Sailing

Sailing is even more fun when you are the one in control. However, you can't do so until you know the sailboat and have acquired the skills of sailing. Knowing the names for the various parts of...

Learn how to unroll the jib on a sailboat in this free online video lesson on sailing.

Learn how to safely and correctly roll the jib on a sailboat in this free video clip on sailing and boating.

Learn how to hoist the jib sail in this free how-to video clip sailing lesson on the fundamentals of how to sail.

The reason sailboats are powered forward is because of the interaction between the wind and the sails of your boat. The amount of sail area that should be exposed to the wind varies based on the...

There are many different sailboat designs, each with different handling characteristics. The steps in this article is for sailing on a sloop, the most common type of sailboat. A sloop has one mast...

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...

Sailing instructors almost always begin their lessons by introducing beginning sailors to the parts of the sailboat. A sailboat looks to newcomers like a complicated tangle of wire and lines, but...

When running with the wind or sailing with only the jib in strong wind, changing course so that the sail crosses the bow and the stern of the boat moves through the eye of the wind is called...

Whether you're out for an afternoon sail on a lake or getting into sailboat racing, knowing how to hoist the jib sail quickly and smoothly is an essential part of sailing know-how. To hoist or...

A cutter rigged boat, often referred to as simply as a "cutter," is a monohulled sailboat that has two or more headsails. The added headsails allow cutters a level of wind versatility and easy...

Sailing a yacht is one of the great thrills of life. It's important to keep in mind, however, that a yacht is basically a floating island that keeps you and your crew from the danger of drowning....

A sailor can end up “in irons” when he or she fails to complete a tack and ends up stopped head-to-wind. This happens when the boat was not sailing fast enough to make the tack, you don’t steer...

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...

The jib on a catamaran is the forward most small sail. Aerodynamically, it is designed to channel the apparent wind over the leeward (rear) side of the mainsail. On a catamaran, the jib is...

Furling jibs, and furling foresails in general, have been one of the most useful technical additions to sailing in recent years. By allowing you to furl and unfurl the jib, the furling system...

Jibing a sailboat correctly takes a good amount of knowledge and practice. Not only does the heavy, swinging boom present a safety hazard, but just getting the boat through the jibe and back into...

Whether you're caught in a violent squall and want to take a restful break or you're sailing through clear water in light wind, the heave to maneuver is one of the most effective ways to passively...

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,...

You can drive a car without understanding how an internal combustion engine works, but sailing requires a bit more knowledge of how to make the wind power a boat. This short posting will get you...

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...

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...

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...

One of the biggest challenges in sailing? Getting started at the beginning of the day.

Cruising sailboats come in a variety of sizes, but operating them is based on the same principles.