Sailing

How to Select a Sailboat Race Tactician

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Possibly the most skilled position on any race boat, the tactician can make or break your regatta... more »

How to Select a Trimmer for Your Sailboat Crew

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Skippering a boat is a tough job. A great trimmer can make skippers look good by working closely with them... more »

How to Select the Best Sails for your Boat

By Paul M. J. Suchecki

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Sail making is part art and science. Sails are made of individual panels sewn together to hold a curve created by the wind. Although sails today are designed on a computer, they are still for the most part sewn by hand. Your choice in sails is ... more »

How to Set a Mark When Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Although most sailors avoid race committees like the plague, some know that understanding the intricacies of race management is the key to competitive success. Setting course marks is just one of many tasks a committee boat tackles... more »

How to Set the Backstay on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The backstay is part of the standing rigging that runs from the masthead to the stern of a sailboat. The main function of the backstay is to provide aft-oriented tension to counter the forward tension of the foresail and forestay. On boats with ... more »

How to Signal Your Intent to Overtake or Pass a Boat

By chippreid

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There is nothing like a sunny, warm day to bring out the boaters. The thing is, the nicer the day, the more boaters come out. In the wink of an eye, boats of all sorts and sizes can clog a once-empty channel. Some of these boaters are in a ... more »

How to Skipper a Catamaran

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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As the skipper of a catamaran your job is to manage the crew and take responsibility for the safety and course of the boat and people on board. Sailing a catamaran requires that you manage your boat crew well and that everyone knows their tasks ... more »

How to Spy on Your Fellow America's Cup Competitors

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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"Even with our close quarters here we still have barbed-wire fences, security codes, guards, skirts and sheds," says Tucker Thompson of America True. "Just pay attention to what others are doing and saying. You can learn something about your ... more »

How to Start a Sailboat Engine

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Many people are surprised to learn that some sailboats have motors. These motors are incredibly important, especially while docking. Knowing how to properly start your sailboat's engine is just as important as knowing how to work the sails ... more »

How to Stay Aboard When Boating

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Don't be afraid to rock the boat - here are ways you can keep from falling overboard... more »

How to Steer a Sailboat With the Sails

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Steering a course with just the sails works only if the wind is 10 to 15 knots and steady, the direction doesn’t change more than 5 degrees at a time and you can balance and set the tiller and sails just right. This also won't work on every ... more »

How to Steer a Sailboat With the Tiller

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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If your boat uses a tiller as a steering system, you must learn to use it before heading out to open water. Here are the steps... more »

How to Steer With the Tiller and Rudder on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailboats are steered much the same way that any other boat is steered, through the tiller and rudder assembly. The instinct of most people is to steer a boat the same way that they would steer a car. A sailboat is steered in exactly the opposite ... more »

How to Stop a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Novice sailors often want to know where the brakes are located on a sailboat. Unfortunately, stopping a sailboat requires a careful application of technique and a bit of knowledge of how the wind and boat work together. To learn to stop a ... more »

How to Store a Catamaran

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Correctly storing a catamaran extends the life of the boat by many years. Keeping the boat in a controlled environment where it is not vulnerable to corrosion and damage will help you protect your boating investment while making your life easier. ... more »

How to Store a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Storing your sailboat correctly is just as important as sailing the boat the right way. Poor storage methods and conditions can create dangerous flaws in the boat and cut the boat's effective lifespan in half. If you are looking to store your ... more »

How to Tack a Catamaran

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Successfully tacking a catamaran is one of the most difficult moves in dinghy sailing. The boat's 2 hulls demand that you build speed and maintain power through the tack. Speed and power, however, are not enough to complete the task, since a ... more »

How to Tack a Sail Boat

By Grant Madden

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The wind in your hair, a boat churning through the water - what better way to spend a day on the water. Except ... where you want to go is over there. How do you turn the boat where you want to go?.. more »

How to Tack a Sailboat

By chippreid

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There are two ways to turn a boat when sailing, tacking and jibing. Tacking is turning the bow of the boat through the wind and jibing is turning the stern through the wind. Tacking is the usual turning maneuver when sailing into the wind. It’s ... more »

How to Tack a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Tacking a sailboat is an essential skill in the sport of sailing. Since sailors are at the mercy of the wind (and wind direction), you need to know how to tack expertly in order to sail an upwind course. While it's not the easiest thing, tacking ... more »

How to Tack in a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailboats move fastest when the wind is behind them, pushing them along (this is known as "running"). When a boat sails into the wind, it does so by "tacking" back and forth across the gusts in a zigzag pattern. Follow these steps to understand ... more »

How to Tack in Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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While sailing, you want to go in a specific direction. But the wind is blowing from over there and you can't sail into the wind. You had better know how to tack if you have a hope of going in that direction. Beating against the wind is the most ... more »

How to Take a Class to Understand Latitude and Longitude

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing is an ancient art, and there are skills and whole trades to master along the way if you are planning to become a sailor. The best way to learn is to take as many classes as possible, like a class on latitude and longitude to help you ... more »

How to Take a Class With a Community Sailing Program

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing is a great sport and great fun as well. For a quick and fun class, check out your local community sailing programs, which might offer cheaper classes than clubs as well as a looser environment. Do not expect to learn everything about ... more »

How to Take Sailing Classes

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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What better way to relax than to glide across glistening water on a beautiful day in a sailboat. At the same time, sailing is great exercise and a fun sport. Take sailing classes to meet others who enjoy the sport while learning important sailing ... more »

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