Rules/Guidelines
Use of Club Boats is At Your Own Risk
You are Responsible for Any Damage Caused by Negligence or Inexperience
Windjammers Sailing Club provides 5 sailing dinghies for member use. Please follow these rules and guidelines to ensure they stay clean, undamaged, and cared for so that all members may enjoy!
General Rules
1) All items needed for club boats are stored in the north storage container on the 3 right shelves. Everything is clearly labeled and has a place. Please return all items to the shelf where you found it!
2) After use, ensure that the boats are placed back on the gravel area and that the dollie wheels are in the marked areas. This ensures that the hold down straps will be properly located for securing. There are 2 ground anchors for the monohulls and 4 for the multi hull. Please make sure the ratchet straps are secure
3) All club boats have a stand for the front of the dollies. Please place this underneath when finished to ensure the hulls are tipped back and will drain while not in use
4) All sails for club boats have storage bags. Please make sure that all sails are dry, rolled, and inside bags before placing back into storage
5) There are drain plugs located in the stern of the monohulls and on the stern pontoons of the multi hull. There are 4 cockpit drains inside the flying juniors as well. Please remove these plugs after use to ensure the hulls can drain. All plugs are attached to the hulls with line/shock cord
6) There is a sign out sheet on the racing bulletin board as you enter the club. Please sign out the boats with the date, your name, the boat(s) used, and number of persons in your group (including yourself)
7) Each boat has its own dry bag that is clearly labeled. These are for member convenience for keys/phones/sunscreen/etc. The 4 cockpit drain plugs for each flying junior are also located in the appropriate bag. Please place these drain plugs back in the dry bag before storing
8) Please report any damage or missing items to the club boat chairs
9) If you are unsure of something or need guidance, PLEASE ASK! There are multiple people at the club who are happy to assist in showing how to rig/de-rig boats and storage procedures
10) If you are experienced in sailing in and out of a harbor, you may launch the club boats from the launch ramps. If you are inexperienced or unsure, you must launch from the beach
11) Lastly, enjoy and HAVE FUN!
Laser Dinghy
The Laser (also known as ILCA) is a class of single-handed, one-design sailing dinghies using a common hull design with three interchangeable rigs of different sail areas, appropriate to a given combination of wind strength and crew weight. Ian Bruce and Bruce Kirby designed the Laser in 1970 and Hans Fogh designed sail with an emphasis on simplicity and performance.
The ILCA is a widely produced class of dinghies. As of 2023, more than 223,000 boats worldwide had been built. It is an international class with sailors in 120 countries, and an Olympic class since 1996. Its wide acceptance is attributable to its robust construction, simple rig and ease of sailing that offer competitive racing due to tight class association controls which eliminate differences in hull, sails, and equipment; the key pinnacles of the class, with a 1970s boat being identical to a boat made today.
Step By Step Rigging
1. Gather all parts: Ensure you have the hull, daggerboard, rudder and tiller, mainsheet, mast sections, boom, sail, and any hardware like the boom vang, outhaul, and cunningham before starting
2. Assemble the mast: Slide the top mast section into the bottom section snugly. Avoid forcing it, as a tight fit is sufficient
3. Attach the sail: Slide the sail’s luff pocket over the mast. Insert battens carefully and secure them so they don’t fall out
4. Step the mast: Stand the mast upright and place it into the mast step at the bow. A helpful technique is to hold the mast in the middle and walk it forward while adjusting your top hand for control
5. Attach the boom: Insert the boom into the gooseneck on the mast. Secure the outhaul by running it through the eye at the boom’s end and cleating it off. Attach the clew-tie-down to keep the sail properly tensioned
6. Rig control lines: Install the downhaul (or cunningham) and boom vang. Tighten the downhaul while the boat is upright; never adjust it while the boat is on its side to avoid damage
7. Check all fittings: Ensure the rudder, tiller, and daggerboard are properly installed. Verify that all lines run smoothly and cleats hold securely
Additional Tips
Practice at the club: Rigging a few times on land helps you remember line placement and knot tying
Know your rig size: Standard, Radial, and 4.7 rigs differ in sail area and mast length. Check sail panels and mast measurements to confirm your rig
Prevent damage: Lift the mast carefully, avoid forcing it into the mast step, and handle the hull gently to prevent cracks or dents
Organize gear: Keep all lines, cleats, and hardware neatly packed to avoid forgetting essential parts
Flying Junior Dinghy
The Flying Junior, originally called the Flying Dutchman Junior, was designed in 1955–1956 in the Netherlands by Uus Van Essen and Conrad Gülcher as a trainer for the Olympic-class Flying Dutchman sailboat and later became a one-design racer (International FJ) recognized by World Sailing in 1972–73. Over 4,600 boats have been built, and it remains in production by manufacturers such as Centro Nautico Adriatico, Zim Sailing, and Whitecap Composites. The FJ has held the Flying Junior World Championship every other year since its class recognition.
The FJ is widely used in junior sailing programs, high school, and collegiate racing, particularly in North America and on the West Coast. Its manageable size, responsive handling, and ability to carry a spinnaker make it suitable for both beginners and experienced sailors. The boat is also supported by an active class association that organizes racing events and maintains class rules.
Step By Step Rigging
1) Preparing the Mast and Boom
Mast Setup: Ensure the mast is straight and free of damage. Attach the shrouds and forestay securely, using stainless steel wire with proper end fittings for tension adjustment
2) Boom Attachment: Connect the boom to the mast using a sliding gooseneck. Tie the downhaul line to the spinnaker ring to prevent the gooseneck from sliding down and over-tensioning the main sail
3) Hoisting the Sails
Main Sail: Attach the main halyard and cunningham. Hoist the mainsail with the boat into the wind and trim in the mainsheet tight. This will leave appropriate prebend in the mast for the jib halyard tension. Leave a slight horizontal wrinkle along the luff to avoid over-tightening. Adjust the outhaul according to wind conditions: light winds—slight crease; medium winds—crease more visible; heavy winds—hard crease just above the boom
Jib Sail: With the mainsail sheeted tight, hoist the jib and adjust tension until the wire in the luff is tight. You will want the slightest amount of sag in the forestay. When done properly, the wire in the luff of the jib becomes the forestay, where the forestay of the boat is there for support. Position the jib lead near the center of the track when the boat is upright. Fine-tune by luffing into the wind and observing where the jib breaks. Adjust forward or aft until the break is even. In winds over 12 mph, move the lead slightly aft for better control
4) Rigging Control Lines
Mainsheet: Pull tight enough so the upper batten is parallel to the boom. Ease slightly in choppy conditions or after tacks to allow the mast to straighten
Boom Vang: Use to control the boom in strong winds, keeping the upper batten parallel to the boom
5) Additional Adjustments
Jib Lead Positions: FJ boats may have side deck or seat tank tracks. Adjust the lead according to the jib type and wind conditions
Additional Tips
Always err on the side of slightly looser tension rather than over-tightening.
Adjust sail controls progressively with wind changes.
Regularly inspect shrouds, halyards, and fittings for wear to maintain safety and performance.
Use the “break even” method for jib leads to ensure balanced sail shape in all conditions
Hobie 18 Catamaran
The Hobie 18 is an American catamaran sailboat that was designed by Hobie Alter and Phil Edwards as a one design racer and first built in 1976. The design was built by Hobie Cat in the United States, starting in 1976, but it is now out of production.
The Hobie 18 is a sailing dinghy, built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, The twin hulls have raked stems, near-plumb transoms, twin transom-hung rudders controlled by a single tiller and twin retractable daggerboards. It displaces 400 lb.
The design has a roller furling jib, internally-mounted halyards and adjustable mast spreaders to allow mast adjustments fore-and-aft and abeam while sailing.
The boat has a draft of 2.50 ft with a daggerboard extended and 7 in with both retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.
In 1980 America’s Cup racer and media mogul Ted Turner was racing the Hobie 18 and said, “it’s a terrific boat, why didn’t they have these when I was growing up!”
Step By Step Rigging
1) Hoisting the Mainsail
Like the Flying Junior, always hoist the main sail before the jib; the jib tightens the rig making it harder to hoist the main sail
Attach the halyard shackle to the head of the main sail, slide the luff into the groove in the mast and pull the sail up. Keep the sail straight, i.e. in line with the bolt rope track on the mast, otherwise the battens will cause the sail to bind in the track.
Ensure the full-length battens don’t get caught under the tiller cross bar or tangled in the sheets as you’re hoisting the sail.
The main, once hoisted, is held in place by a locking mechanism at the top of the mast. The shackle has a large ring that needs to get onto a hook at the top of the mast; the hook is mounted on the port side of the mast. To help the ring engage the hook, pull the main as high as you can, then rotate the mast rotator to starboard about 45 degrees and release the halyard, the ring should slide onto the hook as it comes down
Check that the main sail is secured properly by pulling down on it then coil the halyard and either tie it to a horn cleat at the base of the mast or stow it in a pouch on the tramp
Make sure the mast rotator control line is rigged and ready; ideally it should run from the cleat at the top of the boom to the tip of the mast rotator and back, to give you 2:1 purchase to control the tension
2) Cunningham
The Cunningham line is attached to the tack of the sail, run it through the tack and then to the cleat on the other side of the mast
3)Boom and Outhaul
The foot of the sail is not attached to the boom. There is just a metal plate at the clew and a sliding car with a pin at the end of the boom controlled by the outhaul; DO NOT ATTACH the sail to the boom until you’re on the boat ready to sail out. At this point you may want to set the outhaul so that the pin is aligned with the plate on the sail, to make it easier to attach when you’re on the boat in the water
4) Hoisting the Jib
Attach the halyard to the jib and slowly hoist. As you raise the sail, the tail end of the halyard is fed INSIDE the zipper, and the zipper around the forestay. Raise the jib a bit, zipper the jib a bit, and continue back and forth until the jib is raised fully. Tie the remainder of the halyard off at the base of the sail cleat and tuck the tail end of the halyard into the zipper. Then furl the sail by pulling the furling line completely. Check that the furling line is free and that it will properly roll into the furling mechanism at the tack of the sail as you pull the sail out towards the mast
Attach the jib sheets to the clew of the sail. Pull the sheets out fully so that the sail is free to move while you’re still on land. You can leave the sail furled while still ashore as it’s easy to pull out on the water using the jib sheets just before you head out. (Once the sheets are attached the sail will tend to unfurl by itself, if you want to keep it furled you can tie off the furling line somewhere on the boat so that you can easily untie it when you want to unfurl the sail
5) Launching
Move the boat into the water; the crew should hold the boat by the bridle wires to keep it head to wind
The skipper should get on the boat or be ready to jump on in case the boat starts taking off
Slide the daggerboards into the hulls and attach the retaining bungee cords to the rings mounted on the hulls by the front beam to keep the boards raised
Make sure the main sheet is free and the main sheet blocks are pulled far apart to allow the sail to move; neither end of the main sheet should be cleated
Attach the clew of the main sail to the outhaul car at the end of the boom (
Unfurl the jib
Drop one or both rudder blades in the water but do not lock them down, the point is to have some control over the boat but to not drag the rudders over the rocks
Figure out on which tack you want to take off and position the tiller accordingly
The crew pushes the boat in that direction and jumps on; use the jib to help bearing off onto the desired tack. Leave the main unfilled to help bear the boat off.
Once you’re in deep water head into the wind and lock the rudders down, and lower the daggerboards as well