Sailing

How to Balance Weight on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Proper weight distribution is a key factor to getting the most out of your sailboat. An improperly balanced sailboat unnaturally hampers its own design, creating turbulence in the water and sometimes even creating an onboard hazard. Whether ... more »

How to Be Seaworthy

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Going to sea, even for relatively short periods of time, is a stressful and difficult thing, even for experienced sailors. Making the best of a sea or ocean voyage requires that you get prepared for the sailing trip by making yourself, like your ... more »

How to Become a Rigger

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The majesty and allure of tall ships has attracted a great deal of interest in the last few years. While the general public has become fascinated with understanding the past, many more stalwart souls have dedicated themselves to the task of learn ... more »

How to Become a Sailing Master

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing requires a skillful blend of knowledge, experience and boldness. To become a master of the age-old art of sailing you must work to sail at a continual high level under increasingly challenging and tricky situations. From managing a crew ... more »

How to Board a Keelboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Getting yourself onto a keelboat shouldn't pose much of a problem - if you take the right approach... more »

How to Break a Waterspout With a Gunshot

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Since the time that sailors have brought guns and cannons onto their ships there have been reports of bold seamen using their firearms to break up a waterspout, or water-based tornado. Since waterspouts are usually much weaker than their ... more »

How to Buy a Catboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A catboat can bring many days of fun on the water. Not built for long-distance sailing, catboats have a single sail, a rudder that rises through the floor of the boat and usually no cabin. Catboat owners love to sail together and race or gather ... more »

How to Buy a Cutter

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A cutter is a single hull sailboat with light rigging that is relatively easy to sail and maintain. It is a very good bet for single-handed sailing. But you should consider several issues before purchasing a cutter. Like buying a car, you'll want ... more »

How to Buy a Handheld Digital Compass for Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Self-sufficient sailors don't rely on a ship's compass. They carry their own hand-bearing compass for greater convenience and precision... more »

How to Buy a Handheld VHF for Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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You never know when you'll need to communicate and on a boat it's done with a VHF (very high frequency) radio... more »

How to Buy a Ketch

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A ketch rigged sailboat uses a mizzen, or rear, mast and sail to add power, stabilize the boat and provide excellent sail balance in different weather conditions. Despite this, ketch rigged boats are not for everyone and buying a ketch takes some ... more »

How to Buy a Schooner

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Schooners are doubled masted sailboats that many people associate with ocean adventure myth and lore. The classic lines and shapes of schooners make them irresistible to many sailors. Schooners, however, are generally complex, aging boats that ... more »

How to Buy a Warm-Weather Windbreaker

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A good windbreaker is simple and light and packs compactly. Even in temperate climates, this essential layer will offer protection and warmth after you reach your summit and start to cool down, and it'll keep you comfortable during your descent... more »

How to Buy a Yacht

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Buying a yacht is an exciting and difficult task that takes knowledge, money and a cautious eye. Once you've found the right boat for you, though, it's a bit like love and makes the long process worthwhile. Follow these steps to buy a yacht ... more »

How to Buy a Yawl

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A yawl is a sailboat that is one of the easiest boats to sail single-handedly. It has two masts and typically four sails. One of the masts, called the mizzenmast, sits behind the rudder, making it more accessible to the sailor. When looking for a ... more »

How to Buy an Inflatable Personal Flotation Device for Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Inflatable personal flotation devices (PFDs) have become more comfortable and easier to wear than the old lifejackets... more »

How to Buy Books for a Sailor

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Few sailors get to participate in their avocation as much as they'd like. The rest of us have to get by vicariously. Reading offers one of the best substitutes for the real thing... more »

How to Buy Sails

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Purchasing a new sail for your sailboat is expensive but necessary. Sails, a major investment for any sailor, are available from a wide range of boating retailers. Shop online and at local lofts to buy sails that fit your sailing needs and are ... more »

How to Call an SOS on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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An SOS call is a distress call made from a sailboat that needs assistance. If you're a boat enthusiast and ever find yourself in a dangerous situation, you'll need to send out an SOS call. It's important to know the procedure in order to receive ... more »

How to Chart a Float Plan for Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A float plan is often thought of as an unnecessary step that only novice sailors take. Should you become lost at sea, however, a filed float plan can be just as necessary to finding you as a sail and compass are to your travels. Whether you’re a ... more »

How to Chart a Sailing Trip

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Charting a course for any boating trip requires meticulous attention. A poorly charted course can lead a voyage into peril and disaster. Many factors will affect your choice of course, such as tides, wind direction, depth and time. Preparation ... more »

How to Charter a Boat

By chippreid

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It’s vacation time and you head to the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast, the Adriatic or any place else where there is sun, sand, surf and boats. Of course, it’s awfully hard to pack a 45-foot motor yacht in your carry-on luggage. What do you do? ... more »

How to Check In With the Sailboat Race Committee

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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You might have the best start of your career ' even win the race ' but if you fail to check in properly you may see a 'Did Not Compete' on the results sheet... more »

How to Check the Current When Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Current is both your best friend and your worst enemy on the race course, depending on your ability to recognize and take advantage of it... more »

How to Choose a Yacht Club

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Joining a yacht club is one way to meet other people who enjoy sailing. Whether or not you have experience sailing, you can join a yacht club. To belong to many yacht clubs, you don't even have to own a boat since yacht owners are always looking ... more »

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