Craft of Sail – NORA

This is a five-day course ending Friday

Other Sessions: June 29-July 5

Craft Of Sail is for folks who have some previous sailing experience, whether it comes from a seamanship program or personal involvement with boats. The course is designed for those who want to improve their skills on the water, particularly in the context of a cruising-sized vessel. Subjects include sail theory, hull and rig balance, helmsmanship, piloting in clear weather and fog, approaching and leaving floats and moorings, knots and rigging, man-overboard strategy, handling ground tackle, crew management; and, with those of our vessels that have power plants, maneuvering under power, and the rudiments of auxiliary engines and navigation instruments.

The seaman aspires to the mastery of many subjects, but the essence of the craft of sail is sea sense: the ability to tune in to a boat, the weather, and the crew, and apply good judgment so that all work together. Our instructors understand this, and they will help you to acquire that sense by sharing their own experiences and by encouraging you to think and feel a boat through various real and “what if” situations. With a maximum of five students, there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions and try tricks at the helm. There are numerous sailing schools out there, but few offer experience in cruising/charter-sized vessels like these—and none that we know of offer instruction by such experienced sailors on such lovely yachts.

NORA is Sparkman & Stephens design #1574. A wooden cruising/racing yawl, launched in July, 1961. She has cruised extensively up and down the east coast and participated in classic yacht regattas from Maine to Antigua.
The designer’s notes state that she is a modified version of WHITE CAPS (#1254) with reduced draft and accommodating a diesel engine.
Her construction is to an exceptional standard – on par with Nevins, Abeking & Rasmussen, or Walsteds. She is edge-glued mahogany over laminated oak frames and a Greenheart backbone. This means that she looks and feels exactly like a wooden boat should, but because there are no caulked seams, maintenance costs are greatly reduced and the bilge can stay dry.