LearnToSail.Net has released Learn to Sail with Multimedia VOL I, an Interactive Sailing Training CDROM. This beginner sailing program is designed to teach and give aspiring sailors a jump start on their sailing education investment.

"Most beginner sailors arrive cold turkey for sailing lessons not knowing anything.  They have registered and sent their money in.   They sincerely want to learn to sail and have high hopes that the sailing course they have selected will teach them well.  This CDROM, used as a preliminary course, will educate them on foreign sailing topics and terms in advance so that they can get the most out of their investment."

Structured to follow the order of a typical sailing course, Learn to Sail with Multimedia VOL I starts the beginner with Parts of a Boat,  Wind Theory, Balance and moves on to other topics such as The Points of Sail, Leaving Docks and Moorings, Tacking, Person Overboard Techniques, Righting a Capsize, Knots and Anchoring.  These topics are taught using Narration, Animation and Digital Video.  There is a Nautical Dictionary, Sailing Terms Glossary and Quiz. The user is free to move around the program as she or he pleases, at whatever pace they set.

Learn to Sail with Multimedia VOL I is a subset of Learn to Sail with Multimedia VOL II.  This CDROM, which includes VOL I, also has Rules of the Road, Weather, Coastal Navigation, Advanced Topics with Spinnaker Trim, Quizzes and an extensive Knots and Cordage section.

Both programs are designed to run on all versions of Windows and are easy to install.

Sailing instructional software is a useful tool and beneficial  to those who want to learn or brush up on their skills.  Sailing maneuvers can be taught and practiced anytime of year and conveniently at home.  The user controls the pace and level of learning.  This allows more time to absorb new information.  When it is time for those hands on summer classes, the educated beginner, familiar with terms and technique, will have a greater return on investment.