Australian Sailing Keelboat: Start Helming

Start Helming is the second course on Australian Sailing's keelboat pathway, where you move from working the ropes to steering the boat. It develops both the theory and the practical skills to take the helm with confidence, while you keep building your crew skills.

Who it suits

• Graduates of Start Crewing (minimum age 16)
• Regular crew on club or twilight boats who want to steer with confidence
• Sailors who plan to skipper a keelboat and need the helming foundations first
• Anyone who wants to understand why the boat does what it does, not just follow orders

The prerequisites are that you are water confident and have the skills from Start Crewing.

What you'll actually do

The recommended length is about 12 hours. You'll spend much of the time on the helm, steering upwind and downwind, holding a course and making tacks and gybes while the crew works the sails. You'll also get practice at close-quarters handling. Instructors usually take turns with each student, so you'll also crew for others and see the boat from both sides. Briefings cover how sails generate power, how to read the wind and how the helm and crew communicate.

Key ideas explained

• Steering to the wind: upwind, you steer as close to the wind as the sails allow, using the headsail telltales. If the windward ones lift or flutter, bear away slightly. If the leeward ones stall, head up. Downwind, you watch for the boom and avoid an accidental gybe.
• Weather helm: most keelboats want to turn into the wind as they heel. A little weather helm gives good feel, but a lot means the boat is overpowered. Easing the mainsheet or traveller, or reefing, brings it back into balance.
• Controlled gybe: the helm calls the gybe, the mainsheet is pulled in towards the centreline, the stern turns through the wind, and the main is eased out smoothly on the new side. This stops the boom crashing across.
• Reading the wind: dark patches (ripples) on the water show gusts coming. Watch where they are and plan to ease the sails or steer before they arrive.
• Rules of the road: a sailing boat on port tack gives way to one on starboard tack, windward gives way to leeward, and an overtaking boat keeps clear. Generally, give large and commercial vessels a very wide berth in channels.

Where it fits

• Before: Start Crewing
• This course: confident helming, plus continued crew development
• Next: Start Skippering, which needs both Start Crewing and Start Helming skills

Helming skills from this course are broadly comparable to parts of RYA Competent Crew and ASA 101 Keelboat Sailing. The formats differ and there is no official equivalence.

Getting ready

• Before the course, run through your Start Crewing notes, especially the points of sail and tacking calls.
• Spend some time crewing between courses. The more you watch good helms, the faster you learn.
• Wear layers, a waterproof jacket, sun protection and non-marking deck shoes. Gloves help on long helming sessions.
• If you get seasick, remember that steering often helps, because you're watching the horizon. Still, take your usual precautions.
• Ask the centre whether the boat has a tiller or a wheel. Both work on the same principle but feel different.

Good to know in Australia

Busy harbours and waterways have ferries, commercial traffic and sometimes local speed limits or exclusion zones. Before you sail anywhere new, check local rules with your state's maritime authority.