Get in the sloop by learning to sail in Abu Dhabi. Whether you’re a beginner or a regular Popeye, Watercooled at Hiltonia Beach Club offers two-day intensive classes.
Colourful flags that dot a marine sunset are peaceful and picturesque but don’t be fooled, as sailing is as challenging and rigorous as it is rewarding.
With its year-round sunshine and warm, clean waters, Abu Dhabi is a great place to learn how to sail. Watercooled at Hiltonia Beach Club offers courses ranging from complete beginners all the way to racers.
Sailing instructor Olivia Reilly says, ‘People taking the beginner course who have never sailed before get out on the water and after two days they’ve learned enough to rent a boat and practice on their own.’
The courses at Watercooled follow the curriculum of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), which is the national governing body of sailing.
Level one is for people who have never sailed before. Students learn theory such as how to leave a sailboat on a beach, then basic sailing practice. Two initial steps in learning how to sail the vessel are rigging and tacking. Rigging the boat is essentially putting the boat together, including putting the sails on the boat and raising them. Tacking refers to turning the boat throughout and across the wind – upwind and downwind.
The first level also includes a capsize drill where sailors tip the boat into the water and learn how to bring it back up – an essential skill for sailing.
Level two goes on to teach students how to handle a man overboard – so you learn how to safely rescue someone if they fall off the boat. Students taking this level also learn the five essential things to do to increase sailing speed.
These five elements include sail setting, or pulling the sail in and out; trim, when you adjust the sails to move the boat forward; keeping a good course and using the daggerboard or centreboard, a retractable rudder below the boat.
Finally, level three introduces students to racing rules, preparing them for more advanced sailing. Students who are looking to improve their skills may also want to try one of Watercooled’s advanced modules which includes seamanship skills, day sailing and sailing with spinnakers – sails that extend from the front of the boat.
The courses also teach students about the weather, which has a direct effect on your sailing experience and dictates the kinds of clothing and safety equipment you need on the boat. Instructors remind students to find out the weather forecast from newspapers, radio or apps, and explain how to predict conditions that would not be in a typical weather forecast, including winds or tides – crucial for a sailing trip.
There are several types of sailboats for different levels and sailors. Beginners start on an RS Cuba, a one man, one sail vessel; or an RS Vision, which is a two-person boat with two to three sails. As sailors become more advanced, the boat becomes smaller and the sail becomes larger.
Another kind of sailing course that Watercooled offers teaches students how to sail a catamaran, a sailboat that has two hulls connected by a trampoline. But while these look easier to sail they can be more difficult to operate in high winds than a traditional sailboat.
The sailing courses – levels one, two and three and the advanced modules – cost Dhs1,500 and last two days. Courses are every weekend, though the levels rotate on demand. Level one is offered twice per month. For the full schedule, email bookingsauh@watercooleduae.com or call (02 639 5997).
Sailing lingo
You might not have your sea legs yet but at least talk the talk
Sloop – a small sailboat with one mast
Bow – the front of the boat
Stern – the back of the boat
Rudder – the moving fin below the boat
Centreboard – the fin at the bottom of the keel that balances the boat
Port – the left side of the boat when facing forward; is usually represented at night with a red light
Starboard – the right side of the boat when facing the front end, or the bow; is usually indicated by a green light at night
On-shore winds – wind that comes from the sea
Off- shore winds – wind that comes from land
Spinnaker – a type of sail used when sailing downwind or across wind
Hull – the body of the boat responisble for buoyancy
