Delta Lloyd Regatta - Arrival

On of the great things about all the traveling I get to do with my sailing is learning about new people, places and cultures. I never would have believed that I would have to travel all the way to Medemblik, Netherlands to learn how the simple sailing rule of starboard and port came about.

Here in Medemblik they sail some very traditional boats in very shallow water. To keep from constantly running aground, the boats were designed without a keel and with very shallow drafts (flat bottom). To keep the boats from sliding sideways, a leeboard was added. For those of you who did not grow up sailing sabots in southern California, a leeboard is like a centerboard on the side of the boat.

Now when you bring a big boat into port, you do not want to break off your leeboard on the dock, so you always tie the boat on one side – the PORT SIDE. When sailing, boats tend to heel over putting one side lower into the water. When on PORT TACK the leeboard is lower in the water, making the boat more maneuverable and on the other stack the leeboard is up in the air making boat handling difficult. Therefore, a boat on PORT TACK shall always keep clear of a boat on starBOARD TACK because she has more maneuverability.

I am sorry to say it took me more than 20 years of lessons and coaching to learn that!
I am in Medemblik sailing The Delta Lloyd Regatta which starts on Wednesday. So far things have been going well with beautiful weather and moderate breeze. The more normal Medemblik returns tomorrow with cold, rain and wind.