Sail shades are made up of strong cloths which can withstand harsher treatment than the temporary versions of shade that are typically available. Sail shades are typically attached to permanent fixtures such as walls or permanent posts. As a result it is a longer lasting source of shade that should be dealt with as a key part of the design of the outdoor space. Garden designers can often use them to base the design of the outdoor space. Such is the striking nature of this type of shade that the whole theme of the outside space can be amended to work with the sail shade.

Sail shades were first utilised by ancient Roman and Greek sailors that hoisted sails up to protect them from the searing sun when they were on land. This innovative idea was exploited by many different people and the theory has developed into the modern day sail shade. It is said that the coliseum was covered with a sail so that the people that attended the sporting and theatrical events could be kept cool from the searing sun. This theory has been exploited to make the modern sail shade. The primary change has been that the type of cloth used to make the sail has changed. New technology has introduced new fibres that make the modern sail shade both sturdy and extremely effective at blocking out the harmful UV rays from the sun.

The sail shades come in a number of different shapes and sizes. Most sail shades that are used for large outdoor areas are designed by the sail shade manufacturers specifically for the place that they will be used in. The range of options if you decide to have your sail shade designed bespoke to your needs is infinite. There are also a number of sail shades that are sold off the shelf. These come in a number of different sizes and shapes. Each manufacturer and sales company produces different sizes and shapes bust most of these companies will provide something to suit your needs. Most sail shades are available in triangle and square shapes. These are generally called triangle shade sails and square shade sails and are a great way of providing a semi-permanent shade for your garden.

Other types of garden shade that you could utilise in your outdoor space are gazebos, umbrella shade and the larger marquees. Gazebos are another fantastic option as they are quite inexpensive and can be erected anywhere. They are small tent like structures that can be put up anywhere. Unlike tents they do not have walls and they are tall enough to stand under. Also they often provide rain cover as well as shade cover from the sun.

Novices begin sail trim with the mainsail. More advanced sailors start sail trim from the most forward sail on the boat. For a typical Bermuda Sloop, the most common rig today, that means the jib or foresail. We will also introduce sailing by the tell-tales—the little pieces of green and red yarn, cloth or ribbon hanging in about the middle of the sail. To begin, we put our boat on a steady course and while on that course we sheet the sail to the “all the way in” position. At this point, the “inside” tell-tales, those closest to the centerline of the boat, should be pointing straight back in line with the motion of the boat and parallel to the water, while the outside tell-tales will be flopping about. To properly trim our headsail, we will ease the sail slowly out. Eventually, the tell-tale movement will change with the inside tell-tales flopping about and the outside tell-tales flowing back in a straight line parallel with the water. When you have reached this point, stop easing the sail and gently (and slowly) trim in until both sets of tell-tales are streaming aft. This is the ideal trim position. One final note on headsails, many will have several sets of tell-tales and it can be difficult to get all sets streaming aft simultaneously. For our purposes, we will trim to the bottom set of tell-tales when there are two sets and to the middle set when there are three sets of tell-tales.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the mainsail. We will still use just our mainsheet for trimming our mainsail at this point, continuing to avoid adjustment of the boom vang and traveler car. We will center our traveler car amid ship and leave it there. At this point, with the headsail already trimmed, you are likely to see a big “bubble” along the luff of our mainsail where the headsail has turned the wind into our mainsail if the mainsail is trimmed out. The goal of mainsail trim is to get the mainsail tell-tales, located on the leach of the sail, usually along the battens, to stream back parallel to the water. The procedure is similar to headsail trim above: start with the mainsail all the way in and gradually ease the sail out until the tell-tales are streaming aft. As with the headsail, they may all not stream aft simultaneously. Try moving in and out—slowly—if you still can’t get them all flowing, concentrate on the tell-tales from mid-sail to the top of the sail—that is where you will find the strongest wind.

Lastly, let me point out that there are conditions such as very light winds, wet sails, heading dead down wind, etc., when the tell-tale trim method may not work. When you are sailing in these conditions, my advice would be return to simpler rules of trim until you are ready for the advanced trim methods.

The headlines reporting our troubled economy and the bloodbath on Wall Street have sent shock waves throughout our communities.  Most of us have felt the effects of the recent collapse of well-known companies, evaporation of retirement savings, loss of  jobs, and political uncertainty.  These challenging times remind me of winds blowing a boat at sea.  Our lives are the boats in the brisk wind of change and uncertainty we are all experiencing.  Is the turbulence of the world’s events blowing you in the opposite direction of where you want to go?  Are you being blown off course?

An experienced sailor will tell you that a properly shaped sail (triangular instead of square) and the physics of “lift” will enable him to sail a boat into the wind.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could set the sails of our lives in such a way that we could sail into the wind of life’s difficult events?  Guess what?  We can do it! 

Think of your life vision as your map and compass.  Your personal experiences, outlook, and commitment make up the sail that takes advantage of the “lift” of faith.  We have a choice to make.  We can either use a square sail (our natural inclination to be victims of life’s difficulties) and accept the idea that we will be swept away in whichever direction life’s winds blow us or we can select a properly shaped triangular sail (a positive, persevering commitment that builds on our positive experiences and enables us to see the opportunities – not the challenges – in the world), take advantage of the “lift” (our faith), and sail in the direction we were created to go regardless of the wind’s direction.

Leveraging the “Lift”

“How do I create the sail in my life that will take advantage of the ‘lift’?” you may ask.  Here are some simple (though not always easy) steps to set your life’s sail to keep you on track:

§          Recognize you were created for a purpose – You have direction.  Before we set sail, we must make sure our map is clear and our compass is operational.  Each of us has been created with a unique purpose, or direction, for our life.  This purpose is intended to create in us a hopeful future.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11.  Study, pray, and discern your life’s purpose and vision.  Prepare the map.

§          Identify the events in your life that prepared you for this journey.  Everything that happens in life was designed to teach us a lesson and prepare us to live our purpose.  This is the structure and fabric of our sail.  Spend some time thinking about your “greatest moment in life”.  Why was that moment great?  How did you feel?  What did you do that made that great moment possible?  This is what you can use to build the sail.

§          Learn how to leverage.  Spend time in prayer and meditation to understand how to leverage what you did that made you successful in the past to make you successful in the present and future.  We have what it takes within us to live our purpose regardless of life’s situations.  If we can only discern what made our greatest moment in life great, we can work to replicate that personal outlook, skill, or focus to achieve what is before us.  This is your triangular sail that, combined with the “lift” of faith, will move your life in the right direction.

§          Have faith.  In order to sail into the wind using what we have learned from our past (our sail), we must have faith.  Faith is the firm belief in something or someone for which there may be no tangible proof.  How do we have faith?  First we need to ensure the object of our faith is worthy and will never let us down.  Find a fellowship of people who have strong faith.  Spend time in study, prayer, and meditation.  A proper sail (your outlook and behaviors that will move you forward) and the “lift” of faith will enable you to sail toward your vision.

§          Make the choice and move forward.  Author Stephen Covey asserts that in that split second between the stimulus and the response resides the life-changing opportunity to exercise choice.  Living in faith is an assertive choice.  Being controlled by the winds of fear is a passive choice.  When faced with difficult times, we can either default to the passive choice of “c’est la vie” or take the amazingly empowering opportunity to consciously choose faith.  Choose the right sail and take advantage of the “lift” of faith.

§          Don’t look back.  Once you’ve set sail and you are sailing into the wind, stay focused on your purpose; your map.  When you experience doubt or negative thoughts, engage in the practice of “mentally looping”; consciously refocusing your thoughts from the negative back to the positive direction in which you’re wanting to move.  In other words, keep referring to the map and compass.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Now that you understand how to use your map and compass, set your sail and realize you have a choice, the next step is to make the choice and create the attitude and actions in your life to affirmatively live your vision.  A life coach with a strong spiritual life can help you through this journey.  Or, you can “go it alone”, following these steps and partnering with other people of faith on their similar journey.

Get out the map.  Set your sail.  Leverage the “lift”.  Make the choice to move forward in vision and faith today.

Final plans are in place for two milebuilding trips from Tenerife to Madeira and Madeira to Huelva (near Cadiz).

Two of our Club class yachts, Stan (a Prima 38) and Agi (a Hanse 400e), are sailing together up to southern Spain.   The first leg leaves Tenerife on Friday 26th June for Madeira.  After a short sail to get your sea legs, we will make the 300+ mile passage in one go—aiming to arrive in Madeira on the Wednesday.

Madeira is a located in the mid Atlantic ocean.  It is one of the remote islands of Portugal with maderia island and Poto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands. 

We will have a day to explore other harbours and anchorages on Madeira, before you leave us on the Friday (why not stay the weekend?) or take your berth for the next leg.

The second leg from Madeira to Huelva is planned to leave on Friday 3rd July and cover the 500+ miles to Huelva in about 5-6 days

Huelva is a maritime town between the rivers Anas and Baetis, it was seated on the estuary of the river Luxia, and on the road from the mouth of the Anas to Augusta Emerita.

Christopher Columbus started his voyages to the new world from Huelva – and we will be racing in late August here to La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, in celebration of these voyages.

Our final destination will be a marina adjacent to the Doñana National Park located in the Spanish province of Andalusia, in the provinces of Huelva and Seville, and covers 543 km², of which 135 km² are a protected area. The park is an area of marsh, shallow streams, and sand dunes and a river delta flowing into the Atlantic ocean. The original area was established in 1963 by the World Wildlife Fund  and the Spanish government.

With a day to explore the area by sea we will ask you to  be ready to leave the yacht on Saturday 11th July.

Both legs include breakfast, lunch and dinner on board the yacht and cost €800 per week.  If you book both legs the cost is €1400.

Contact us at info@clubsail.com for more details

The great thing about learning to sail, especially in the UK, is that the coast is so close to us. We are never too far from a sailing adventure! Leaving the land behind us and disappearing into the ocean on a yacht is less of a dream than you may think.

People of all ages are learning to sail. There is no age limit and children as young as 5 can help crew a yacht. Most sailing only requires a small amount of physical strength, meaning it can easily become a passion enjoyed by everybody.

Leaning to sail doesn’t have to be expensive. Don’t rush out and buy the most expensive clothing and equipment. For your first few times on the water you can borrow or rent anything you may need. Invest in the sport once you’ve started to sail regularly.
People with disabilities, such as vision impairment, can sail without restriction. Wheelchair users can still participate in the sport but should be more careful in their selection of sailing vessel.

Learning to sail is a wonderful experience and a hobby which will bring you hours of enjoyment. It’s not a hard sport to conquer but the potential hazards you’ll encounter mean safety is key. We’ve put together this guide to help you when learning to sail.

Where To Begin?

Contact your local sailing club and offer your services as a novice crew.

Or teach yourself the basics with books or on the internet, and then contact a sailing club.

Book yourself onto a sailing course – these normally last a weekend, although holiday sailing courses can be up to 2 weeks.

You’ll find sailing centres anywhere on the coast of the UK, but the heart of sailing has to be the Southampton coast. With its many harbours and exciting sailing around the Isle of Wight, it’s an excellent place to learn to sail.

Sailing on the UK coast starts around April and usually finishes in September. Mediterranean sailing lasts a little longer. Look to the Canaries or the Caribbean for winter sailing. You can sail a dinghy in the UK all year round.

Be Safe

Safety on the water is the most important factor to consider when learning to sail.

Avoid crowded harbours and peak hours. Having to keep a safe distance from other vessels will only distract you.

To begin with, go out in low winds. There is no point in sailing for speed straight away. Ensure you can walk before you can run!

Always run through a safety drill before you leave dock.

The chances are you’ll learn to sail in a small boat or one with a light boom. Learning to control the boom is essential for smooth sailing and safety.

Swimming

It may sound like simple advice, but if you’re going on the water you need to be able to swim. Even the most experienced sailor will find themselves in the water at some point. Being a competent swimmer will ensure you stay calm in a potentially harmful situation.

Vital Equipment

You’ll need the following items when learning to sail:

A good set of boat shoes A life jacket or buoyancy aid Signal equipment Brightly coloured clothing suitable for current weather conditions A high factor sun cream

Whatever adventure you’re looking for, sailing can offer it. Now you know where to start, just go ahead and do it! We can assure you, you’ll never look back.