Cruising Education
Troubleshooting Marine Outboard Engines
We’ve all been there. Eager to jump in the dinghy and land on shore after laying anchor on the mothership. Just one problem, the dinghy outboard wort start.
Education Skills
Tacking and Jibing
As we’ve seen, a sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind. The “no-go” zone covers approximately 45° on either side of the wind, so how does a sailboat move toward a desired point that is located upwind? The answer is by tacking back and forth on a zigzag-like path. While Read more…
Education Skills
Useful Sailing Knots
You don’t need to be an Eagle Scout to sail. There are entire books written on how to tie knots for everything from baiting a fishing hook to decorating your living room. Fortunately, there are a handful of knots that you can learn that will cover just about any situation Read more…
Education Skills
Steering a Sailboat
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “It’s not like driving a car. It’s like driving a boat.” If you sail a few times you will understand exactly what that means. You might even start using the phrase yourself after you see how perfectly the analogy applies to so many real life Read more…
Education Skills
Spinnaker Handling
One of the most beautiful and majestic experiences in sailing is using the spinnaker, also known as the “chute” or “kite.” You may have had the chance to see a picturesque ocean horizon filled with the colorful teardrop shapes of distant spinnakers. If so, it will be tough to resist Read more…
Education Skills
Small Sailboat Tactics
Larger, more stable boats that have a keel tend to keep you fairly dry under most conditions. If you should choose to sail on smaller boats from time to time for practice or the occasional thrill, there are a few special tactics that you’ll need to know. For our purposes, Read more…
Education Skills
Sail Trim
Sail trim refers to the various means by which the sails are configuration to harness power from the wind. Sheeting Angle As discussed earlier in the section on wind forces, the primary variable used to control the sails is the sheeting angle, which in combination with the boat heading controls Read more…
Education Skills
Reefing
The best way to deal with strong winds is to avoid sailing when winds are dangerously strong, as discussed earlier. However, if you do find yourself in high winds, you will need to reduce sail area to prevent the boat from being overpowered. Reefing is the process of lowering the Read more…
Education Skills
Raising and Lowering the Sails
On a cruiser, the sails are typically down at the dock and they stay down until the boat is at sea. Of course, if you have no motor, the sails must be used to cast off, but we’ll discuss that later. For now, we’ll assume that the boat is out Read more…
Education Skills
Maneuvering Under Power
Motors and Propellers A motor drives a boat by turning a propeller which displaces and redirects water underneath the boat. Much like our earlier discussion of wind aerodynamics, this movement of water creates forces that are reacted by the boat, propelling it through the water. The movement of the propeller Read more…