Chapter 735 - 342: Blue Water Sailing Academy (Part 2)

Chapter 735: Chapter 342: Blue Water Sailing Academy (Part 2)

Captain Mike’s brow immediately furrowed, and the professional smile on his face waned. Just as he was about to refuse, Riven cut in with interest, asking, "Live stream? Like on Twitch? There will be a lot of people watching you learn to tie a knot?"

There wasn’t any obvious opposition in her tone, more of a curiosity typical of young people.

"That’s about right," Lin Yu’an admitted, "I promise the equipment won’t interfere with the teaching, and I’m willing to pay extra."

"Lin, my primary responsibility is the safety of you and my boat," Mike interrupted sternly, "Sailing lessons require absolute focus. If you get distracted by reading comments or make unnecessary moves for the sake of the stream, you’re creating danger. I can’t allow that."

"I understand," Lin Yu’an calmly met his scrutinizing gaze, "You can treat the streaming equipment as a non-existent recorder. I won’t interact with the audience while operating the boat, and all my attention will be on you and the boat."

Riven observed Lin Yu’an, noticing that in this man’s eyes, there was no trace of frivolity or showiness, only a steadiness beyond his years. She turned to her father.

"Dad, I think we can give it a try," she said, "We can start with the theory class and dock exercises. If he can maintain focus as he says, we can proceed to the next step. If not, we reserve the right to stop at any time."

"And... honestly, letting more people see what real ASA sailing lessons are like might be the best free advertisement our academy could ever have."

Captain Mike looked at his daughter, then at Lin Yu’an. He trusted his daughter’s judgment.

"Alright," he finally relented, though his tone remained firm, "I agree to a trial run, but I have strict conditions."

"First, safety comes first. My orders are absolute and must be executed immediately."

"Second, if I feel the live stream affects safety in any way, I will terminate it immediately, no room for negotiation."

"Third, we won’t accept extra money, but you can donate that amount to the Florida Ocean Society."

"Agreed." Lin Yu’an’s respect for the father and daughter’s professionalism and integrity grew.

"Great," Captain Mike pointed to the table in the center of the classroom, "Then, Riven will handle your first part of shore theory classes. She’s better at making dry knowledge interesting than this old man. I’ll go prepare the boat. See you at the dock in an hour."

With that, Captain Mike turned and left the room, leaving the classroom to Lin Yu’an and Riven.

Riven walked to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and smoothly wrote today’s title: "ASA 101 - Day 1".

She looked back at Lin Yu’an, her gaze focused and professional, "Lin, before we start, you need to clearly know what you’re up against today."

"Learning to sail is a systematic project. We’ll break down the whole day’s content into several modules and tackle them one by one."

She began to clearly list today’s complete plan on the whiteboard, and with each item she wrote, she looked up at Lin Yu’an to explain its core purpose.

"Shore Theory Class (1 hour)"

"This is the foundation. I’ll help you build a 3D model of a sailboat in your mind, learn its language, understand its skeleton and muscles, and most importantly, understand how it interacts with the wind."

"Dock Exercises (1.5 hours)"

"After theory comes muscle memory." Her tone became more specific, "We’ll spend a lot of time on knots because knots are a sailor’s second language."

"Then, I’ll have you touch every rope and winch on the boat until you can find them with your eyes closed. My father will be with me to guide this session. He has almost perfectionist standards for correct actions."

"Engine Practice (1.5 hours)"

"Many people neglect the engine, and that’s a fatal mistake." Riven’s expression became serious, "In narrow harbors, the engine is your master."

"My father will teach you how to maneuver the boat under engine power, like taming a gentle wild beast, to leave the berth, advance, retreat, and turn precisely. This part will be quite dry but extremely important."

"At noon, we’ll have a short lunch break on the boat for about 45 minutes."

"First Sail Hoist (2.5 hours)" ℴ

"This is the real focus of today," Riven’s eyes gleamed, "We’ll connect everything you’ve learned before. Hoist the sail, feel the power of the wind, and learn the basic wind angles."

"Then we’ll do a lot of tacking practice—upwind and downwind tacking, it’s like dancing ballet on the sea, requiring elegance and precision in timing and strength."

"Return and Docking (30 minutes)"

"Finally, the part that tests comprehensive abilities the most. We’ll lower the sails and rely on the engine to safely and steadily dock the boat back to its tiny berth. Many can sail a hundred miles out but can’t dock it back perfectly."

She put down the pen and turned around, the whiteboard filled with a full schedule, like today’s battle map.

"This is everything you need to conquer today," Riven looked at Lin Yu’an, "Each part has assessment standards, and if not met, we’ll repeat practice until it meets the standards. Any questions?"

"No, the plan is clear." Lin Yu’an nodded.

"Good, then you can prepare your live stream, and my class will start on time."