we follow is based on the RYA Keelboat Level 2 certificate. After having completed the course, followed by a second week on flotilla, most new sailors will be awarded their RYA Level 2 certificate.
The skills needed can be learnt in four days with tuition from our Royal Yachting Association qualified instructors. Whilst covering the necessary manoeuvres you will be hopping from pontoon to quayside to bay to harbour. Occasionally stopping for picnics, taverna lunches or swimming, there will be time to digest all that you are learning at a relaxed but steady pace.
A maximum of five guests will train per yacht with an instructor.
At the end of your course you’ll feel confident and competent enough to skipper your own yacht within a flotilla environment. Your lead crew will be aware of your training and will be on hand to offer their full support during your week afloat.
Brush-Up Course - two days
Ideal for those with a basic or fading knowledge of sailing, or experienced dinghy sailors looking to make the step to big boat sailing. This course is tailored around your existing experience and looks to build your ability to sail confidently once more. You will spend two days with one of our RYA instructors who will assist you in practising and reviewing the skills you wish to improve.
The Brush-Up course can also be suitable for confident, advanced dinghy sailors who sail regularly at a high level. This course enables you to transfer your well-practised dinghy skills onto a larger class of boat. Beginner or intermediate dinghy sailors should book the Introduction to Yachting course.
Private Courses - Ideal for Families
Our Private Introduction to Yachting and Brush-Up courses are designed for groups or families who wish to learn together, on the same yacht, up to a maximum of five people. The course content is the same as detailed previously but you are guaranteed to be learning as one group without having to share your training yacht with another party.
The added advantage of a private course is that we can welcome 13 to 15 year olds aboard when accompanied by a parent. Younger sailors will relish the opportunity to learn with their family as a forerunner to the flotilla week of their holiday.
Private courses are priced per yacht at four times the cost of the individual course.
One Week Learn to Sail
If you can only get away on holiday for one week or spending two weeks learning to sail is not an option for you, then our One week Learn to Sail holiday is a perfect solution - half the week will be spent at one of our yacht bases living on your yacht whilst learning to sail on the Introduction to Yachting course. For the second part of the week, you will join your fellow sailors on flotilla.
Dinghy Sailing Equipment
When you go on a Neilson sailing holiday with tuition, every club is recognised as a RYA Training Centre. Each of our clubs is regularly inspected for standards of tuition, facilities and equipment and all must have qualified staff, suitable boats and adequate safety cover ensuring quality sailing tuition. Holidays with us will have you carving through the seas in no time!
We always include RYA tuition and courses in the cost of your holiday, whether you are a first timer aiming for your RYA Level 1 certificate, or an expert working on your performance sailing.
National Sailing Scheme
We work closely with the RYA in developing the National Sailing Scheme. This progressive approach to tuition provides a tried-and-tested way to learn to sail. Holidays shouldn’t feel like school, so we endeavour to make everything from your first taster to high performance race techniques, as much fun as possible!
Start Sailing - Level 1
Great for those new to learn to sail holidays, Level 1 provides a comprehensive introduction to dinghy sailing. It is designed to get you on the water using modern, single-handed dinghies and requires no previous experience.
The course covers a wide variety of skills to enable you to sail confidently such as; wind awareness, rigging basics, knots and sailing theory.
Start Sailing is available in all of our centres.
Basic Skills - Level 2
Level 2 aims to fine-tune the skills and boat handling manoeuvres learnt at Level 1. The course sets out the foundations of sailing with the aim of producing competent light wind sailors who are able to sail and make informed decisions in good conditions.
You can expect to learn more advanced techniques in a variety of craft including; rigging according to weather conditions, coming alongside a moored boat, capsize recovery and essential safety background.
Try Finikounda – Great for the progressing beginner. Holiday sailing at it’s best!
Seamanship Skills
Moving on from Basic Skills, the main focus of this course is fine-tuning skills already learnt and boat handling manoeuvres, whilst increasing your self-reliance and decision making skills.
Day Sailing
We are able to endorse most sections of this course, enabling competent sailors to confidently plan and execute a safe day cruise, aspects covered include pilotage, interpretation of charts and use of GPS.
Finikounda is the main place to go for day sailing.
Sailing with Spinnakers
Sailing with Spinnakers teaches you how to sail a dinghy rigged with an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker and some trapezing.
Try Porto Heli for a fantastic destination for a sailing holiday with tuition.
Start Racing
You will learn to race a variety of craft from single handers to performance boats. The aim is to gain a good understanding of the rules and techniques of racing, including the course and starting sequence, boat preparation, tactics and racing rules.
Performance Sailing
This is an advanced course for experienced sailors using high performance craft and covers a range of sessions including rigging, tuning, teamwork, trapezing, hiking, tacking and downwind sailing.
Porto Heli is the ideal place for performance sailing.
Southampton Boatshow
Anyone going to the Southampton Boatshow ?
Plans to drop cats as a youth class
The RYA has recently made submissions to ISAF to remove the catamaran as a youth boat for 2009, and to remove the catamaran as an Olympic boat for 2012.
These submissions by the RYA were made without any consultation with the sailing community. We request that the submissions are withdrawn before the ISAF conference in early November and replaced by alternative submissions which support the use of catamarans both in future Olympics (2012 and beyond) and for youth training.
starter Boat for 7 year old
My sister wants to get her seven year old into sailing, the Oppi would seem to be the obvious choice but waht about some of the newer designs like Tera, Taz, Open etc ?
Dinghy Sailing in the Midlands
OK a bit cold this time of year
, but I am looking for ideaas for presents for my partner.
Sailing Holidays
Ok help required, girl friend just arrived home for pile of holiday brochures. Usual girlie things of lying on the beach. I really want to do a sailing holiday, try out some new boats etc, can anyone help with experiences of Sunsail type holidays ?
New to Dinghy Sailing
I am looking to start Dinghy Sailing in the new year, will I learn anything by going to the boat show ?, or are there any good sailing magazines to read ?
Yacht Charter
Although I love dinghy sailing, thought I would try some yachting. Some friends are looking at bareboat charter.
Catamaran Sailing
Well debate going on this at the moment, ISAF in their wisdom have just dropped Cats (Tornado Class) from the Olympics.
Sailing Videos
We have now included videos of sailing action, these can be found at
NEW Boats for Sale and Gear For Sale Section
SailRacer now has a new For Sale section, here you will find 000s of items For Sale
You can advertsie for FREE, now is the time of year to clear out your garage of all those unused sailing items. There are sections for Boats, Sails, Gear, Clothing, Trailers and TrolleysResults RSS Feed
Yes we can provide RSS results feeds for use on other sites. This gives you the lates results automatically on your site
BBC Sport Personality of Year
The Apple Tree
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and lay around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
WoW Gold
Time went by... the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. “I am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.”“Sorry, but I don’t have money...but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
WoW Gold
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. “Come and play with me,” the tree said. “I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”“Sorry, but I don’t have a house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
wotlk power leveling,****
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?”“Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. The tree was happy, but it was not true.
FFXI Gil
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you...” the tree said.
“I don’t have teeth to bite,” the boy replied.
“No more trunk for you to climb on.”
“I am too old for that now,” the boy said.
world of warcraft power leveling
“I really can’t give you anything... the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with tears.
“I don’t need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied.
WoW Gold
“Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest. Come, Come sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears...
Wotlk Gold
This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad... When we grown up, we left them, and only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that’s how all of us are treating our parents.
Take time out during the day for quiet time to listen to your inner voice. You may want to use your quiet time to meditate or pray. However you use this time, the key is to shut out all of the noise around you by focusing deep within yourself. Breathing deeply during quiet time will also help you focus. I know it’s hard to find quiet time during a particularly busy day, but it’s so important — even if it’s just 10 minutes a day and you have to sneak away to get it. Quiet time can really make a difference in your life. It enables you to hear God speaking to your heart reminding you of His perfect love for you.
Be honest with yourself by paying attention to your actions. Actions speak louder than words, and they always tell the truth. What do your actions say about you? If you say you love your job, but your actions say otherwise, which do you think is more true — your words or your actions? On the other hand, if you say you’re not good at a certain job, but your actions say otherwise, that’s also important. What do you do with this insight? You can use it to make more beneficial choices in your life. By being honest with yourself based on your previous actions, your actions moving forward will be based on truth instead of just what you tell yourself.
Despite what your subconscious may be telling you, you can have love with no limits. The key is to unconditionally love yourself first.
The Apple Tree
Portsmouth Yardstick Scheme – what is it?
The PYS is set of guidelines and recommendations from the RYA to help clubs provide its members with fairer racing. It allows boats of difference types and performances to race together using some basic configuration denominators. Part of the recommendations published by the RYA include the Portsmouth Number list which gives allocates numbers to boats dependant on the amount of data received, which in turn gives clubs different levels of confidence when using those numbers. The scheme runs entirely on club data and without the club data the numbers published by the RYA become less meaningful.
Why have the RYA decided to launch a race results
In the past, the RYA have asked clubs to send in their data at the end of every year. The data captured is limited and often open to subjectivity and goes through little validation by the RYA before being used in the statistical number crunching. After a very detailed review of the PYS by the RYA, it was highlighted that the data been captured by the RYA was become less and less meaningful, which was being reflected in the declining amount of returns being received by the RYA.
By launching the RYA Race results website, in collaboration with Simon Lovesey and SailRacer, the RYA are starting to increase the accuracy and meaningfulness of the data being collected by going straight to the source; individual race results. By asking clubs to upload their race results, the RYA are getting raw race data. The raw race data is also being subjected to an analysis in accordance with the RYA guidelines, which again increases the accuracy of the data being returned.
In summary, the RYA hope to collect more data, which is more meaningful to clubs as well as nationally, and start to increase the sailing publics confidence in the system and the numbers published by the RYA.
Benchmarking – why have I never heard of it befo
The term benchmarking is a new concept which the RYA have launched as part of the website initiative. However the overall concept has been instilled in the PYS pretty much since its conception over 50 years ago by using the term “yardstick”. Traditionally the advice given by the RYA was to find a known performer within a fleet of boats, a yardstick, against which other boats could be assessed to. The yardstick was very often a reliable boat and the RYA recommendations showed that clubs should ideally look to use either a Primary Yardstick or a Secondary Yardstick against which to carry out the fleet assessment.
However, as the number of types of boats increased and as the PYS branched out to cater for the Cruising side of club racing, some clubs were left without either a PY or SY to adjust against, or in some cases any boat that had a published number in the PN list.
To counter this the website has benefitted from a slight change in the system where instead of asking the club to pick a PY or SY for the assessment, it now looks known performers within the fleet. For example, a single Laser, whilst being a very stable PY, may not be the best boat to assess against as it is only one boat and as a single hander is open to wider performance changes. Therefore a club may wish to consider using an RS 400 for example, which as a SY would not be chosen under the old scheme. The website will also cater for those fleets without any boats published on the PN list as it will pick and recommend benchmarks to the club based on results. The club can always override the suggested benchmarks if it so chooses.
For more on the Benchmarking concept, please refer either to the Website Manual or contact the RYA Technical office.
Why does my club need to adjust numbers?
The PN list published by the RYA is a guidance list to clubs. The advice given by the RYA has always been such that if the Portsmouth Numbers as published do not work for your club, then that club SHOULD change those numbers to ensure fair racing. Any clubs should always be careful when changing numbers to make sure that they are not adjusting a single person (crew skill factor) rather than the performance of the boat. Also to make sure that any data that it bases that adjustment on is considered and fair. Ideally a club should not adjust numbers after only 2 races in similar conditions etc, as well as taking into account local factors such as tidal gates and depth issues.
IT is only by adjusting those numbers that a club will start to get more meaningful results from the website which can then in turn be put back into the club racing system.
Mods to Suggested Handicaps Page
This week I have re-written the way the 'Suggested Handicaps' page works, fixing a problem that Chris G highlighted with data from multiple races on the same day.
You will also see that we are showing the number of boats each suggested handicap has been calculated from. This should help you understand the quality of the suggested handicap
Finally, you can now easily link through to the actual results from several links, including be able to click on the actual graph. This should help in understanding spikes in your suggested handicaps
Incorrect Data - GIGO ?
I was intending to import all the race results for our club. I loaded a few but it then occured to me that I may be doing something which is causing PYS to spit out odd handicap information. Our club sails in two fleets, slow and fast, but the results are held in a single Sailwave file. Sailwave formats out the results for the two fleets so that they appear nicely separated on our web site. The slow and fast fleets often sail different courses so there is no correlation between the times recorded for each fleet.
Does PYS treat all the boats in a race as sailing the same course or does it "notice" the fleet information and treat them, in our case, as two separate sets of results and calculate the corrected and on a fleet basis ?
Kerry Stares
{{Other uses}} File:lifeboat.17-31.underway.arp.jpg
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At 17 metres long, the Severn-class lifeboats are the large class of UK Lifeboat (rescue)
lifeboat A '''boat''' is a watercraft of any size designed to float or Planing (boat)
plane, to provide boating
passage across water. Usually this water will be inland (lakes) or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In Navy
naval terms, a boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard another vessel (a ship). Another less restrictive definition is a vessel that can be lifted out of the water. == History == Image:EgyptTombOarboat.jpg
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A boat in an Egyptian tomb painting from about 1450 BC Image:A boat in India.JPG
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A boat on the Ganges River File:BABUR CROSSING RIVER SON Folio from an illustrated manuscript of ‘Babur-Namah’, Mughal, Akbar Period, dated AD 1598, Artist Jagnath.jpg
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Babur crossing river Son; folio from an illustrated manuscript of ‘Babur-Namah’, Mughal, Akbar Period, AD 1598 Boats have served as short-distance boating
transportation since early times.<ref name=d1>Denemark, Robert Allen; el al. (2000). World System History: The Social Science of Long-Term Change. Routledge :3 ISBN 0-415-23276-7 Page 208</ref> Circumstantial evidence, such as the Early human migrations#South Asia and Australia
early settlement of Australia over 40,000 years ago, and findings in Crete dated 130,000 years ago,<ref name="Plakias2010" >{{cite web
title = Plakias Survey Finds Mesolithic and Palaeolithic Artifacts on Crete
publisher = www.ascsa.edu.gr
url = http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/index.php/news/newsDetails/plakias-survey-finds-stone-age-tools-on-crete/
accessdate = 2011-10-28 }}</ref> suggests that boats have been used since ancient times. The earliest boats have been predicted<ref name=McGrail11> {{cite book
last = McGrail
first = Sean
title = Boats of the World
publisher = Oxford University Press
year = 2101
location = Oxford, UK
page = 11
isbn = 0-19-814468-7}} </ref> to be Dugout (boat)
logboats. The oldest boats to be found by archaeological excavation are logboats from around 7,000–10,000 years ago. The oldest recovered boat in the world is the Pesse canoe; it is a dugout (boat)
dugout or hollowed tree trunk from a Pinus sylvestris. It was constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC. This canoe is exhibited in the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands;<ref name="Van der Heide">{{cite book
last = Van der Heide
first = G.D.
title = Scheepsarcheologie in Nederland (Archeology of Ships in the Netherlands).
publisher = Strengholt
year = 1974
location = Naarden, Netherlands
page = 507
isbn = }}</ref><ref name="Boat of Pesse">{{cite web
title = Worlds oldest boat
publisher =
url = http://www.drentsmuseum.nl/index.cfm?sid=52
accessdate = 2010-03-14 {{Dead link
date=August 2011}} }}</ref> other very old dugout boats have been recovered.<ref name="chinaorg2002">{{cite web
title = Oldest Boat Unearthed
publisher = China.org.cn
url = http://lanzhou.china.com.cn/english/travel/50131.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-05 }}</ref><ref name=McGrail431 >{{cite book
last = McGrail
first = Sean
title = Boats of the World
publisher = Oxford University Press
year = 2001
location = Oxford, UK
page = 431
isbn = 0-19-814468-7 }}</ref><ref name="italy2005" >{{cite web
title = 8,000-year-old dug out canoe on show in Italy
publisher = Stone Pages Archeo News
url = http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/001511.html
accessdate = 2008-08-17 }}</ref> A 7,000 year-old seagoing reed boat has been found in Kuwait.<ref name="Lawler2002">{{cite journal
last = Lawler
first = Andrew
title = Report of Oldest Boat Hints at Early Trade Routes
journal = Science
volume = 296
issue = 5574
pages = 1791–1792
publisher = American Association for the Advancement of Science
AAAS
date = June 7, 2002
url = http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/296/5574/1791
doi = 10.1126/science.296.5574.1791
accessdate = 2008-05-05
pmid = 12052936 }}</ref> Boats were used between 4000 and 3000 BC in Sumer,<ref name=d1/> ancient Egypt<ref name=McGrail17 >{{cite book
last = McGrail
first = Sean
title = Boats of the World
publisher = Oxford University Press
year = 2001
location = Oxford, UK
pages = 17–18
isbn = 0-19-814468-7 }}</ref> and in the Indian Ocean.<ref name=d1 /> Boats played a very important part in the commerce between the Indus Valley Civilization and Mesopotamia.<ref name=McGrail251 >McGrail, Sean (2004). ''Boats of the World: From the Stone Age to Medieval Times :3''. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-927186-0 page 251</ref> Evidence of varying models of boats has also been discovered in various Indus Valley sites.<ref name=McGrail/><ref>{{cite web
url=http://historicalleys.blogspot.com/2009/02/dhows-of-beypore.html
title=Beypore History - The Dhows of Beypore
publisher=Maddy - http://www.blogger.com/profile/18163804773843409980
date= }}</ref> The Uru (boat)
Uru wooden big boat was made in Beypore a village in south Kozhikode
Calicut, Kerala, in southwestern India. These have been used by the Arabs and Greeks since ancient times as trading vessels. This mammoth wooden ship was constructed using teak, without any iron or blueprints and which has transportation capacity of 400 tonnes. The accounts of historians Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, and Strabo suggest that boats were being used for commerce and traveling.<ref name=McGrail >McGrail 2004, pages 50–51</ref> ==Types== {{main
List of boat types}} Image:Tug Boat NY 1.jpg
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A tug boat is used for towing or pushing other, larger Ship
vessels. Boats can be categorized into three types: * Unpowered or human-powered boats. Unpowered boats include rafts and floats meant for one-way downstream travel. Human-powered boats include canoes, kayaks, gondolas and boats propelled by poles like a Punt (boat)
punt. * Sailboats, which are boats propelled solely by means of sails. * Motorboats, which are boats propelled by mechanical means, such as engines. ==Parts and terminology== {{details
Glossary of nautical terms}} Image:Oldboats.JPG
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Aluminum flat-bottomed boats ashore for storage Several key components make up the main structure of most boats. The hull (watercraft)
hull is the main structural component of the boat which actually provides buoyancy for the boat. Also there is the Gunnel (ship element)
gunnel which is the sides of the boat. They offer protection from the water and makes the boat harder to sink. The roughly horizontal, but chambered structures spanning the hull of the boat are referred to as the deck. In a ship there are often several decks, but a boat is unlikely to have more than one, if any at all. Above the deck are the Superstructure (ship)
superstructures. The underside of a deck is the deck head. An enclosed space on a boat is referred to as a cabin. Several structures make up a cabin: the similar but usually lighter structure which spans a raised cabin is a coach-roof. The "floor" of a cabin is properly known as the sole, but is more likely to be called the floor (a floor is properly, a structural member which ties a frame to the keelson and keel). The vertical surfaces dividing the internal space are bulkheads. The keel is a lengthwise structural member to which the frames are fixed (sometimes referred to as a backbone). The front (or forward end) of a boat is called the bow. Boats of earlier times often featured a Figurehead (object)
figurehead protruding from the front of the bows. The rear (or aft end) of the boat is called the stern. The right side (facing forward) is starboard and the left side is port. == Building materials == {{see also
Boat building}} Image:DerelictBoatFollyIs.jpg
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Derelict
A ship's lifeboat (shipboard)
lifeboat, built of steel, rusting away in the wetlands of Folly Island, South Carolina, United States. Until the mid 19th century most boats were of all natural materials; primarily wood although Reed (plant)
reed, bark and animal skins were also used. Early boats include the bound-reed style of boat seen in Ancient Egypt, the birch bark canoe, the animal hide-covered kayak and coracle and the dugout canoe made from a single log. Dr. Bill Streever describes a boat made by the native Inupiat people in Barrow, Alaska: "It is a skin boat, an ''umiaq'', built from the stitched hides of bearded seals and used to hunt bowhead whales in the open-water leads during spring...<ref>{{cite book
last= Streever
first= Bill
title= Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places
location= New York
publisher= Little, Brown and Company
year= 2009
page= 154}}</ref> By the mid-19th century, many boats had been built with iron or steel frames but still planked in wood. In 1855 ferro-cement boat construction was patented by the French. They called it Ferciment. This is a system by which a steel or iron wire framework is built in the shape of a boat's hull and covered (trowelled) over with cement. Reinforced with bulkheads and other internal structure, it is strong but heavy, easily repaired, and, if sealed properly, will not leak or corrode. These materials and methods were copied all over the world, and have faded in and out of popularity to the present. As the forests of Britain and Europe continued to be over-harvested to supply the keels of larger wooden boats, and the Bessemer process (patented in 1855) cheapened the cost of steel, steel ships and boats began to be more common. By the 1930s boats built of all steel from frames to plating were seen replacing wooden boats in many industrial uses, even the fishing fleets. Private recreational boats in steel are uncommon. In the mid 20th century aluminium gained popularity. Though much more expensive than steel, there are now aluminium alloys available that will not corrode in salt water, and an aluminium boat built to similar load carrying standards could be built lighter than steel. Image:Boating in fair weather.jpg
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A wooden boat operating near shore Around the mid 1960s, boats made of glass-reinforced plastic, more commonly known as fibreglass, became popular, especially for recreational boats. The United States Coast Guard refers to such boats as 'FRP' (for Fibre Reinforced Plastic) boats. Fibreglass boats are extremely strong, and do not rust (iron oxide), corrode, or rot. They are, however susceptible to structural degradation from sunlight and extremes in temperature over their lifespan. Fibreglass provides structural strength, especially when long woven strands are laid, sometimes from bow to stern, and then soaked in epoxy or polyester resin to form the hull of the boat. Whether hand laid or built in a mould, FRP boats usually have an outer coating of gelcoat which is a thin solid colored layer of polyester resin that adds no structural strength, but does create a smooth surface which can be buffed to a high shine and also acts as a protective layer against sunlight. FRP structures can be made stiffer with sandwich panels, where the FRP encloses a lightweight core such as balsa or foam. Cored FRP is most often found in decking which helps keep down weight that will be carried above the waterline. The addition of wood makes the cored structure of the boat susceptible to rotting which puts a greater emphasis on not allowing damaged sandwich structures to go unrepaired. Plastic based foam cores are less vulnerable. The phrase 'advanced composites' in FRP construction may indicate the addition of carbon fibre, kevlar(tm) or other similar materials, but it may also indicate other methods designed to introduce less expensive and, by at least one yacht surveyor's eyewitness accounts,<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm
title=Are They Fiberglass Boats Anymore? by David Pascoe, Marine Surveyor
publisher=Yachtsurvey.com
date=2000-01-12
accessdate=2013-01-28}}</ref> less structurally sound materials. Cold molding is similar to FRP in as much as it involves the use of epoxy or polyester resins, but the structural component is wood instead of fibreglass. In cold moulding very thin strips of wood are laid over a form or mould in layers. This layer is then coated with resin and another directionally alternating layer is laid on top. In some processes the subsequent layers are stapled or otherwise mechanically fastened to the previous layers, but in other processes the layers are weighted or even vacuum bagged to hold layers together while the resin sets. Layers are built up thus to create the required thickness of hull. People have even made their own boats or watercraft out of materials such as Extruded polystyrene
foam or plastic, but most homebuilts today are built of plywood and either painted or covered in a layer of fibreglass and resin. ==Propulsion== {{See also
Marine propulsion}} The most common means of boat propulsion are: Image:Imperiestro-Uan-Li.jpg
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Ming Dynasty Chinese painting of the Wanli Emperor enjoying a boat ride on a river with an entourage of guards and courtiers * Human power (Watercraft rowing
rowing, Watercraft paddling
paddling, setting pole etc.) * Wind power (Sails
sailing) * Engine powered propellers ** Inboard motor
Inboard ** Stern drive
Inboard/Outboard (sterndrive) ** Outboard motor
Outboard ** Paddle steamer
Paddle wheel ** Water jet (personal water craft, jetboat) ** Air fans (hovercraft, air boat) An early uncommon means of boat propulsion was the water caterpillar. This moved a series of paddles on chains along the bottom of the boat to propel it over the water and preceded the development of tracked vehicles.<ref>''The Caterpillar Is Now Being Applied to Ships'', Popular Science monthly, December 1918, page 68, Scanned by Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=EikDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68</ref> ==Buoyancy== {{see also
Buoyancy}} A floating boat displacement (fluid)
displaces its weight in water. The material of the boat hull may be denser than water, but if this is the case then it forms only the outer layer. If the boat floats, the mass of the boat (plus contents) ''as a whole'' divided by the volume ''below the waterline'' is equal to the density of water (1 kg/l). If weight is added to the boat, the volume below the waterline will increase to keep the weight balance equal, and so the boat sinks a little to compensate. ==See also== {{Col-begin}} {{Col-break}} * Abora * Cabin cruiser * Dory * Fishing boat * Halkett boat * Inflatable boat {{Col-break}} * Launch (boat) * Log canoe * Narrowboat * Naval architecture * Panga (boat) * Pirogue {{Col-break}} * Rescue craft * Watercraft rowing * Sampan * Skiff * Super yacht * Traditional fishing boats * Barge {{Col-break}} File:Sauce Bottle - geograph.org.uk - 13422.jpg
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A boat shaped like a sauce bottle that was sailed across the Atlantic Ocean by Tom McClean {{Col-end}} ==References== {{reflist
30em}} ==External links== {{commons}} {{Wikiquote
Boats}} {{Wiktionary
boat}} * University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections -- [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/queryresults.exe?CISOOP=adv&CISORESTMP=%2Fsite-templates%2Fsearch_results-sub.html&CISOVIEWTMP=%2Fsite-templates%2Fitem_viewer.html&CISOMODE=thumb&CISOGRID=thumbnail%2CA%2C1%3Btitle%2CA%2C1%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%3B0%2CA%2C0%3B10&CISOBIB=title%2CA%2C1%2CN%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bdescri%2CK%2C0%2CN%3B0%2CA%2C0%2CN%3B0%2CA%2C0%2CN%3B10&CISOTHUMB=3%2C5&CISOTITLE=10&CISOPARM=%2Ffishimages%3Asubjec%3Avessels&x=51&y=5 Freshwater and Marine Image Bank -- Vessels] - images of boats and vessels Category:Boats
Category:Watercraft {{Link GA
uk}} {{Link FA
uk}}