Two Day Practice on Beneteau 36.7 "Crocodile"

We sailed two really solid days on Crocodile, a Benateau 36.7 owned by Bruce Dawson in Wickford, RI. He graciously loaned us the boat for two days of training.

DAY ONE focused on the crew work with an emphasis on repitition and building consistency. Many of us hadn't been sailing symetrical boats all summer and needed a day to get the moves down. We broke the day into three different sessions starting with everyone in their normal positions, then crew rotation, then back to regular positions. The crew rotation was intended to make everyone aware of how all of the positions affected each oter. Joe Mello came onboard to help coach.

DAY TWO was off to a slower start due to the breeze and lingering soreness from the previous days caning but as the sea breeze began to fill around one o'clock the "Crocodile" jumped to life. We were fortunate enough to have Rome Kirby trimming main and giving insight about maneuvers. We saw 12-16 knots on the west passage and used every bit of it as we drilled "set-gybes", "mexicans", gybes and tacks. Team dinners after each day let us unwind from the time on the water and soak up everything that we learned each day.


A great experience and THANK YOU to Bruce Dawson for making it possible.