How-To Guides about Sailing

Sailing is a popular pastime in the coastal areas around the world. It is a skillful hobby where a person controls the motion of a sailboat in a race, on a cruise, or on a day sailing course. Maneuvering the sailboat can be tricky and movement is controlled by arranging sails to catch the force of the wind and using that to guide the boat. Basic sail techniques include steering and turning, running, reaching, sailing upwind, reducing sail, sail trimming, hull trimming, and heeling....

Need to know how to tie a Double Sheet Bend? This is a more secure version of the standard sheet bend, and an excellent way of joining two ropes of equal or different diameter. He's using flex rope, but it's a generally good way of securing two lines together.

This is a home grown variant of the bowline, also useful for sailing. The bowline is tied in the standard manner in the bight of the rope. The running end is passed below the knot and follows the turn back around through the locking bend. The exiting loop can be used for lifting or for tensioning the line to tie down deck cargo. Check out this video sailing tutorial and learn how to tie a variation of the bowline knot.

Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to perform the "back and fill" maneuver, also known as the pivot turn in sailing. This maneuver allows a boat to rotate into a tight channel, an extremely useful technique to know how to do.

Sailmaking is the skill of designing, cutting, and trimming ship sails. Get expert tips and advice on canvas and sailing terminology in this free video.

Learn how to tie essential knots for any camping, hiking or sailing trip in this free outdoors video clip series.

This is not magic but a very useful and very easy way to tie two pieces of rope together without them ever slipping apart. This simple how-to shows how to tie two pieces of rope together without them ever coming apart. This could be very helpful for sailing or anything you need to tie a knot.

Heres a video that gives help and tips on how to sail a sunfish during a real race.

Sailor John Kretschmer demonstrates how to fly a conventional symmetrical spinnaker for cruising using a Forespar spinnaker pole.

Sailor John Kretschmer demonstrates how to use the Forespar Leisurefurl in-boom furling system to simplify mainsail handling.

Think of the Half Hitch as a starter knot—it won't support a lot of strain, but it's easily tightened and loosened and forms the base for many more complicated knots.

A quick-stop-rescue is harder for a beginner to perform. But allows the sailboat to stay closer to the COB. It is also easier to keep site of the COB during the maneuver. Shown in the picture is the a final approach to the COB on a close reach. (Whether one approaches an COB on a close reach or in-irons will depend on your boat's maneuverability, position after your jibe, wind and sea conditions and helmsman's ability.)

This video shows roller furling of a jib in 5 knots of wind. Mild tensing is kept on the jib's sheet to enable the jib to warp tightly around the headstay. In high wind conditions, this is best done in a deep running reach. The mainsail will tend to shield the jib from the wind. This will prevent excess luffing of the sail and make furling easier. In a pinch, you can always let the jib out, by loosening it's sheet and roll in the jib, but in high winds excess luffing may occur and this can...

As you coil a rope, place a slight twist in the line to flatten the coils. Near the end of the line, wrap the line three times or more around the coils. Form a loop in the end of the line and pass it between the coils. Now you can either pass the end of the line through the loop to allow the coiled line to be hung for storage or pass the loop over the top of the coil to allow the coiled line to be stored in a compartment.

A sheet bend is used to tie two lines (ropes) together that are the same or different sizes. If lines of different sizes are used, the thicker or stiffer line forms the open loop, and the thinner or more flexible line (white line) passes through the open loop, around the back and is tucked underneath itself.

A taut line hitch knot is used in sailing to attach a line to a pole.

This may be an alternative to the traditional sheetbend knot, but it works. Try it out-- it's best used to connect two ends of rope together for a strong hold.