The Khataw family, three generations, took first place in the August 9 sailboat race during their sailing class!
Mom, Dad and three daughters rented three Sunfish for the day of August 2. A quick lesson from David had them sailing all over the lake.
The Wallace Family finished the July 17/18 class by sailing the 4 sunfish together. Mack and Melanie gave their sons Trey and Jack a family vacation they'll remember
the rest of their lives.
Dave Rodowick flew over from France for the June 4/5 class
Pasha, Tammy and Dwayne enjoyed a brisk wind during a May class
Jen and Steve were such fast learners they had time to take Jen's parents for a ride during the May 3-4 class!
Bruce and Jane loved the April 29-30 class and are ready to enjoy their new Catalina 25
Gorday and Jane had a cloudy class with great wind April 21 and 22
Steve, Melissa, Roy and Jake all had a great time the weekend of April 19 and 20
Steve, Martha and Bill sailed in the April 5th club races during the class with David and took 3rd place.
Chris, Kelly and Hal, class of Mar 15, 16. Great family who ALL are sailors now!
Jim, class of Feb 27 and 28, another great student!
Mossy, class of Feb 22 and 23, 2003, qualified to rent our Flying Scot and Catalina 25
Jamie, class of Feb 3rd and 4th, 2003
Jamie, who had never sailed before, also qualified to rent both the Flying Scot and the Catalina 25 after his two day class, as all the students have.
Learn to sail for $200, two day sailing class, all boats and equipment
provided! Classes are limited to 4 students maximum. Private sailing
lessons also available. Children welcome! Looking
forward to meeting you in 2004!
"Something about sailing a boat brings so many senses and sensations
into play that it's very difficult to pinpoint what it is, specifically,
that makes me like it so much: the sight of sails and sheets overhanging
the water; the foam and spray flying as the bow cuts the water; the
motion of the boat; the physical and mental ballet necessay to handle
the boat correctly. A sailboat might just be the most beautiful, sensuous,
and intelligent blend of man/machine/elements that exists in the world
today. The relationship between the three is the most harmonious I have
experienced so far. Besides, you can have a beer while you do it."
-Quote taken from the 'net!
"Winter" is here in Central Texas! Central Texas winter, almost an oxymoron. Daytime highs are averaging in the 60's, today it was 81 (January 8). Two days ago I woke to temps below 30 and the high was 35, so sometimes we even think about insulating our pipes! We think about it, but we rarely actually do it. It's really quite nice most days, even in Febuary and March. Check our local forecast to see what the weather is like this week. We have two day classes 3 times a week. Call Sandyland at 325 388 4521 to register for the class or to reserve a room. While Sandyland is presently closed for renovation, sailing classes continue and rooms are available for sailing students. Details farther down the page. Classes are filling up so reserve your spot early.
My name is David Luckenbach. I'm an American Sailing Association
Certified Instructor and have been teaching people to sail for 40 years,
from Sunfish to keelboats and windsurfers too. I teach at Sandyland Resort
on Lake LBJ, and
give private lessons on other area lakes. Sandyland is not an ASA school,
so we are unable to give ASA certificates. If you want to learn how to
SAIL, you want ME to be one of your instructors. I will not just teach
you how to sail, I will teach you how to be a sailor! When you are in
my class I will do my best to teach you everything I have learned about
sailing during the last 40 years. My students have NEVER been disappointed,
and ALWAYS tell me they have learned MUCH more than they expected. The
Learn to Sail
section of my bookstore has the 10 books I like the best. We humans use
books to pass on knowledge we have learned, if you only buy one, get the
first one.
A good way to test your sailing knowledge is to practice taking the
Coast Guard Captains test. To take the test for free online click here
To get an idea of how the sail propels the boat check out the National Geographic Sailing Simulator
To learn the racing rules of sailing, go to the International Sailing
Federations new animated casebook and callbook. It is WELL worth
the time to learn how to use it. When you look at a case, it will list
the rules above, just point at a rule's name with the mouse to read
it. Seeing the boats moving really brings the rules to life!
What does it mean to be a sailor? We have weekend classes and weekday packages that include a room and
meals, but also offer private lessons any day of the week with reservations.
Enjoy a two day sailing package at Sandyland, arrive the day before
for a good nights sleep, or come early for sailing lessons, your lakeside
room overlooking the lake, a wonderful breakfast and more lessons the
next day, for a very reasonable fee. Swimming pool and all other amenities
of Sandyland Resort are
included.
WEEKEND beginner classes are Saturday and Sunday every
week. WEEKDAY classes are Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Thursday each week.
Limited to 4 students, these intensive classes of two 8 hour days are
designed to teach you how to sail safely and well. 9AM to 5Pm with a one
hour break for lunch with the instructor. Classroom AND on the water instruction,
with the emphasis on the water. This course includes: SAILING TECHNIQUES AND MUCH MORE! WEEKDAY Classes are Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Thursday of each week.
David has taught windsurfing, sailing, math, physics, and computer
science at Southwest Missouri State University and will bring his extensive
teaching experience to determine exactly WHAT it is you need to learn
to be a sailor, and he will emphasize that for each student. He is a
certified American Sailing Association Instructor and has never had
a disappointed student.
We will use 14 foot Sunfish (weather permitting) and a 19 foot Flying
Scot family racing boat during the course, or we can use your boat.
The advantages and disadvantages of each type of boat, and how they
sail differently, is an important part of this course. Our goal is to
teach you to be a sailor, so you can sail ANY sailboat, not just one.
Let me try to explain. We humans are tool users. We use a hammer to
drive a nail, without the hammer we cannot drive a nail, but with one
as an extension of our arm we can. Our tools allow us to do things that
we cannot do with our body alone, they are "extensions" of our bodies.
An airplane extends our body quite a bit, allowing us to fly. A bicycle
allows us to travel over 30 mph, a tool that is fitted exactly to our
bodies that allows us to travel faster than with our body alone.
A sailboat is also a tool, an extension of our body, that allows us
to fly through the air AND glide across the water AT THE SAME TIME.
You can think of it as a combination of a glider and a boat. It can
be a very large machine, and yet be controlled by one human. Like any
tool, to learn to use a sailboat is not just facts. To learn to be a
sailor, tap into the knowledge base that we humans have already learned.
Read books, take lessons from those who have spent years sailing and
teaching, and join a sailing club! To sail WELL, to be a GOOD sailor,
requires not just facts and practice, it does requires time. Time spent
at the tiller, and time spent thinking about the time at the tiller.
To sail well is an art, with some science mixed in. The ability, and
the joy of sailing, comes with knowledge, practice, and communicating
with other sailors (hopefully with good sailors!). Sailors are always
ready to share their knowledge. Take some lessons, with more than one
instructor, you will learn different skills with each one. We humans
have been sailing AGAINST the wind for only a few hundred years, and
we are still gaining knowledge about how to do it well. Come share in
what we sailing humans have learned so far, and be part of the increase
in sailing knowledge!
BASIC KNOWLEDGE:
1: Sailboat safe operating procedures.
2: Texas safety requirements.
3: Knots and how they are used.
4: Types of ropes and lines (how they differ and why different ones
are used for different things).
5: How to properly secure your boat to the dock.
6: Right of way rules.
NOT just how to tack and gybe, but also:
WHY sails work!
How to get where you want to go
The proper way to heave to
Man overboard recovery
Using the sails to steer
