RECREATION IN SAN DIEGO : Sabot Sailing: Serving High Seas to the Masses

Usually it’s the parents who try to get their children involved in recreational activities.

In sabot sailing, it’s often the reverse.

In the late 1960s, Betty Barr’s three children wanted to try sailing with the San Diego Yacht Club. It didn’t take long for mom to follow suit.

Like the children, she learned on a sabot, a small, wooden boat that resembles a wooden shoe. The sabots are 8 feet long with one sail, and they weigh about 95 pounds.

Barr is now considered one of San Diego County’s finest female sailors. She recently won the San Diego division of the Adam’s Cup, the top sailing event in the nation for women, using a 24-foot boat.

But mention sabots to Barr and she immediately lights up.

“The exciting thing is that young kids can do it, middle-aged people can do it, older people can do it, grandmothers can do it, anybody can do it,” said Barr, 46, a registered nurse at Grossmont Hospital. “It’s really wonderful because there is such a variety of people who can participate and be competitive.”

Because of the boat’s small size, sabot sailors don’t need to be terribly strong to stay in control.

Sabots, which were designed in Naples, Calif., in 1946, are often used to teach the basics of sailing. Some of the best racing skippers in the world, including America’s Cup winner Dennis Conner of San Diego--began their sailing careers in sabots because of the skills learned while guiding the small crafts.

And once children learn, parents often follow.

Barr is a member of a group of women who have been sailing weekly since 1969. They call themselves the Sexy Sailing Sabot Set, which includes women of varying ages and occupations who meet every Tuesday at the San Diego Yacht Club for a day of racing. Many of the original members--there are about 25 women in the group--still race weekly.

“If I wasn’t sailing every Tuesday, I would probably be at home defrosting my refrigerator or cleaning my oven,” said Jane Kenny, one of the club founders. “It’s just a nice day for the mothers to get out. It’s mainly for recreation. Some people like to go out and bat a tennis ball around a court. We like to race sailboats.”

Said Barr: “I love just getting out and being on the water. I love the companionship, too, because when we sail or race, it is really special. It’s good to be out with nature and with people.”

The races, although friendly, are often rigorous events. The serious sailor is often changing position, yanking on the mast and leaning with her back skipping across the water to maneuver the boat.

But it is not a sport that can be immediately learned. There are a variety of factors that the sabot sailor must take into consideration while on the water.

The wind is an ever-changing force that the sabot sailor must watch. Experienced sailors such as Barr and Kenny can watch the surface of the bay to determine wind shifts.

During a race, a sailor’s eyes are continually racing back and forth to check on what the other sailors are doing and what her own boat is doing.

“Mentally, you have to work very hard, because you have to figure out where to go, what to do, what the other sailors are doing and what your sails are doing,” Barr said. “You also have to be watching the water so you can see if the wind is coming from a different direction and how you are going to react to it. You have to think about that before it gets to you or you get to it.

“You have to sort all of this out and figure out how to best go out and win a race. Those are the components, then you have to add your strategy.”

Much of what Barr learned while sabot racing has helped her in other forms of sailing. In the Adam’s Cup, Barr uses a 24-foot boat called a J-24.

“As far as your basic knowledge of sailing, it is the same,” Barr said. “As a matter of fact, I have raced Dennis (Conner) in the sabots, and he was masterful. I could get ahead of him because I weigh 100 pounds less, but that was many years ago.

“With the J-24, that is very exciting sailing because you are flying spinnakers and you are doing everything the America’s Cup crew is doing. And you really have to have teamwork. So it’s been fun to experience that as well as the solo racing.”

Barr added that the big difference between sailing a J-24 and a sabot is the crew size. A J-24 carries a crew of four. The sabot sailor is captain and crew because the boat is too small for more than one adult.

Racers, however, are not the only sabot sailors. The majority of people sailing sabots do it as an economical way to get out on the water and relax. A new sabot can cost between $1,000 and $1,500.

But Kenny, who also teaches sabot sailing, recommends that beginners start with a used boat, which can usually be found for $300 to $500.

Sabots are relatively easy to set up for sailing. In 20 minutes, the boat can be unloaded from its trailer, or the top of a car or truck, and the required rigging can be completed.

“It’s portable and inexpensive,” Kenny said.

Learning how to sail a sabot can take anywhere from two weeks to two years, Kenny said. For the person who wants to know enough to be able to simply guide a boat around the bay, Kenny said two weeks is ample instruction. Learning to race, and be competitive, could take years.

“The basics of sailing are pretty simple,” Kenny said. “But when you get into the racing aspect, you’re just in a different ballpark all together. You have to maneuver the sails, judge the wind . . . these are not things you can learn overnight.”

Because strength is not an important factor, parents can compete against their children. On July 10, the San Diego Yacht Club will sponsor a nine-mile race for children and adults from the San Diego Yacht Club to the Coronado Yacht Club.

“It is so much fun because it is such a nice atmosphere,” Barr said. “Parents are competing against kids but in a really healthy, exciting way, where everybody is trying their hardest and we are all having fun.”

And the children have taken the lead.

THE FACTS ON . . . SABOT SAILING

WHERE TO SAIL Sabots can be sailed on a bay, a lake or any relatively calm stretch of water. Since they are so small, sabots can be launched from just about any location.

LESSONS

The Mission Bay Sports Center offers a one-week course for children that runs three hours a day. The basics of sailing, wind, knots and boating rules are taught. The cost is $90 and includes a boat and all equipment. The sports center offers instruction for adults, charging $14 an hour plus boat rental of $7 a day. The Mission Bay Aquatic Center offers a 20-hour instruction program. The cost is $62 for the general public and $39 for San Diego State and UC San Diego students. Many of the county’s yacht clubs offer lessons for members and nonmembers, and prices vary for each club.

COSTS A new sabot ranges in price from $1,000 to $1,500. A used sabot usually costs from $300 to $500. Included with the sabot is the boat, a mast, sail and rigging.

CLOTHING No special attire is needed, but keep in mind that the small boats can take on water under choppy conditions. Most sailors wear shorts and a jacket. Sunglasses are a must.

EQUIPMENT

Besides the mast, sail and rigging, most sailors carry an oar as well as equipment to scoop out water from the boat, usually a plastic jug with the top cut off. Sabot sailors must carry a life preserver on board. Racers often use special pumps or large sponges to quickly rid the boat of water.

IDEAL CONDITIONS

The best conditions are 8 to 10 knots of wind, sunny skies and relatively calm water. In San Diego, the sport can be enjoyed year-round.