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VHF Confidence: Five Pro Tips

Improve your VHF radio communication skills with these five pro tips for sailors. Learn how to use working channels, scan important frequencies, hail vessels effectively, make securité calls, and avoid common mistakes for safer and clearer communication on the water.

What is a Refit?

Planning a boat refit for long-term cruising? Learn the top 5 priorities every cruiser should focus on, from hull integrity to rigging, sails, electrical systems, and self-steering. Ensure your boat is safe, reliable, and ready for the open sea.

Cruise with Confidence

Through over 20 years of mentoring and preparing sailors for the cruising lifestyle, Lisa and Andy Batchelor have developed sound advice for the aspiring cruiser. From discovering your “why” to planning, stress management, and education, the Batchelors set the stage for smooth seas.

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Choosing Your Offshore Escape Vessel

The dream of buying a boat and sailing to exotic islands is a powerful and exciting one and an important part of achieving that dream is selecting the right boat to take you over the horizon in safety and comfort. Here’s how to successfully go about it.

Why Join a Boat Club?

As a boat owner who utilizes his sailboat like a front porch, commuter vehicle, and the lobby of a hotel, I wanted to understand the allure of joining a boat club. American Sailing has over 20 sailing schools that are part of the SailTime network of boat clubs, so I went right to the source to get a better idea about the advantages of joining a boat club like SailTime.

The Cost (and Joys) of Owning a Boat

Some of the best days in life are spent on a boat — despite what the old cliche tells us. Part of happy boat ownership includes accurately estimating the costs, and we detail these here so you can step aboard the experience with a solid plan for your boat and your peace of mind.

Racer-Cruiser Royalty Fit for a Legend

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be part of the unveiling of Lenny, Beneteau’s new First 44, dedicated to the memory of my mentor and friend Lenny Shabes, founder of American Sailing. As his wife, and ASA President, Cindy Shabes unveiled the name of Beneteau’s new First 44, I felt emotional and happy. It’s a world-class yacht — a befitting tribute to our founder— and I’m pleased today to be able to share this beauty with the community of sailors Lenny founded 40 years ago.

Parts of a Sailboat – The Deck

Understanding the deck of a sailboat is all part of learning to sail. Essentially, the deck of a boat is both your office and your supply cabinet, from the helm, to the cockpit and stowages, the sidedeck, foredeck where the anchor is stored, and obstacles on the deck that need to be navigated as you sail.

What Type of Sailboat is This?

Do you know the difference between a junk and a sloop? What about a Yawl and a Ketch? This guide to sailboats will have you identifying boats like a lifelong sailor.

What is a keelboat?

There is a pretty good chance that the sailboat you have in your mind is a keelboat. Your imagination most likely recalls a schooner, and that most likely is a keelboat. So, What is a Keelboat? A keelboat has a keel, a fixed appendage on the bottom of the hull that provides the sideways resistance needed to counter the force

Catamaran Sailing – What’s the Difference?

Over the last 25 years, catamarans have seen a massive rise in popularity among charterers, cruisers, and even the casual daysailor. Curious about catamaran sailing? Here’s some basic information you need to know: What is a Catamaran? A traditional sailboat is a monohull–in other words, it has only one hull centered around a heavy keel. A catamaran is balanced on

What Does That Mean on a Boat?

Confusing Boat Vocabulary Inevitably you will have a non-sailor on your boat and you’ll ask them for something or you will refer to something else and they will stare at you with bewildered eyes. That is why boat terminology is so fun because it is meant to confuse the non-sailor and make the sailor appear to be all-knowing. Well, that’s

What’s in a Name?

One of the cool things about sailing is the age-old traditions such as naming your boat - it can be quite the process & doing it wrong might bring bad luck!

Reefing is Important

We’re talking about reefing - a foreign concept for some, a tried and failed practice for others - either way it's an important skill for real sailors.

The Anatomy of a Boat

The parts of a boat will soon become second nature when you learn to sail.

Parts of a Sailboat – The Sails

It’s safe to say a sailboat is only as good as its sails when you consider that capturing the wind’s energy is the premise behind what sailors do to propel their boats in a forward direction. A good captain will trim those said sails to be as efficient as possible and the proper heading will help with overall performance, but

Parts of a Sailboat – The Keel

The keel is a fixed appendage on the bottom of the hull that provides the sideways resistance needed to counter the force of the wind on the sails. The keel also carries ballast, usually iron or lead, the weight of which counteracts the force of the wind that causes a sailboat to heel, or lean over. On a modern boat,

Sailing Terms Everyone Should Know

Knowing the right sailing terms to use on board a boat is not JUST a way of sounding super cool and impressing your friends. (Though it works for that, too.) It’s actually very useful, and sometimes crucial in communicating while you’re sailing. Some of the vocabulary used on board boats can sound arcane, which it is! That’s part of what’s