Hello Friends -
It's been a glorious summer. Charleston is attracting some major attention in the east coast sailing community as an exceptional site to hold races & regattas. And because of our unusually long sailing season, we're increasingly turning out winning sailors.
Now that the busy summer race season has drawn to a close, sailors are counting their trophies, analyzing their strengths, and taking the time to strengthen their weak spots before either retiring their deck shoes for the winter or making plans to head south. So in October we offer workshops on improving specific skills. You will find several half and full day workshops below.
Cooler nights and balmy days of October and November are perfect for spending the night onboard, whether taking an offshore class or chartering a skippered sailboat. Enjoy!
|
|
3 hour Focus Class 
Systems
Maintenance
on a Beneteau 323 cruiser
Q. "Am I ready to charter in the islands?"
A.
"One our most frequent student requests is to spend extra time
exploring the complex systems aboard a large sailboat. I do that on a
Beneteau since it's the most frequent bareboat in the BVIs. Most questions include the following,
which I'll cover in this class." - OSA
Instructor Mallory Schoolfield
Fresh Water Systems
- How to have hot showers at anchor
- Using the water manifold to switch between full tanks
Waste
- Manual & Electric Toilet systems
- Keepiing the head & tank trouble free and smelling good!
Auxillary Power
- Using the generator at anchor
- Bleeding the fuel system if the engine dies
Electrical
- Working your way through mazes of switches
- Isolating and managing house batteries
Power Management
- Conserving, cheating and storing energy onboard
"In addition, I will answer your questions."
Date: Oct. 16 from 10 - 1.
Cost: $150.
|
2 Day Focus Class:
Sail Trim & Spinnaker
"Many people develop a kind of love-hate relationship with the spinnaker. It has often been said that this sail is the easiest to hoist but requires the most courage."
- R. "Bunty" King
...whether for tactical advantage rounding a buoy or making it safely into port ahead of a storm, maximizing the efficiency of your sails can be both fun and rewarding.
Flying a spinnaker can be daunting to even the most experienced of sailors, yet a swift downwind run is the pinnacle of sailing. Take the mystery out of this gratifying sail and learn to hoist, trim, jibe, and douse the spinnaker. Become skilled at chute helmsmanship, crew coordination and communication. Gain competency in all aspects of spinnaker sailing.
Prerequisite: Basic Keelboat 1 & 2
Date: 2 Full Days: October 30 & 31
Cost: $570 |
|
4 hour Focus Class
 Close Quarters Maneuvering
& docking under power
Do
you still have a little uncertainty over getting a sailboat in and out
of the marina? This month we are offering a special class in Close
Quarters Maneuvering a Sailboat.
This
class focuses on docking and departing slips and accessing a face
dock. We will also work on close quarters turning, holding the boat in
the stopped position and driving in reverse.
More
practice on these fundamental boat handling skills will greatly improve
your confidence and, therefore, let you have a more enjoyable day next
time you are headed out on the water.
No
U.S. Sailing certifications are required. This course is designed for
those that have had some exposure to how a sailboat handles under
power in and out of a marina.
Date: October 10th (Sun) from 1 - 5. Includes experience docking during maximum outgoing tide and slack tide. (LT 5 pm)
Cost: This course is limited to 2 people at $200/person. |
November begins the season of
LIVEABOARD CLASSES
Perfect Weather for Sleeping On Deck
All summer we've been holding off on offering live-aboard classes, waiting until the weather cooled at night. Now we invite you to join us on our multi-day sailing classes, choosing if you like to sleep on deck or on a bunk cooled by November breezes. The gentle quiet at night offshore and in the harbor (without a generator) is like a dream.
Enjoy 3 days of ...  Bareboat Cruising Course
...then head to ports unknownYou owe it to yourself to gain the skills to be captain of your own boat, whether for a local charter or a trip to the Caribbean. In this course which concentrates on extended overnights, we focus on: -electronic navigation -advanced anchoring -heavy weather sailing Upon completion, students have the ability to exercise the decision-making skills required of a cruising captain. Charter companies throughout the western hemisphere recognize U.S. Sailing certification in Bareboat Cruising as a qualification to lease their boats. Dates: Nov 5 - 7, Dec 10 - 12 Prereq: Basic CruisingCost: $940; OSA graduates: $865 Call 843-971-0700 or e-mail us at info@OSAsailing.com to reserve your spot. * * * * * * * * Self Reliance at Sea 
Coastal Navigation Course
6 days/3nights:
July 9 - 14
Spend 4 days and 3 nights on the water learning and practicing navigation with and without the aid of electronic devices, following an intensive 2 days of classroom theory.
Over this 6 day period, learn the navigational skills that are imperative for getting vessel and crew home safely on an extended sail. During the 4-day live-aboard portion you'll cruise the coast, spending 2 nights at anchor and one at a marina. We highly recommend this class for anyone actively pursuing their dream of chartering in open waters.
Prerequisite: Bareboat Cruising
Cost: $1790; OSA graduates: $1625
Call 843-971-0700 or e-mail us at info@OSAsailing.com to reserve your spot.
|
Dream Sails
Weekend Getaway to Edisto Inlet
Want
to get away for a beautiful 3 day sailing excursion? (Want to go
forever but 3 days is a start?) Our 32' Beneteau is heading for South
Carolina's barrier islands December 3 - 5. This time
of year, the coast and the marsh are gorgeous and the weather is
scheduled to providing perfect sailing conditions.
 Day 1. Depart Charleston Harbor, pass through the jetties and out into the ocean. Take a right, head down the coast. In
late afternoon, sail up the North Edisto River between Seabrook and
Edisto Islands. Drop anchor in a protected creek that provides
seclusion, scenery, a sunset view and the sounds of ocean waves lapping
on a nearby beach.
 Day 2. Wake up and realize you don't have to be anywhere else today and you can do what you want.
The list of possible activities includes:
- Enjoying a cup of coffee while sitting in the cockpit and watching the herons, egrets and dolphins fish for breakfast
- Sailing up some sea island creeks and viewing old plantation houses from the water;
- All of the above and None of the above.
- Or go down below, pour yourself another cup of coffee, bring it up to the cockpit and ponder the day a little longer.
Day 3 brings us back to Charleston Harbor by either going offshore along the
coast or by taking the inland route up the Intracoastal Waterway, which
is not only scenic, but offers some fun sailing.
It is a
phenomenal trip and it's right in your back yard. You don't have to
fly to the Caribbean to get away for a relaxing sailing adventure.
This is the reason you take the classes. The experience is here. Now.
Offered as a skippered charter. Help with the sail, if you'd like.
Date: December 3, 4 & 5 (3 days, 2 nights)
Cost: $1320 includes provisions for 2.
Call Florence for additional provisioning for 4. |
October 23 & 24
7th and Final Season's race
of CORA's
2011 Offshore Challenge
"The Alice Cup to Bohicket"
To join our student crew on the race to Rockville on the 23rd and back to Charleston on the 24th, call us at 843-971-0700.
Cost: $750
Prerequisite: Bareboat Cruising
|
Part 2:
Follow Le Pingouin's Voyage Across the Atlantic
...Somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic, Brad Van Liew got the feeling he was being chased.
He had 50-knot winds on his sails and two hurricanes on his tail, and it felt like they were gaining.
"We took a beating with 40-50 knots of wind and strong seas," Van
Liew reported today via e-mail. "We knew we had to work through it and
knock out as many miles as we could for three days to avoid the path of
the hurricanes."
It was a chilly welcome back to the wild world of open ocean sailing for the skipper.... read more
ONDECK is a malor sponsor of Brad's campaign as a designer and producer of a complete line of Official Team Lazarus/Le Pingouin gear.
|
|
Synopsis
"Melges 24
Charleston Harbor Challenge
September 18 & 19"
"The race fleet was 12 boats, 6 local. Tricky wind and currents tested even the knowledge of our local sailors.
Our crew sailed well until the last race, where we made a choice to cover the fleet instead of the one person we needed to beat, which cost us the regatta and so we ended up in 2nd overall. The lesson we gained from the race is: know what the point spread is going in and who you need to be able to beat in order to maintain or improve your overall standing in the regatta.
On Monday we packed the boat and drove to Rochester, NY where we raced in the Melges 24 North American Championships. I sailed with Michael Miller, tactician, Steve Kopf, owner/driver, and Chuck Coyer, bow. We reveled in moments of glory where we won 2 races and came in 2nd in two others, and ended up in the top 5 of the 14 races that were sailed.
The cold, tricky lake conditions caught us off guard and we found ourselves on several races toward the middle or back of the fleet, a place we could not climb out of. In our top 1st and 2nd place finishes, however, we started poorly, rounding the first mark in the back half of the fleet; however, because we were able to keep our heads in the game and enjoy ourselves we were able to make big gains downwind and we finished those races either first or second.
We came in 4th overall. One of the lessons we learned was: Never give up, no matter how far back in the fleet we are."
- Ned Goss
The Charleston Harbor Challenge was hosted at the Charleston Yacht Club. An exclusive Melges 24 regatta, it is part of the 2010 Quantum Sails Southeast Championship Series. The annual M24 North American Championships were held in Rochester, NY.
Ned raced on OSA/Ondeck Charleston's Conejo Racing.
|
|
|
|
"The master of a single trade can support a family. The master of seven trades cannot support himself. The wind is for the sailor who knows to what port he is bound."
- Og Mandino
|
Daniel Island Park Day
----
Yacht Samplers
Saturday
Oct. 23, 11 - 5
Daniel Island Park Day is an annual fall festival that brings Charleston residents and its visitors together with an assortment of local charities. Taking place along the Wando River, this entertaining day of events, games, food and music is old-fashioned fun for the entire family. Over 25 entertaining and educational events including live music, wild animal exhibits, dog activities, pumpkin decorating, an oyster roast and more, take place at the end of River Landing Drive. Admission is free. Due to the charitable focus of the day, some individual events will require a nominal fee. We will bring a yacht, Sugaree, to take Park Day visitors on sails on the Wando departing on the hour from 12:00 to 5:00. The SC Maritime Foundation will be the beneficiary of all money raised as a result of complimentary contributions from $10. Hope you'll join us having fun and supporting good causes!
|
A note from a grandfather
"My favorite part, from a grandfather's perspective, was seeing the joy in the eyes of my grandson and the confidence he obtained out of the experience."
-Doug Skees, Louisville KY
Thanks Mr. Skees. It was a pleasure to have you both out sailing with us.
|
Sailing Instructor
Spotlight
Mallory Schoolfield
"No day of sailing is ever the same. It's not a matter of preferring racing to cruising, or inshore to offshore. I enjoy the multiple facets of sailing and engaging all my senses. The combination of "on the fly" analytics, sensory perceptions and an infinite learning curve entertains me greatly. I've been sailing since I was 10. Dad built and rebuilt a few solid wood sailboats over the years, which peaked my interests. But truthfully, growing up on a rural peninsula on the lower Chesapeake Bay there wasn't much else to do in the summer except be on the water. I moved away from the Chesapeake in 1997 to attend college in Charleston mainly so I could continue my life on the water. After graduating from college I cruised the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean on a Bristol 32. Anyone can figure out how
to sail a boat with a couple of books and some tiller time, but that is
only a small part of sailing. A good sailor should be self reliant,
which leads to being able to step on any boat in any harbor and having
absolute confidence in the ability to sail her safely. Knowing what
questions need to be answered and how to go about answering them is the
key." "Mallory did a great job of communicating course material. We got much more information on sail theory than the book could ever have given!"
-anonymous student survey
|
|
Earlier Hours
for Shorter Days
For the next 6 months, full day sailing classes will run from:
9 am - 4 pm
- an hour earlier than summer's class schedule. The earlier schedule begins October 15.
Two factors contribute to earlier classes:
1) Earlier nightfall.
2) The difference between the land and water temperature isn't as great now as in the heat of summer, so we don't have to wait til mid-morning for onshore sea breezes to kick in before we can get under sail.
|
|
Think:
Caribbean--
Winter Sailing
click pick above for u-tube
Winter sailing in Antigua is one of life's must-do's. Great conditions and weather have made it the sailing capital of the Caribbean.
We partner with ondeck to provide you with the best prices and boats for Caribbean Regattas:
Jan 28 - Feb 1 Port Louis Grenada Sailing FestivalFeb 13 - 20 Tobago Carnival RegattaFeb 19 - 25 RORC Caribbean 600Feb 28 - Mar 6 St. Maarten Heineken RegattaMar 21 - 27 St. Thomas International Rolex RegattaMarch 28 - April 3 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing FestivalMarch 21 - April 3 Rolex & BVIApril 21 - 30 Antigua Sailing WeekWe are working with our partner, ondeck Antigua, to offer sailing packages for groups and individuals who want to take part in these fantastic events. For details of our Packages for Individuals please click here. Call Ned or Florence at OSA for more information:843-971-0700
|
Quick Links
Join us on:
Read our past newsletters:
Read or write a review:
Read or write a review:
Weather:
 |
For those who were forwarded this newsletter by a friend, you may 
OnDeck Charleston
Ocean Sailing Academy
info@OSAsailing.com
www.OSAsailing.com
843-971-0700
|
|
