Sailing

How to Choose the Right Headsail When Sailboat Racing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The breeze is picking up and you're unsure of which headsail to use. If you know your boat, your equipment and your crew, you can make a confident choice... more »

How to Clear Your Sailboat From a Protest

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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With the regatta's outcome on the line, your best option to stay out of the unpredictable protest room may be by clearing yourself during the race... more »

How to Coil Rope and Line

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Coiling rope and line is an important part of keeping an active work area clean and clear of trip and snag hazards. Especially on boats, where ropes and lines are used in almost every aspect of sailing and boating, a line must be properly coiled ... more »

How to Come About and Tack on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Coming about in the wind, or tacking, is one of the fundamental skills of sailing. After all, beginning sailors will need to know how to get back home, even though their sails are full of wind taking them in the opposite direction than where they ... more »

How to Compensate for Current While Steering

By tdettmann

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Most people compensate for current just "by eye," which is fine if the current is very small compared to your speed. But if the current is fast, you need precise control or it is going to be acting on you for a long time, it can help to take a ... more »

How to Compute Wind Speed

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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As air moves from one place to another, it sometimes picks up a fair amount of speed, sometimes even a dangerous amount of speed. When air is moving, it is called wind. Being able to measure the wind's speed allows people to determine the safety ... more »

How to Conduct Bow Watch

By chippreid

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U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Rules for International and Inland Waters (72COLLREGS) mandates every boater, from a sea kayaker to the biggest luxury liner, must maintain lookout while under way. One aspect of this is to conduct bow watch. Bow watch ... more »

How to Control the Sails on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The sails are a sailboat's engine. They provide power to the boat. There are usually two sails on a sailboat. The mainsail is the bigger sail. The jib is the smaller sail. You control the mainsail by operating a system of cables that run through ... more »

How to Count Down to the Start in Sailboat Racing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Too often racers are beaten early or miss the start entirely due to poor timekeeping. Stay on top of the starting sequence, and you're more likely to be on the line and at full speed when you hear the gun... more »

How to create a Fix from 3 lines of position taken at the same time

By tdettmann

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Many people navigate by simply reading a position off a GPS system, or better yet having the GPS position plotted directly on a chart. That's great, but sometimes you have to make do with less. The batteries on your GPS have run out, it's fallen ... more »

How to create a fix from lines of position taken at different times

By tdettmann

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It is often the case that you cannot get all of the Lines of Position (LOPs) that you need at the same time. At low speeds with very little movement between LOPs, the error may be minimal. Sometimes though, you will need to bring the LOPs to a ... more »

How to Cross the Pacific by Boat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The Pacific Ocean accounts for nearly half of the earth's water surface, and a third of the earth's entire surface area. Contrary to the ocean's name, which means "peaceful sea," the Pacific is a mass of tempestuous and unforgiving waters. In ... more »

How to Deal With a Meeting Situation

By chippreid

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There you are, enjoying the sun and waves when you suddenly notice another motor boat heading right for you. This is called a meeting a situation and while at first a bit daunting, dealing with it properly is a relatively simple exercise, ... more »

How to Determine Risk of Collision

By chippreid

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Knowing which boat has the right of way is often the difference between a pleasurable day on the water and a collision followed by a lengthy time talking to marine police and the Coast Guard. Right of way becomes of great importance when it ... more »

How to Determine the Current From Two Fixes

By tdettmann

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There are many sources of information on the currents covering most areas of the globe, but if there is anything that can be guaranteed about what you find, it's that the numbers will be wrong. Currents vary over time, both over a period of hours ... more »

How to Dispose of Garbage at Sea

By chippreid

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It probably sounds like a no-brainer. Got garbage? Throw it out. The thing is, tossing garbage off a boat is a serious no-no, especially if it’s plastic. In fact, it is against the law to toss plastic overboard anywhere while at sea. Knowing how ... more »

How to Do a Pre-sail Safety Check

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The proverbial "ounce of prevention" goes a long way in boating. Take a little time to prepare your boat properly and avoid problems later on... more »

How to Do a Safety Jibe on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A jibe is a very fast and sometimes violent turn of a sailboat's stern through the wind. Since the wind instantly catches the sails and throws them onto their new tack, the boom, sails and lines can sweep across deck and create a safety hazard. ... more »

How to Do Advanced Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The sun is just coming up, the wind is at your back and you're ready to hit the open water. The confident skipper of a sailboat is ready for anything, including rough weather. If you enjoy sailing and think you would like to charter or even buy a ... more »

How to Do The Round Turn and 2 1/2 Hitches in Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The round turn and 2 1/2 hitches is a knot used in sailing. You can use this knot to attach a mooring line to a ring, dock post or any other fixed object. You can tie it while the rope is under load, as the round turn and 2 1/2 hitches knot ... more »

How to Dock a Keelboat Alongside a Dock Under Power

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Using your engine will give you more control while docking... more »

How to Dock a Keelboat Into a Slip Under Power

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Most people prefer to use a motor when maneuvering into a slip. Start your engine and drop and furl your sails while you're still in open water. Put out the fenders, and motor slowly into the docking area. The next steps are easy if you follow ... more »

How to Dock Your Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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You must dock your boat after you finish sailing. Follow these steps to bring your boat "into port" safely... more »

How to Enjoy Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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No matter how much you love the water and boating, to thoroughly enjoy sailing you really need to learn a little about the sport. Unlike power boating, where all you need to do is turn a key and steer, sailing is a more complicated activity that ... more »

How to Fill the Sails on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Regardless of the point of sail that you are on, the key to moving your sailboat is to fill the sails with wind. This is a rather simple thing to do if you are observant and there is in fact some wind. There are a few things designed to help you ... more »

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