Barcelonasail Active Sailing
Barcelonasail Active Sailing is what we offer. But what does that mean?
Anybody who books a day sailing trip, the trip to El Masnou or our Day sail and Sunset trips, is very welcome to be part of the crew. It does not matter if you have sailing experience or none at all. Barcelonasail Active Sailing will introduce you to the wonderful world of sailing!
Is it safe to sail a boat?
Yes it is very safe and we have written an article on boat safety here.
Is it easy to sail a boat?
Yes and no! Let´s not go too deep into the details (experienced sailors exactly will understand, why…)! Let´s talk about the very very basic things: To sail a boat from point A to point B in nice weather conditions and if the wind direction fits to your track is “not a big thing” (as long, as there is a skilled skipper on board). What you need to do is to set the sails, adjust them to catch some wind and to steer the boat. After a little practice time, maybe some 10 minutes, you will get a feeling, how a the boat reacts to your action on the tiller (rudder).
The next thing is to make the boat sailing with good speed. Here it becomes a bit tricky! The key point is to find the right angle of the sails to the direction, where the wind is coming from. To say it in easy words: As more as the wind comes from the side you have to ease off the sails. As more as the wind comes from the front you have to haul tight the sails. If the wind comes from astern you have to ease off the sails as much as possible (do not sail an uncontrolled JIBE! We will explain this on board). During our sailing trips you will find enough time to play a bit with the angles and thanks to SY Samba, a very responsive boat, you will find out how it works instantly.
Sometimes your destination point B is exactly where the wind is coming from. Boats can´t sail against the wind. The sails always need some angle to catch wind. Samba can sail round about 35°-40° against the wind. But don´t worry. You will arrive at point B if you sail a “zick-zack” course. This is what we call tacking.
You notice that the boats heels more as you sail closer to the wind (close hauled). For first time sailors this may be a a bit scary, but don´t be afraid, our boat Samba will not capsize :-). You get used to it and you will enjoy it!
Of course there are much more things to comply with to sail a boat proper. It is always a mix off theoretical knowledge and much practice time. Sailing is also science and philosophy. But what we mentioned here is the very beginning of sailing. Barcelonasail Active Sailing will introduce you to the wonderful world of sailing!
For those who want more than a sail tour or sailing trip in Barcelona, it is best to start with smaller sail boats. There are various sail schools in Barcelona’s port Olimpic.
New Year Sailing 2016