New Bareboat Vacation Trip Planned

Sardinia 2013

The Islands off the coasts of Italy and Corsica

provide some of the most picturesque cruising

on the Mediterranean

See Below for more details, or Contact Bob Diamond

for a personal tour of the trip.

This Months Topics

SAILING LESSONS

Night Sailing Class
Docking Class
Spinnaker Class
Bareboat Charter

SAILING CLUB NEWS

All Day Sail
Afternoon Sail

RACING NEWS

Winter Racing

Beercan Racing

SAILING VACATIONS

British Virgin Islands
Grenadines
Sardinia

Upcoming Events

All Year Long

Learn to sail on the San Francisco Bay. We offer Basic Keelboat 1, Basic Keelboat 2, and Basic Coastal Cruising classes, as well as private lessons. With over 30 years of experience, we can get you sailing quickly and confidently.

Call now to for more information or to reserve your space.

Beginning Spinnaker Class   

December 8, 9, 15, 16

This Spinnaker Class teaches you how to basics of using a Spinnaker. Used primarily when going downwind, the Spinnaker can provide more speed and excitement as well as challenges. In this class you will learn set up, running rigging, types of spinnakers, setting, hoisting, dousing, trimming, gybing, packing and handling. This class is only run once a month. If you or anyone you know is interested please register now. This class is will take you to a new level of performance and suited for all those interested in racing.

Prerequisites - BKS & BCC

Reg $425
Club Members $318.75

Click Here For
School Class Schedule

Bareboat Charter Class -

≈February 9, 10, 16 - 17 ≈
9:30am - 4:30pm

The Bareboat Charter class teaches students to safely and confidently sail and charter boats to 50 feet. Learn about inboard diesels, electrical systems, onboard plumbing, galley & stove use, head operation and other onboard systems. The first weekend you will go over the boats systems, practice motoring and docking a larger boat and plan your trip to the north bay. The second weekend navigate your way to San Francisco, moor and spend the night aboard. This class is run only once per month so If you or anyone you know is interested please register now.

Prerequisites - BKS & BCC & Docking class & min 3 charters as skipper of record

Reg $895
Club Members $671.25

Motoring and Docking Course

≈December 15 ≈
9:30am - 4:30pm

The Motoring and Docking course is designed to give each student confidence in his or her ability to maneuver and dock in a variety of situations and to provide the ASA Docking Endorsement certification. Underway skills include: assessment of conditions, crew preparation, standing turn maneuvers, docking stern in and bow in with various wind directions relative to the slip, differing methods of tying up, heaving a line, and Med-tying.

Prerequisites - BKS & BCC

Reg $195.00
Club Members $146.25

Night Sailing Course (SF Christmas Lites Special)

≈December 7 ≈
6:00pm - 12:00am

We are now offering a night sailing course specifically designed to familiarize skippers with to safely transit the Bay at night. Also covered are lights, navigational aides, night conditions and more. This class is limited to the first 6 students. Reserve your spot now.

Prerequisites - BKS & BCC

Reg $195
Club Members $143.25

Why did pirates wear eye patches?

Did you ever wonder why pirates wore eye patches and navy or merchant mariners didn't?

Yep, me too. So I did some research and found that although there are lots of theories about why pirates wore eye patches, there is no archival evidence to state for certain why they did..

I suggest that pirates with eye patches and the Navy in their nice pressed suits and fluffy shirts, are like the difference between cowboys with black hats and white hats. It's easier to tell who the bad guy is if he's wearing something to telegraph his intentions. If eyes are windows into the soul, then a pirate with an eye patch is trying to conceal something right out of the gate.

Hollywood aside, some of the more feasible theories are: 1) to keep an eye pre-conditioned for night-blindness, should the fight go from a sunny deck to the dark bowels of a ship. or 2) because using a sextant to find your bearings in the day time (called a "sun shot") without a light filter, would make your eye very sensitive to light after many such readings. This is similar to our hearing loss when listening to AC/DC too loud over the years. Putting a patch over that eye would give some relief to the navigator, and quite possibly extend the use of that eye a few more years.

Personally, I like the theory that pirates would often drink a little too much rum and forget about losing their hand and having a hook in it's place, and either scratch their nose and miss, or when they try to remove their contact lenses before going to bed.

Since there's no real evidence one way or another, it's really your call, but Myth Busters did an episode on this, and I've included the video on the left. Enjoy

If the video doesn't work in your email program, click the pirate star to the right and you'll be taken to YouTube to watch it.

December Club Special

≈ Ends December 31st ≈

If you join the Spinnaker Sailing Club at any level during the month of December, 2012, we will waive the $395 initiation fee. If you have been putting off joining the club, this may be the easiest way to join all year. Club benefits include

• Free evening cruises

• Free afternoon sails

• 25% off on classes

• Free participation in all club activities

• Wednesday afternoon beercan racing.

• Club memberships start at just $49 per month

Upgrade any time you like

Click here to see a more complete list of benefits

Evening Cruise

≈ Saturday NIghts beginning Next March 5:00pm - 7:00pm ≈

Evening cruises give you a chance to get out on the water for a couple of hours without the formal structure of classes or without the responsibilities of chartering. You'll have the opportunity to help sail the boat or kick back and relax and enjoy the fresh air.
Reservations are required.

Reg $30
Club Members $Free

Afternoon Sails

All Day Sail to San Francisco

≈November 4 ≈ 9:00a - 5:00p          

We will leave Redwood City in the morning and sail north to the central bay. Depending on wind conditions and tides we'll try to sail to San Francisco and then enjoy a great sail back home.This is a great way to log some sailing hours and get familiar with taking boats to the North Bay and back. Contact us for availability.

Prerequisites - None

Reg $125
Club Members $93.75

Winter Racing Series Has Begun!

Race days: Sundays, Nov 4, Dec 16, Jan 27, Feb 24, March 17 and April 7.
Niners conflicts: None! The SF 49ers play only when we don't race, for example on February 3, at the SUPER BOWL.

Start Time: 1pm

Classes: one class, you can fly a spinnaker or not, everyone has the same start time.

Bobbing About In Paradise

With Bob Diamond

Securing the dinghy

On our overseas bareboat flotilla trips each yacht is provided with a motor dinghy used to go ashore, get out to the good snorkeling spots or even just to have fun buzzing around the anchorage. When underway in the yachts, the dinghies are often towed behind with a line called a painter. This same painter is also used to tie the dinghy to the various docks located at restaurants and other business that cater to visiting yachts.

Instead of cleats the dinghy docks often come with a wooden 2x4 rail mounted on blocks along the side of the dock. There are lots of ways to secure the painter to the dock but the most widely recognized is probably the round turn with two half hitches.

A few years ago on one of our BVI cruises we were 5 yachts and on the first day out from the charter base, we all sailed to the same mooring field where there was one restaurant with its own dinghy dock. Upon arriving with my crew, I said my deepest and most authoritative voice, "Let me show you how to tie up this dinghy so it'll be here when we get back." read more. . .

GREAT SAILING VACATIONS FOR 2012!

The British Virgin Islands - Dec 6 - 16, 2012

See why this area is the most popular cruising ground in the world. Warm weather, warm water, moderate breezes, gorgeous beaches, and much more make this a sailors paradise. Check out our BVI pdf. We limit our capacity to assure plenty of room and comfort aboard for both sailing and relaxation. There are only 3 cabins left, and flights could get more expensive if you wait. Contact Bob for more details.

BVI Vacation cost:
$1895 singles
$1695 person couples

The Grenadines - April 18 - 28, 2013

Cruising Catamaran Opportunity

The Grenadines consists of a cluster of small islands between St. Vincent and Grenada. These islands are the most delightful and have some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in all of the Antilles. The Spinnaker Sailing group will be chartering out of St. Vincent which is just a biscuit toss from the heart of the Grenadines, one of the most undeveloped and unspoiled of the bareboat chartering areas in the Caribbean. This is also where the movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed. We have a Catamaran with two available cabins at the moment, so if you would like to come on this trip, now is the time to talk to Bob about your options. Check out our Grenadines pdf. We limit our capacity to assure plenty of room and comfort aboard for both sailing and relaxation. Contact Bob for more details.

Vacation cost:
$1895 singles
$1695 person couples

Check with Bob for rates if you want to fill your own charter yacht.

The Catamaran is privately chartered. Ask Bob for the latest rates.

Sardinia - Sept 4 - 15, 2013

Possible once in a lifetime event

One of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia has over a thousand miles of coastline. Clear water, great wind, a huge selection of destinations, and just off the coasts of Italy and France, this has been a playground for Royalty, as well as the rich and famous for centuries. Check out our Sardinia pdf. We limit our capacity to assure plenty of room and comfort aboard for both sailing and relaxation. Contact Bob for more details.

Vacation cost:
$1895 singles
$1695 person couples

Check with Bob for rates if you want to fill your own charter yacht.

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