Day Camp | Sailing Camp

Day Camp 2023

The camp will run outdoors weekdays from July 3rd until August 11th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. We can accommodate 15 campers per day, ages 4-12.

Click here to register.

The cost is $50 per day and $225 per week. Payments can be made directly through the booking form.

Thank you for your cooperation!  Looking forward to a great time at Day Camp together!

LASER RIGGING LINES (from last season):

         Line Name: Line Diameter, Length, Material, Construction

1. Cunningham: Diameter = 3/16” or 5mm, 15 feet, Spectra, Double Braid
2. Outhaul: 3/16” or 5mm, 22 feet, Spectra, Double Braid
3. Clew Tie Down: 4mm, 2’ 10”, Spectra, Double Braid
4. Traveller: ¼” or 6mm, 12 strand, 12 feet, Spectra, Single Braid 12 Strand
5. Vang: ¼” or 6mm, 12 feet, Spectra Single Braid 12 Strand.
6. Main Sheet: 5/16 or 8mm, 36 feet, Spectra, Rooster Braid

Rigging the lines:

        You will want to know how to tie 1) a bowline, 2) a reef knot (square knot), 3) a figure 8, 4) an overhand knot, 5) an overhand loop knot for mid-line loops 6) a luggage tag loop

Cunningham: Line Diameter = 3/16” or 5mm.  Length = 15’.

1) Tie a bowline to the eye on the deck at the aft base of the mast

2) tie an overhand loop 6” above the deck

3) Lead up on starboard side of boom

4) through the sail eye from starboard to port

5) back down to starboard of boom

6) through the loop you tied in the line 6” above the deck

7) back past boom on starboard

8) Through sail from starboard to port

9) past boom on Starboard again

10) aft through the deck eye aft of the mast

11) through the clam cleat in front of the daggerboard

12) Tie a bowline loop in the end of the line so you can grab it easily and it doesn’t accidentally slip through the clam cleat if you capsize.  If it slips out with the boat upside down, you might lose the mast.

Note: This line is used to flatten and thus de-power a sail.  All the starboard rigging allows easy adjustment on starboard tack and for consistent settings on starboard tack.  Racers like a perfect starboard tack since that is usually how you start the race.  Port tack suffers a bit.  You could as effectively rig on port, but races are started on starboard, so it gives you one last chance to adjust the cunningham before the start if you rig on starboard.  It is easier to pull in than let out, so err to the loose side when starting your sail (unless it is windy).  Pull on more as the wind picks up.  The harder you pull, the less power the sail will have.  Don’t be afraid of pulling too hard.  At 150 Lbs, I will pull as hard as I can as soon as there are any white caps (over 12 knots.)  Smaller sailors will be full on at slightly lower wind speeds, heavier sailors at slightly higher wind speeds.  Leave it tied to the deck eye after sailing.

Outhaul: Line Diameter 3/16” or 5mm.  Length 22 feet.

1. This line is rigged in two directions.  A forward direction and a aft direction.  Start rigging aft:
2. Tie two permanent 2” overhand loops located at 6”2” and at 13’ 5” from one end.
3. Feed the short end backward through the clam cleat on the boom, until the aft knot snugs up against the clam cleat.
4. Lead the short end through the eye on the back of the boom
5. Through the clew of the sail
6. Back through the eye on the end of the boom
7. Back through the sail
8. Tie an overhand knot in the end of the line  Use this knot as a stopper in your next knot
9. Tie an overhand knot around the clew of the sail.  The knot in the end of the line is a stopper to prevent the knot from pulling open under load.
10. Now rig forward:
11. Lead the line forward around the mast and back to the aft loop knot
12. Go through the aft loop knot and forward to the forward loop knot.
13. Go through the forward loop knot
14. Tie a bowline loop in the end of the line for adjusting and let the bowline loop hang for easy grabbing while under way.

Note: When the sail is fully eased out in light winds, the aft loop knot will hit the clam cleat at mid-boom and go no farther.  The bowline loop handle will be pulled up into the forward loop knot. When the sail is pulled in for strong winds, there will be a fair bit of tail in the line dangling from the front knot.  This system is easy to pull in, but requires some work to let out.  Therefore, err on the side of too loose. Tighten as necessary to reduce sail power.  When the wind increases and you have to work too hard to keep the boat flat, pull harder.  If you are a smaller person, when the wind picks up, don’t be afraid to pull as hard as you can.  At 150 lbs, I would be full tight in about 10 knots of wind.

When derigging your boat after sailing, leave this line on the boom.  Untie it from the sail and leave the rest in place.

Clew Tie Down: Line Diameter 4mm, length2”10”

1. Lead the tie down line through the mainsail clew and around the boom.
2. Repeat until you have 3 loops.
3. Tighten so clew touches the boom
4. Tie off in a reef knot

Note: Your objective is to tie the clew as close as possible to the boom.  This gives more room for the crew to duck the boom when tacking and gybing, and gives better control of sail shape, in particular reducing sail twist.  It also isolates the outhaul to controlling sail fullness.  Without a tie down, twist and fullness get mixed together and you can not change one setting without changing the setting on the other.  Neither can you reach maximum leach tension.  When derigging, tie this around the boom so it doesn’t get lost.  Eventually you will lose it, so have a spare.

Traveller: Line Diameter 1/4“ or 6mm, Length 12 feet

1. Tie a bowline loop on one end of the line
2. Lie the loop on the deck 12” aft of the stern clam cleat
3. Lead the other end through one of the stern eyes, across the transom, through the smaller (lower) portion of the mainsheet blocks, and through the stern eye on the opposite gunwale.
4. Now lead the free end through the bowline loop lying on the deck, and remove all the slack from the line.
5. With the free end, tie an overhand knot around the bowline loop
6. Lead the free end through the clam cleat located aft of the cockpit.
7. Tie a loop in the free end to hold when adjusting.
8. Pull tight

Note: Your objective is to tighten the line across the stern that the traveller/boom block runs on.  Upwind, you want these blocks maximum outboard, which is achieved with a tight traveller line.  Looser traveller lines draw the stern blocks inboard, which is always slow.  This line is adjusted from tight in light winds to very tight in heavy winds, so it doesn’t get adjusted much – maybe an inch at most.  Always, you are trying to set the traveller “just loose enough for the traveller blocks to clear the tiller and reach the leeward gunwale”.

You will notice that the loop where the line comes together again will be set about 8” behind the stern clam cleat.  You want a lot of distance here, because it gives leverage for tightening the traveller.  I suspect that on some old boats it would be possible to pull the stern eyes out of the boat if the triangle formed by the loop is too straight across the boat, so I like to set the apex of my triangle half way between the working portion with the traveller blocks and the clam cleat on my boat.

Vang: Line diameter 1/4 “ or 6mm, Length 12 feet

                This is another line that gets rigged from the middle toward both ends.

1. Use a luggage tag knot to attach the line to the lower vang block at the mast.  Tie the knot at 5’ along the line.
2. Lead the short end through the lower sheave of the upper vang block and tie a bowline.
3. Lead the long end through the higher sheaves of the upper vang block
4. Through the free lower sheave(s) of the lower vang block
5. Through the bowline in the short end of the line
6. Through the upper sheave and the cleat jaws of the lower block

Although this is a lot more complicated to rig, you gain twice the mechanical advantage of a traditional rigging system, and you only do it once in the life of your boat.  It gives much better control of sail twist , particularly on windy days and tames the boat a lot.  In light winds let the vang completely off.  In windy conditions, use the mainsheet to pull the boom onto the deck, tighten the vang as much as possible, and ease the mainsheet.  The boat will be far better behaved, but you will have to duck deep to get under the boom on tacks and gybes, and if you let the boat heel on a reach the boom will get stuck on the water and capsize you.  Sail the boat flat!

Mainsheet: Line Diameter: 5/16” or 8mm , Length 36 feet

1. Tie a figure 8 in the bitter end of the line
2. Lead the line forward through the beckett of the end boom mounted mainsheet block.  The 8 knot will prevent the line from sliding completely through
3. Lead the line aft through the mainsheet block on the traveller
4. Lead the line forward on the sheave of the end boom mounted mainsheet block
5. Lead the line forward through the 2/3 boom mounted eye strap.  (This prevents you from getting caught in the mainsheet when tacking and gybing.)
6. Lead the line through the mid-boom mounted mainsheet block
7. Lead the line through the forward cockpit mainsheet block
8. Tie a figure 8 in the bitter end of the mainsheet
9. Tie another figure 8 six inches in from the end of the mainsheet.  Now when you drop the mainsheet, there will be a 6 inch tag end for you to grab, stopped on the inner 8 knot rather than having to dig the 8 knot out of the block.

Note: A thinner diameter mainsheet (7mm) will run through the blocks better, but will be harder on your hands. A thicker mainsheet (9mm) will be easier on your hands, but will not run as well.  I think 8mm is a good compromise, unless you are a full time sailor or otherwise have very hard hands in which case use a 7mm line.