Sailing

How to Motor a Keelboat off a Dock With a Beam Wind

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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It takes skill to handle a boat while docking. Practice is the key to success. Start gaining experience on windless days, and don't be afraid to hit the dock. Here's how to motor a boat off a dock when there's a beam wind... more »

How to Move Safely Around a Keelboat Deck

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Minimize the possibility of mishaps by negotiating around your boat properly... more »

How to Negotiate a Starting Line in Sailboat Racing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Few moments in a sailboat race are more stressful and strategically important than the start. With good tactics and solid maneuvering, you can maintain clear air, a good sailing lane and full boat speed to get cleanly off the line... more »

How to Operate a Day Sailing Boat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing on the open water can be fun and invigorating. To ensure your safety and comfort while on your boat, keep the following in mind... more »

How to Organize a Sailing Team

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Always wanted to enter your sailboat in a race? There are two vital elements to starting a racing career. First, read the latest edition of Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing, by Dave Perry. Second, enter only casual races until you gain ... more »

How to Port Tack a Fleet When Sailboat Racing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sometimes risk pays off. Play your cards right and a successful port tack start can be the key to victory... more »

How to Position a Sail While Reaching

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing a boat with the mainsail hanging out over the water is called reaching. To monitor your speed and prevent your sailboat from swamping, you must correctly position your sail during this maneuver. Follow these steps... more »

How to Position the Sail While Running

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A boat is said to be "running" when the wind pushes it along in a straight line. To do this, you jib must be filled and positioned to one side with the mainsail on the other. This keeps the boat balanced and increases your speed. To get your jib ... more »

How to Prepare a Sailboat at Sea for a Storm

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Being on a sailboat in a storm is a harrowing and potentially dangerous situation. Howling winds can tear parts off the boat, while waves the size of three-story buildings can easily capsize a sailboat or wash crew off the decks. Despite all ... more »

How to Prevent Sail Wear and Tear

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A new set of sails is like a new set of racing tires. Keep your sails like new and you'll love your boat speed... more »

How to Propel a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Getting a sailboat to move in the direction and at the speed you want takes a subtle hand and patience. However, with a properly rigged boat, some sailing lessons and practice, you can propel a sailboat in almost any weather... more »

How to Properly Ballast Your Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Weight plays a critical role in racing. Too much or too little weight in the wrong place can slow your boat considerably... more »

How to Race a Catamaran

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Catamarans are sleek and fast boats that make use of their minimal surface area to convert power into velocity. Sailing a catamaran in a race requires lots of finely tuned skill and knowledge, especially since the boat is less maneuverable than ... more »

How to Race a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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With the right approach and information, you can successfully race almost any sailboat. Paying careful attention to the boat's design, the weather conditions and your crew's experience will give you a leg up when racing your sailboat. So, if you ... more »

How to Raise a Boat Sail

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Raising the mainsail is one of the essential tasks on board a sailboat. Without the mainsail, no sail boat can travel very far, since the mainsail gives the vessel most of its speed. Learn to raise a sail on a boat of moderate size... more »

How to Raise a Jib When Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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After raising the mainsail and adjusting the sheets, you'll need to raise your foresail - called a jib or a genoa - to achieve your boat's full potential. Here's how... more »

How to Raise a Mainsail Safely

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Raising and lowering the sails on a sailboat is easy once you know the ropes. Remember, safety first; keep one hand for the boat, and one hand for the task... more »

How to Raise a Spinnaker

By Grant Madden

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A spinnaker is the large colorful sail used by sponsors to blaze their corporate logo across, and to make the catamaran go fast down wind. There are two types of spinnakers - symmetrical or asymmetrical, both types are designed to drive the ... more »

How to Read Markers When Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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When you are sailing on populated waters, look for the markers that govern the waterways. These markers include buoys and signs on posts or land objects. Some markers are equipped with lights for visibility at night... more »

How to Ready a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Before you leave the dock, you must prepare your boat to sail. Accidents happen on the water and you should ensure that you can respond quickly. Learn what tasks you should perform before pulling out toward open water... more »

How to Recognize and Understand Weather Warning Flags

By chippreid

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For more than 100 years, marinas, ports and Coast Guard stations have signal flags to alert mariners to potentially hazardous weather. Although the National Weather Service discontinued the use of flags in 1995, some Coast Guard stations continue ... more »

How to Recognize Navigation Lights

By chippreid

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Any boat operating at night or in low-visibility conditions such as fog must run with lights. The placement of the lights not only tells other boats what kind of vessel is approaching, they also designate what the boat is doing. Anyone--yes, ... more »

How to Repair a Catamaran Sail

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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If you really love your catamaran but find a rip in the sail, you need to repair it immediately. Small rips can be patched and the sail can be used for another season or more. There are some tricks in repairing sails on "Cats" that make the job ... more »

How to Replace a Catamaran Sail

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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No matter how much care you take with the sail of your catamaran, you'll eventually need to replace the entire sail. Replacing the sail can be a big expense. Before you purchase the new sail, there are some questions that you need to answer so ... more »

How to Rig a Headsail

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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You'll find preparation eliminates a world of problems in sailing. Raising the jib is easy once you've set it up properly... more »

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