Sail Training Syllabus

Boat Systems Review

1. Use, maintenance and servicing a marine diesel engine and outboard engine.

2. Spare parts for engine, outboard, electrical, refrigeration.

3. Maintenance and parts manuals needed aboard, contact #’s.

4. Review of your vessels battery charging and monitoring systems.
    

Maintenance

Emergency equipment and use

1. Stowing and practice donning of life jackets. Selecting a safety harness,
   vest strobes and tether line.

2. Stowing and launching your life raft.

3. Stowing and inventory of survival packs, manual water makers (2), EPIRB'S,
   handheld VHF marine radios and USCG Emergency equipment.

4. Selection of equipment list for assembling survival packs.

5. Use of lifelines and boom end MOB retrieval pulley systems.

6. Locating, wiring and testing of separate bilge pump systems and a bilge high
   water alarm.

7. Inspecting, cycling of thru-hull fittings and use of wooden plugs. Procedures
   for maintenance.

8. Stowing and use of emergency tiller or optional steering device.

9. Safety procedures for fueled stoves, emergency fire procedures.

10. Storage and inventory of Offshore Medical Sea-Pak, Merck Manual of
    Medical information for offshore medical treatment of medical problems
    incurred while cruising.
     

At Dock Pre Cruise Inspections

1. Rigging, safety lines, ground tackle.

2. Sail cover storage and sail preparations.

3. Water, fuel, supply storage and storing for a short or long voyage.

4. Vessel's hatches set for sea conditions. 

5. Engine, batteries, electrical equipment, radios, navigational equipment, autopilot inspection, service and power up.

6. Electrical and navigational lighting panel set.

7. Bilge Pumps and alarms inspected.

8. Dock lines set, docking pole out, departure procedures reviewed and crew duties assigned.

9. Navigational charts, equipment and course reviewed with crew.

10. Freon Signal horn at hand and use.

11. MOB procedures reviewed.

12. Safety floatation ring applicable life vests on and available.

13. Use of sails, navigational and emergency equipment.

14. Steering by compass and GPS, Loran, Radar, Autopilot during watch.

15. Use of charts for navigation, course plotting, locating a fix, dead reckoning.

16. Raising, reefing and stowing mainsail- including use of lazy jacks, sail ties
    and covers.

Deploying and furling head sails

1. Setting points of sail and sail trim.

2. Proper wench use and rudder trim.

3. Single hand offshore safety harness, tether line to vessel center safety line use.

4. Preparation for return to dock, sail furling, lowering, sail ties, crew docking briefing, procedures for cross wind /current docking.

Anchoring

1. Chart and visual selection of safe and adequate bottom for anchoring with your
   type of anchors.

2. Calculating scope and diameter of swing. Securing rode on rollers, bow rode snubbers.

3. Setting a second bow or stern anchor.

4. Safe use of electric windlass in retraction of rode/chain., use of manual back-up feature.

5. Proper gloves, deck protection on rode/chain drying, handling.

6. Marking and stowing chain and use of a chain snubber.

Storm Sailing Techniques

1. Preparation for storm conditions: locate storm sails, check bilge and pumps.

2. Secure decks and below, charge batteries, prepare easy meals, get rested.

3. Rig storm staysail, storm tri sail, mizzen sail only.

4. Practice heaving to, deploy tow warps astern.

5. Deployment of drogue and sea anchor use .

6. Review most effective storm management techniques for your hull design and sea conditions.

Meteorology

1. Sources of marine weather: National Wx channel on TV, VHF, SSB, Navtex,
   INMARSAT-C airports.

2. Understand and identify and explain the features of: high pressure, low pressure,
   warm fronts, cold fronts, occluded fronts, stationary fronts, convergence zones,
   ridges and troughs.

3. Preparations for thunderstorms, water spouts, lightning and high winds.

4. Overall cruise planning: cyclone seasons.

5. Overall prevailing world weather systems and predicting and gauging surface current and drift for passage making courses.

Pre Sailing Navigational Ground School

1. Chart selection and course planning. Selecting best chart to cover a specific area.

2. Determining course, distance, VMG and ETA with plotter, calipers, dividers.

3. Use of BA and US Chart #1, sailing directions, light list, cruising guides.

4. Coastal Navigation: plotting course and determining dead reckoning position, depths, dangers, currents and obstructions.

5. Use of charts for anchoring.

6. Use of radar for night location, collision avoidance, landfall and squall avoidance.

(Word From The Sailor)

Folks,
Over the years, a lot of good people shared their experiences with me in aviation, yachting, and just having fun meeting a challenge together...  in the skies or on the water. I couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend the next twenty on the way out, than giving back what they've taught me to others in fulfilling their dreams of going to sea. The new American Boat Sales company now offers what no other yacht dealer will, a comprehensive course in Offshore Sail /Power vessel training with the purchase of one of the kinds of yachts we offer on the American Boat Sales home page. We'll buy the best on the market of your choice of our 7 yachts offered  for you, our customer.  Then we will train your family to go to sea in YOUR yacht, safely, with what you need to meet the unknown challenges of the sea aboard your yacht. This is a packaged sale, unlike ANY other dealer offers. Most deals are through after a deposit. We'll help make your dreams come true, beyond the deposit.
The actual Offshore Training Course, listed above, came from my experiences at sea with Manny Lee, my offshore cruising companion, my own vessel knowledge of the boats I have listed, owned and sailed, and what he and I had learned from others . All this contributed to our own survival at sea during a four hour cyclonic episode of 30' waves and 100+ KT winds. This was a life or death encounter that we were prepared for in experience, and our "Bella Vita" (CT-42' ketch listed) was also prepared to meet.
That's my brother's, Chris Yglesias (liveaboard, Marathon Fl.), and my goal. We'll offer the yacht of choice to you that will be ready, as well as you will, for what the sea challenges.