Sailing

How to Buy a Boat

By Paul M. J. Suchecki

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Boating is an activity that you can do for life. Few things equal the fun of getting out on a body of water and being captain of your own vessel, whether it is a canoe or a yacht. This brief guide will walk you through the initial steps to ... more »

How to Coil Lines on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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When you're sailing, you should coil loose lines to prevent others from tripping over them. Follow these steps... more »

How to Do a Figure Eight Maneuver on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The figure eight is one of the most useful maneuvers in sailing. As a mainstay of the man overboard drill, an excellent way to approach a dock under sail power and a generally good means of practicing turning through the wind, the figure eight is ... more »

How to Do a Man Overboard Drill on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A man overboard is one of the most common causes of injury and death in sailing. Unlike a powerboat, a sailboat can't just whirl around to pick the man up. The crew must follow a choreographed set of steps to control the boat and get the victim. ... more »

How to Gauge Wind Speed When Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Those sailors lucky enough (or wealthy enough, for that matter) to have electronic wind instruments have no need of guessing the wind speed. But every sailor should know how to gauge wind speed just by looking at the surrounding waters... more »

How to Learn Sailboat Racing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing often comes across to people as a mellow activity. Racing changes all that... more »

How to Motor Away from a Mooring in a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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One of the biggest challenges when it comes to sailing? Getting started at the beginning of the day... more »

How to Perform a Safe Ducking Maneuver in Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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If you're in doubt of crossing and don't have rights, you'd better duck and be decisive about it. Safe ducking will keep the insurance companies off your back and will keep you out of the protest room, the shipyard and the hospital... more »

How to Predict Weather Using the Sky's Color

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The beautiful and sometimes foreboding colors of the sky carry a wealth of information about the weather. For years, sailors have relied on the sky's color to predict the weather, with sayings like, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at ... more »

How to Prepare a Keelboat for Sailing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Make short work of preparing to sail with this systematic approach... more »

How to Prepare for Your Start in Sailboat Racing

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Practice makes perfect. Sometimes the best practice is observation... more »

How to Rig the Main Sail on a Sailboat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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One of the most important tasks for the sailor is raising the main sail. This task can be extremely difficult if strong winds are prevalent. In light air, it is usually no problem at all. The following steps will guide even a beginner through how ... more »

How to Sail a Catamaran

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A catamaran is an exciting but complex boat. Its 2 hulls reduce drag on the water, giving the boat more velocity bang for its power buck. However, with the benefits of speed come the difficulties of maneuvering and turning. If you're looking to ... more »

How to Sail Upwind

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Sailing upwind requires a careful balance between maintaining speed without veering to far from your course. The rush of apparent wind, the pitch of the boat as it rolls over waves and the constant tacking all make upwind sailing a thrilling ... more »

How to Tie a Clove Hitch

By chippreid

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A clove hitch is a simple knot sailors use for tying up to a mooring or for securing fenders to a rail or stanchions. Although not the strongest knot, it is simple and quick to tie and you can make it more secure by keeping a longer working end... more »

How to Tie a Granny Knot

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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The granny knot can be used to secure a rope or line around something. The granny knot is not a sturdy knot and should not be used to attach two ropes together, because it can slip easily. The granny knot is typically used as the beginning of ... more »

How to Tie a Sheet's Bend or Sheet's Shank

By chippreid

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A sheet’s bend or sheet’s shank is one of the surest ways to connect 2 lines of different diameter. For the surest knot, make the loop out of the thicker line... more »

How to Buy a Sextant

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Celestial navigators can pinpoint their location anywhere on earth using the sun, moon and stars - if they have a sextant... more »

How to convert compass bearing to true bearing

By tdettmann

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Compass bearings are affected by the magnetic field of the earth and by magnetic objects in the vicinity. The effect of magnetic objects in the vicinity of called 'Deviation'. The effect of the earth's magnetic field is called 'Variation'. ... more »

How to Rescue a Man Overboard

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Crew cooperation and coordination are key to rescuing someone who has fallen off a boat... more »

How to Identify Parts of a Sailboat

By WXDUNNE

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Parts of a sailboat have very specific names for one very good reason and that has nothing to do with putting on the "nautical" dog. For example: If the captain tells you to pull on the rope or the ship goes down you won't know if he ... more »

How to Maintain Your Sailboat Hull

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Proper hull maintenance is a win-win-win - your boat sails faster, remains sea worthy and holds better resale value... more »

How to Plan a Sailboat Cruise

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Do you dream of chucking it all and setting off in a sailboat? For most people, it remains a dream. Enough folks manage it, however, to prove that it can be done, even with children along. The key is to have sufficient experience and knowledge to ... more »

How to Raise a Mainsail

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Being able to raise and lower your sails is fundamental in sailing. The basic technique is the same for dinghies or yachts (only the equipment is much larger on yachts). Here's how to raise a mainsail... more »

How to Signal for Help From a Boat

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Learn what you need to know to survive a boating emergency. Practice safe and effective signaling... more »

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