Reinforcing sail instruction anywhere

One of the problems facing US sailing schools giving sail instruction is that most of the core skills must be learned by actually doing them. Once a student leaves the boat, there is little they can do to build their understanding of sails and the wind except read books. Captain Josie, owner of the Adventure Cruising and Sailing School in Florida, sought to supplement her sail education programs with a tool that would help all types of learners gain an intrinsic understanding of the relationship between the wind and sails. After researching how people learn in her sailing classes and examining the skills sailing requires, she developed the innovative Sailing Wind Wheel.

The SWW is truly the ultimate aid when learning to sail. Education professionals have determined that some people, most women for example, are primarily visual learners while others, such as children, gain the most from exploring items they can manipulate. The SWW is designed to allow users to see the no-sail zone and the angle between vessels and the wind in a way that resembles a pie chart. Other visual cues, such as color coding the port and starboard sides, are also included in the design. The representation of the vessels can be turned as can the sails, allowing learners to twist and explore how sails must be set to achieve the desired sailing direction. The combination of manipulative and visual benefits not only allows instructors to teach points of sail and other concepts on dry land, it also makes the Sailing Wind Wheel the ultimate sail instruction aid.