Week 2 Reflection

I learned a lot this week. At the sail loft I continued to learn more about sewing and the process of making sails. One thing that I learned was how to make grommets. Grommets are the medal rings on the sail that are used to tie line on it like the reefs. They are made by hammering to rings together with the sail in between. I had no idea that they used such a simple process to make them. I felt like a caveman hammering with such a large mallet. It was actually really fun to make. I also learned how to make tell tails, which require the same tools to make them. I continued to learn different techniques of sewing. I have been able to do so by all of the different things that I have sewn. The more experience the better I get. I have been able to sew a little faster because I have gotten better. I have also been making fewer mistakes, so I don’t have to go back and fix them as often. I liked what I learned this week at the sail loft because it was stuff that I never really knew about before. They were practical things that I can use when I am sailing and instructing. I also started to make a big bag, which I will continue to work on this coming week. I am glad that we started to make them because we had to plan them out on a piece of paper, which is what you have to do for making sails. It really helped give the feel of the process of making sails. I think Ben gave us the project just for that reason. A bag is simple but it still needs to be planned out and with the time we have left it works out perfectly. I also learned a lot about boating this week because I had to study for the exam. I learned a lot of stuff like, requirements, safety, navigation and parts of the boat. I liked learning about some of the stuff because I will increase my knowledge for my job this summer. Some of the stuff that I learned about for the boating exam was kind of annoying too because it was just common sense. I also knew a few things already, which was nice because it made me feel more comfortable with the material. I did a lot of studying so I really hope that the exam goes well and I am able to pass. This weeks studying will hopefully help me pass the exam. It will also help me gain more knowledge to be a better sailor and boat handler. I am looking forward to learning more during my final week of senior project. I can’t believe it has almost been three weeks already!