The skipper also steers the boat as mentioned before. While holding the tiller in one hand, he or she is able to steer the rudder. In the skipper's other hand of course, the main sheet will be held. The skipper is in charge of the boat, and is in charge of telling the crew what to do. Things like when it tacks, how tight or far the sails are, etc. They are very educated as far as the rules of sailing (which there are a lot of). They have to be able to know right of ways, etc.
As the crew, you are in charge of the jib sail and the centerboard. You have to take commands from the skipper, as far as those go. there are jib sheets and fairleads (which are cleats and keep the ropes in place) on either side of the boat. When sailing, you always have those two ropes in your hands. As far as the centerboard goes, you really only adjust it when leaving and returning to shore. However, on a very light wind day, the skipper may tell the crew to pull the centerboard up while sailing, to create less friction with the water.
Some very important terms in sailing are tacking, jibing, and roll tacking. Tacking is when you switch the sails from one side of the boat to the other, and you shift the weight of the boat as well. While tacking, the skipper will say "tacking in 3,2,1..." and then it will happen. And when it does happen, you have to go to the other side of the boat as soon as possible so that the boat doesn't capsize (fall over). Jibing is the same thing as tacking however, it is much quicker and without a 3,2,1... I like to think of it as an emergency tack.
Roll tacking is tacking, and the definition is in the word itself. You roll the boat. The point of this kind of tack is to loose as little speed as possible. While in the process, the skipper will say "tacking in 3,2,1... HIT" and the hit is when the skipper and crew will simultaneously slam all of their body weight onto one side of the boat, then quickly go up onto the other side. The less wind there is on the certain day, the more likely the sailors will roll tack.
It is truly amazing how much the weight on the boat makes a difference. You always want to even out the boat so that it is flat on the water (not heeling). The boats go faster this way.
Heeling is when the sailboat is leaning up onto a certain side in the water. Sailors want to avoid this as much as possible. In this event, the sailors will hike, which means they will lean their body weight as much as they can, over the side of the boat that is heeling out of the water.
As the crew, you are in charge of the jib sail and the centerboard. You have to take commands from the skipper, as far as those go. there are jib sheets and fairleads (which are cleats and keep the ropes in place) on either side of the boat. When sailing, you always have those two ropes in your hands. As far as the centerboard goes, you really only adjust it when leaving and returning to shore. However, on a very light wind day, the skipper may tell the crew to pull the centerboard up while sailing, to create less friction with the water.
Some very important terms in sailing are tacking, jibing, and roll tacking. Tacking is when you switch the sails from one side of the boat to the other, and you shift the weight of the boat as well. While tacking, the skipper will say "tacking in 3,2,1..." and then it will happen. And when it does happen, you have to go to the other side of the boat as soon as possible so that the boat doesn't capsize (fall over). Jibing is the same thing as tacking however, it is much quicker and without a 3,2,1... I like to think of it as an emergency tack.
Roll tacking is tacking, and the definition is in the word itself. You roll the boat. The point of this kind of tack is to loose as little speed as possible. While in the process, the skipper will say "tacking in 3,2,1... HIT" and the hit is when the skipper and crew will simultaneously slam all of their body weight onto one side of the boat, then quickly go up onto the other side. The less wind there is on the certain day, the more likely the sailors will roll tack.
It is truly amazing how much the weight on the boat makes a difference. You always want to even out the boat so that it is flat on the water (not heeling). The boats go faster this way.
Heeling is when the sailboat is leaning up onto a certain side in the water. Sailors want to avoid this as much as possible. In this event, the sailors will hike, which means they will lean their body weight as much as they can, over the side of the boat that is heeling out of the water.