How to Sail

Guide Note

There's nothing more refreshing than an ocean sail on a hot day, with the wind on your face, the sun on your back and your friends alongside you. How to Sail introduces you to the various forms of recreational sailing.

Table of Contents

Sailing Tips

  1. Centerboards and keels prevent a boat from sliding sideways in the water.
  2. Ropes are called lines on sailboats.
  3. Learn sailing terms from Sailinglink's glossary.
  4. Find a sailing school through US Sailing.
  5. Learn to tie sailing knots from Mahalo.
  6. Sign up for a tall ship sailing program if you want to sail the big boats.

Introduction

  • Throughout history, sailing has served as a means of travel, commerce, conquest and entertainment for many civilizations. Depictions of sailboats appear as early as 3500 BC. In order to sail the simplest of boats, a person must learn to control its movement using sails, wind, rudder and other tools.1 With a little help from Mahalo and a sailing program near you, you can become part of the maritime tradition.

Mahalo Daily: Sailing Boat Basics

Step 1: Become Familiar with Sailing Terms

(Creative Commons photo by Bob Jagendorf)
(Creative Commons photo by Bob Jagendorf)
  • Sailors encounter a vast number of special terms as they learn to sail. In order to better understand this article, as well as the world of sailing, here are a few key sailing vocabulary words:
  1. The hull of the boat is its body—its main shell.2
  2. The keel is a large, heavy projection from the bottom of the hull that prevents the boat from sailing sideways instead of forward and helps to stabilize it in heavy wind.3
  3. A centerboard is used in place of a keel on many small boats.4 It, too, prevents the boat from sliding sideways in the water, but it's less useful as a means of stabilizing the boat and preventing it from heeling.
  4. The mast is the tall pole that rises up from the deck and carries the sail.2
  5. The boom is another heavy pole that holds the bottom of the mainsail perpendicular to the mast and parallel to the deck of the boat.2
  6. The largest sail (usually) is the mainsail.2
  7. If your boat has a slightly smaller sail forward of the mast, it’s the jib or foresail.2
  8. Some boats, especially those used for racing, carry another larger, lighter sail called the spinnaker.2 The spinnaker is not always rigged, but can be raised in front of the bow of the boat for extra speed downwind. You can tell a spinnaker by its lightweight material and bellied-out shape.
  9. Ropes are no longer ropes on board sailboats—they become lines.5
  10. To heel in a boat is to tip sideways, so that the boat's mast is no longer perpendicular to the water.1
  11. A boat is said to have capsized when it is knocked over with the mast in the water.6
  12. A boat is said to have turtled when it capsizes and turns completely upside down.6 To turn a boat right side up again is to right the boat.
  13. Sailinglinks has a sailing glossary with many other sailing terms.2

Step 2: Master Sailing Basics

(Creative Commons photo by Mike Baird)
(Creative Commons photo by Mike Baird)
  • You will learn many different skills in a sailing program or from an experienced skipper. Below you'll find descriptions of some of the basic areas that any good sailing program will cover. If you don't know where you can go to get sailing lessons, check out US Sailing's search page.7
  1. You really should learn how to swim if you don't know how already. Getting on a sailboat when you don't know how to swim simply isn't safe, even if you wear a lifejacket. You never know what the weather will do, and there's always the possibility of falling overboard. Take care of your life by learning how to swim before learning how to sail. ClubSwim offers a search to help find swim lessons near you.8
  2. Practice righting a boat from both capsized and turtled positions. If you're going to sail small boats, this skill is especially important. Small boats flip somewhat regularly, especially when you're first learning to sail them. Righting small boats usually just involves standing on the centerboard where it projects from the bottom of the boat.9 You simply lean back while holding the edge of the boat. If the boat turtles, or if you're sailing a multihull, the process becomes somewhat more complicated.
  3. Rigging the particular type of boat you'll be sailing is another one of the first lessons you'll learn. You'll have to know how to put the centerboard and rudder in place (if they're not permanently attached) and how to attach and raise the sails, among other things. For some general instructions, see Mahalo's article How to Rig a Small Sailboat.
  4. You must also learn how to judge wind direction and strength. Boats cannot sail directly into the wind and knowing how to tell where the wind is coming from will save you a lot of frustration.1 For racing, this skill is particularly important. Sailors learn to use devices like tell-tales to judge wind direction.10
  5. You'll learn how to trim the sails to get the most speed out of your boat. Depending on the direction from which the wind is coming, the sails must be adjusted to make the most use of its energy. The direction the boat points in relation to the direction of the wind is known as its point of sail.11 For the most part, the nearer the boat comes to sailing directly into the wind, the more tightly its sails must be trimmed.
  6. An accomplished sailor knows how to tie various knots. Mahalo's article How to Tie Nautical Knots covers six of the most common and most useful knots: the eight knot, square knot, sheet bend, cleat hitch, clove hitch and bowline.
  7. Learning how to balance the boat properly to avoid capsizing is impossible without actually being on a boat. Balance will depend on the crew, the boat, the cargo, the water and the wind.
  8. Believe it or not, even the ocean has right-of-way rules. For example, a boat on starboard (with the wind coming over the right side of the boat and the sails on the left) has right-of-way over a boat on port (with the wind coming over the left side of the boat and its sails on the right).1 You'll have to learn the rules of the maritime road if you intend to stay out of trouble and on other sailors' good side. Of course, most of the time you should just be courteous and avoid getting in others' way. In a sailboat race though, right-of-way can become a hotly contested topic. You can download a complete outline of current racing rules from the International Sailing Federation's official website.12

Step 3: Sail a Small Boat

(Creative Commons photo by Dana)
(Creative Commons photo by Dana)
  • Though US Sailing suggests that all boats under 20 feet long are "small boats," a more useful distinction may be made between small boats without keels and keelboats.13 Boats under 20 feet long with a keel bear more resemblance in many ways to larger boats with keels than to boats of similar length with centerboards.
  1. Small boats are generally less expensive than keelboats.13
  2. Some small boats require only one sail.
  3. Small centerboard boats and even some small keelboats can often be handled by a single sailor.14
  4. You must learn to balance the weight of both boat and crew in order to sail a small boat. While larger boats are fairly stable in most weather conditions, small boats are more likely to capsize if handled improperly.13
  5. Generally, the smaller the boat, the less stable it will be and the greater your chances of getting wet.14
  6. Many sailing organizations offer sailing lessons in small boats or allow you to rent one for a few hours.14
    1. To find a program near you, check out US Sailing's Advanced Sailing Search.
    2. Select your state or country, then choose "Small Boat Sailing Education" from the drop-down menu that reads "Type of Program."7
    3. You should not go sailing on your own without first taking sailing lessons, either formally with a sailing school or informally with an experienced friend.

Step 4: Sail a Keelboat

(Creative Commons photo by Paul Schultz)
(Creative Commons photo by Paul Schultz)
  1. Keelboats possess a fixed keel to prevent them from sliding sideways through the water.13
  2. The heavy keel helps to prevent the boat from capsizing when heeled over in high wind.13
  3. The keel can also help to right the boat when it capsizes or turtles.13
  4. Larger keelboats require more than one person to handle them. They need both a skipper (captain) and crew.
  5. Most keelboats have both a mainsail and a jib.14 Some also make use of a spinnaker.
  6. Many yacht clubs and sailing organizations offer sailing classes in keelboats.
    1. To find a program near you, check out US Sailing's Advanced Sailing Search.7
    2. Select your state or country, then choose "Keelboat Sailing Education" from the "Type of Program" drop-down menu.
    3. You should not go sailing on your own without first taking sailing lessons, either formally with a sailing school or informally with an experienced friend.

Step 5: Sail a Multihull

(Creative Commons photo by Tom Purves)
(Creative Commons photo by Tom Purves)
  1. Multiple hulls serve the same purpose as keels and centerboards—they prevent the boat from sliding sideways in the water.13
  2. Multihulls are generally faster than boats with a single hull.13
  3. Multihulls don't sit as low in the water as other boats, so they can sail into shallower water.13
  4. While multihulls resist capsizing, they're more difficult to right when high winds do flip them over.13
  5. To find a program near you, check out US Sailing's Advanced Sailing Search.7
    1. Select your state or country, then choose "Multihull" from the "Boats" drop-down menu.
    2. You should not go sailing on your own without first taking sailing lessons, either formally with a sailing school or informally with an experienced friend.

Step 6: Sail a Tall Ship

(Creative Commons photo by Per Ola Wiberg)
(Creative Commons photo by Per Ola Wiberg)
  1. Wikipedia provides a list of tall ships that are still in sailing condition.18
  2. Many tall ships continue to take part in annual races and festivals.19
  3. Unless you're a millionaire, you're unlikely to just go out and buy yourself a tall ship and learn to sail on it. Instead, many tall ships offer sailing programs to the public. They train you in the skills and customs particular to this type of ship.
  4. Find a tall ship program through the American Sail Training Association (ASTA). Search member vessels by name, location, rig type, type of training offered and accessibility.20

Step 7: Find a Place to Sail Regularly

  • Once you've learned to sail, joining a yacht club or sailing club is a great way to meet other sailors, and you might even find a racing boat that needs another crew member. Talk to the person who taught you to sail about local options. You can also start your search for a place to sail on US Sailing's website.21

Conclusion

  • Hopefully you now have an idea of the varieties of sailing available to you. If you love skimming along the surface of the ocean at high speeds, multihull sailing may be the right choice for you. If you're a bit of a loner and would love the opportunity to get out on the water all by yourself, with only the seagulls for company, then small boats are your best bet. If, on the other hand, you'd like to try your hand at sailboat racing, working with a crew to beat other boats around the course, keelboats make a lot of sense. But whatever path you choose, don't wait. Get out on the water as soon as possible and get sailing.

Subscribe to Mahalo's Weekly How To Email Newsletter

  • Get our best How To tips and ideas in your inbox each week

References for How to Sail

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wikipedia: Sailing
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Sailinglinks: Glossary
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wikipedia: Keel
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wikipedia: Centreboard
  5. ↑ SailingAhead.com: General Information on Ropes & Lines
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wikipedia: Capsize
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 US Sailing: Advanced Sailing Search
  8. ↑ ClubSwim: Swimming Lessons
  9. ↑ ABC-of-Sailing.com: Capsizing—Techniques in Righting a Capsized Boat
  10. ↑ Wikipedia: Tell-Tale
  11. ↑ Wikipedia: Points of Sail
  12. ↑ ISAF: Racing Rules of Sailing
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 US Sailing: So Many Ways to Experience Sailing
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 US Sailing: Getting Started
  15. ↑ US Sailing: Multihull Council
  16. ↑ Wikipedia: Tall Ship
  17. ↑ Wikipedia: USS Constitution
  18. ↑ Wikipedia: List of Tall Ships
  19. ↑ ASTA: Meetings and Events
  20. ↑ ASTA: Search Member Vessels
  21. ↑ US Sailing: Map Search