Five essentials of sailing

A sailor using the five essentials

The five essentials of sailing describes the five key things that a dinghy sailor uses to sail the boat as efficiently as possible. The five essentials are:[1][2][3]

  • Boat balance - which side the sailor sits on and how far out to make sure the boat sails level.
  • Centreboard/daggerboard - lifting the centreboard/daggerboard up when sailing downwind and putting it down when sailing upwind.
  • Course made good (C.M.G. or Course Steered[2]) - taking the most efficient route from one point to another depending on the direction of the wind.
  • Sail setting - pulling the sail in when sailing upwind and letting it out when sailing downwind.
  • Trim - sitting at the front of the boat when sailing upwind and at the back when sailing downwind.

Description

A useful mnemonic is "Can This Boat Sail Correctly?" the first letters of which refer to Center/daggerboard, Trim, Balance, Sheet/Sail and Course. Alternatively, many sailors prefer "Can This Boat Sail Better?" the first letters of which refer to Course, Trim, Balance, Sheet/Sail and Board.

References

  1. ↑
  2. 1 2 http://home.btconnect.com/Peter_Chrystie/BJS/Instruction/The_Five_Essentials.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.aquasports.co.uk/dinghy/courses.php
  • RYA Youth Sailing Scheme Logobook (As of June 2009)
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