Overcoming a fear of laser sailing. Please help?!

Johanna

Johanna

Laser 4.7/Radial
Hi!

I've sailed in my laser 4.7 something like 8 times. But i'm quite nervous about sailing. The nervousness starts around a week before i'm going to sail. ( I sail classes at my local sailing club regularly on saturdays). And i'm most afraid when the weather forecast says that the wind is going to be 4 Bft or higher. While sailing i'm quite afraid too. I don't know what the reason for this fear is (i know the worst thing that possibly could happen is to capsize ,but i have experienced that some times before.. Although i didn't really like it)

Therefore my question is if anyone has experienced the same or if you have some tricks and/or advices that will help me overcome my fear of sailing. Because i would like to sail in the future with some more confidence and fun.

By forehand thanks a lot! I really appreciate your help!!

Johanna
Btw sorry for my bad english
 
Here's what I can suggest:

- Wear a life jacket and be confident in your swimming ability
- Sail with other people and preferrable a support boat nearby in case you do get into trouble
- Take someone else with some experience with you along on the boat
- Time on the helm

As with any other new activity, you gain comfort and skill with experience.
 
One other thing. Practice capsize recoveries in a shallow area near shore. Do it over and over.
 
Johanna- I get nervous sailing. Not as much as the boats around me, but nervous nonetheless.

I can't really add to torrid's advice, but as a relatively new sailor myself- Try to love the boat and what you are doing....look after the little things...lines, your sailing kit, etc... on the water pay attention to what is going right and follow it....and just let the other stuff be....I don't mean ignore it, but don't focus on it. If you are racing a mountain bike you look for the line you want, you don't look at the rocks you don't want to hit because then you will hit them. And if you're busy looking for the good line sailing, so to speak, you won't have as much time to get nervous.
 
Thank you so much! Great to hear some advice from someone that had/has this experience (a bit) himself.
 
i was curious if someone also had some advice about hiking,
Am i right when i say its the purpose to be in a position hiking with your bottom outside of the boat? Sorry for this question but i'm new to laser sailing and i would love to learn more.
 
Johanna said:
i was curious if someone also had some advice about hiking,
Am i right when i say its the purpose to be in a position hiking with your bottom outside of the boat? Sorry for this question but i'm new to laser sailing and i would love to learn more.
Click to expand...

This is how the professionals do it:

512x.jpg
 
Sailing a Laser is pretty athletic .... with time in the boat you become one with it ... but it just takes some time.

The worst thing that can happen is to capsize .... well the worst would be to have the boom smack you in the head on a jibe so don't do that.

Agree with above ..... just intentionally capsize the boat in shallow water (on a warm day) and practice recoveries.
 
Been there, done that and the boat still terrifies me sometimes. Many years ago, I asked several people the same question and received the same advice above (from men). It's good advice but after talking to several women who had talked to several other women, I learned that we all went through the same nervousness before sailing even years after we'd been sailing. We all had come up with our own ways of coping but most felt better once we were racing. For me, it's all about getting to the race course really early, getting the boat rigged and ready to go and being able to just sit and relax for a while. It really does help try to look forward to the sailing as something that is both fun and challenging. It does get better.

There are a few newish sailors commenting on a post I put up yesterday that some thought would make them more comfortable on the race course. If it appeals to you then you've probably identified at least part of why you are nervous on the water.

http://www.impropercourse.com/2012/08/heres-your-sign.html
 
My daughter Alex and I have shared her Laser since she turned 15 and she was given her Laser for her birthday (the Ferrari, which she also thought she'd like remains a pipe dream).

Our rule is that if the day looks too much for you, you are tired after a late night, you have an assignment due or whatever, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying that today is not your day to sail. After all we are doing this for fun and enjoyment and it's not fun to be nervous for a week before you sail. There are plenty of other things you can do around the Club to help; be on the crash boat, do the timing, just help.

This has meant that Alex has a lot of fun on sunny days in breezes up to 12 knots and it's my turn over 12 knots, sometimes on days when I was also pretty nervous.

Of late however I've found that I'm spending a lot more time on the crash boat running races and Alex is spending more time sailing.

Remember that you are sailing for fun and enjoyment and that you will improve slowly but surely.

Steve
 
Johanna said:
Hi!

I've sailed in my laser 4.7 something like 8 times. But i'm quite nervous about sailing. The nervousness starts around a week before i'm going to sail. ( I sail classes at my local sailing club regularly on saturdays). And i'm most afraid when the weather forecast says that the wind is going to be 4 Bft or higher. While sailing i'm quite afraid too. I don't know what the reason for this fear is (i know the worst thing that possibly could happen is to capsize ,but i have experienced that some times before.. Although i didn't really like it)

Therefore my question is if anyone has experienced the same or if you have some tricks and/or advices that will help me overcome my fear of sailing. Because i would like to sail in the future with some more confidence and fun.

By forehand thanks a lot! I really appreciate your help!!

Johanna
Btw sorry for my bad english
Click to expand...

Beaufort 4 is 14-17 mph. It's no wonder that you are nervous. That's a lot of wind for a new sailor! Try to get out as much as you can in less wind and build up to the big stuff. I admire you for getting out there and overcoming your fear.
 
Looking at the words under your user name - if you have a 4.7 rig, there is no harm if you put up the smaller sail in the bigger wind.

And there's nothing wrong with carrying a lug in the sail to control the power and the heeling. If you don't "win" the race that day, maybe you can think of it as "winning" a different prize that day- the prize of enjoying the day sailing more, and learning more while you enjoy it.

Bravo to you for:
1. taking on the challenge of sailing even when the wind is up, and
2. taking on the challenge of facing a fear, and
3. reaching out to other sailors for help and support.

Having the strength to face a fear and reach for help is an approach which will serve you well in many situations in life.
Best of luck with it!
 
I feel your angst. My first time out on a Laser the winds were 20 knots gusting to almost 30 knots. My biggest trouble was getting back in the boat after righting it. But I did like the feeling as the boat started to plan. Unfortunately, I was not able to anticipate the motions fast enough to keep from capsizing.

Several months later (and after watching others) I finally got back out on the water with some low 5 knot winds. I was out for almost 3 hours and gained so much more confidence being with friends.

Practice with lower wind speeds. As your skills improve, you will be able to handle the higher winds.

Oh yes. My first Laser sail was just after my 60th birthday. I'm looking forward to frostbiting this winter...
 
As a sunfisher jumping in here.... I am in my second season of sailing. Last year, anytime the boat would heel, I felt as if I was riding some wild animal with a mind of it's own. I would let out the sail as quickly as possible in order to get the boat flat. This year, I can't wait to get on a plane. Not sure when my instinct changed, but there certainly was a process to work through. Hang with it!
 
Based on my own daughter's experience, set yourself a capsize limit, and sail home when you hit it. Better to sail home with new experience than to push yourself too far. Set yourself wind/time/effort limits, and test those limits when you feel confortable and have support around you. Sailing is constant learning, and improvement. You will still see the olympic sailors doing their figure of eights and boat cirleing as part of their training schedules.

Also advise the race committee/fleet that you are new/nervous, and they should keep an eye on you
 
have confidence in yourself and think positively,

work your way up to the point where you feel comfortable,

work on improving your boathandling,

remember that it will feel good to conquer your feer
 
Hi, new here and pretty new to Laser sailing and was interested in this topic. Last week I was out on the water alongside a young woman who was suffering from a confidence block. This seemed to be for a few key reasons that might be of interest:

a) She thought she wasn't doing well, despite being on her first few sessions and the rest of us being just a tiny bit more experienced (and therefore confident). She was actually doing fine considering the number of sailing hours she had done.

b) The wind up a bit compared to her previous experience (up to F4) and everything seemed out of control. Even with a few wraps in her Pico sail, she didn't really feel in control and in more wind everything happens a deal quicker. I had a chat to her at lunchtime and tried to build her up a bit plus suggested that she ask the instructor to take a bit more sail out. Some days, kiddies go out in Toppers with a sail that looks like a G string stretched on the spars.

Conversely for me, I'd only really been in the Laser 1 on F2/3 or less days and was a bit bored of being cramped up. Well, as it was pretty sensible first thing I went out with the full sail which was fine until it picked up and I spent all my time fighting to stay out of the water. A fight I lost at one point. I decided I needed to come back and get rid of some cloth but things were hotting up and beating back up to the pontoon was quite a thing when all I could manage was to lie-to and make sure I didn't drift into anything or go swimming again.

Going back out with the Radial was no picnic but more suited to my current skill level and I had a fun and exciting time.

I'd say that F4 is not a breeze when you are learning, if you'll excuse the pun, and to not be afraid to reduce sail or go out in lighter winds when things happen a lot slower until confidence in boat handling abilities is restored.

You don't learn much when you spend most of the day in the water staring at the underside of the boat.

Good luck.
 
I'd say 8-10kts is perfect for learning and building confidence,

it might also be good to sail with an experienced sailor in heavy air, I taught junior sailing on donated lasers a few years ago and at least one day it was gusting 25kts,

I took the students out one at a time, they did the main if they were up to it, they had a blast!

when you have a positive experience it will really help you overcome your fear

40883_449443043199_5770792_n.jpg
 
Hi everybody! That you for all the comments that you've been sending to me and all the other people!

I just wanted to give you a little update of my sailing 'fear' since last weekend.
Last weekend i went sailing on my club, and it actually went really really well! On saturdaymorning i sailed in a class with some more people from my age(im almost 16 btw) (1 in a laser, 1 in a splash and a few in rsfeva's) (. The wind was about 4 bft with gusts 5/6 bft and because i had gotten some tricks about hiking (such as legs almost straight, etc) i didn't capsize at all (in 3 hours of sailing). And enjoyed it a lot!

On sunday i participated in a clubrace. I wasn't that afraid after my experience the day before. The wind was on that sunday around 6 bft. All the coaches (that train the childten at my club) capsized a lod! While they are experienced sailors. That sunday we sailed 3 races. In my laser youth class only participated 2 people, including me. I capsized around 8 times that day, but i really enjoyed sailing. It really felt like i had all the power of the world.

Im going to sail rhis saturday again and im really looking forward to it! As nervous and afraid i was a week a go (i would say an 8,5 on a scale of 10) that relaxed iam now (like a 1,5 on a scale of 10)

I would really like to thank you for helping me to get a lot more confidence and fun in sailing! And maybe even overcoming my fear. So thank you a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!

Johanna
 
Well done. On really windy days my 13 yr old hums to herself 'slow and steady wins the race' as everyone else capsizes around her.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top