Theory Practice Session - Clubhouse session

TPS Session 2025

This session is clubhouse based and is a whole-day session for the price of a half-day.  What we will be covering this day includes the following

• Sharing some less common but useful knots for the marine environment (bring a 2m length of string or rope if you have such.  Bring a favourite knot or way to tie a familiar knot)
• Passage plan Walter's trip to North Berwick (bring any pilot books, almanacs, chart table instruments etc that you have)
• Some time doing boat maintenance on the club's vessels (bring work clothes, work-gloves etc)
• Marks, Lights, Shapes competition.  Big prizes offered to the winning team (well, a packet of Tunnocks Caramel Wafers)
• TPS is group led, so don't be turning up expecting everything to be laid out for you.  Book on early and suggest a learning-point and email me so that it can be planned in.  Bring what you can contribute to that topic, even if it is just why the topic confuses you.

If you are unable to make it for the whole day, please email me after booking to let me know your times so that I can plan the day with you in mind.

General description

TPS is group-lead.  We pick a skipper-task for the session, probably one we're all supposed to know how to do, but haven't actually done before, or done on THIS boat.  When did you last recover a human-weight MOB... in heavy weather... at night?  And all the REAL challenges that presents.  This is why we practice these skills in TPS, so that you've got some familiarity for when you need it.

What we will do on each session depends on what the participants (you) have on the wish-list to practice.  After booking, email Scot Corrigan with the email detailed on the booking confirmation with practice suggestions.

In the past we have covered (and might revisit)

ON THE WATER PRACTICE 

• Man Over Board (MOB) recovery under sail, using a bucket and fender MOB and using Fred, the Club's 40kg dummy.
• Anchoring and weighing anchor under sail
• Reverse sailing
• Night sailing by lights on the Forth
• Calculating and TESTING a Course to Steer (CTS)
• Berthing under sail and leaving under sail
• Spinnaker flying
• Towing under sail
• Springing off a pontoon in adverse weather
• Berthing a boat to a pontoon single handed
• Creating a deviation card for a specific boat

Much more...

IN THE CLUBHOUSE PRACTICE

• How a 2 stroke works and common problems
• Passage planning for trips on the Forth
• Col Regs quiz
• Lights, marks, shapes quiz
• Knots, better knots, better ways and different ways to tie a familiar knot, knots from land trades that mariners should know

Last updated 2:06am on 15 March 2025