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Soft-Sided Travel Bags for Sailors

There are many benefits to learning how to pack for the unique needs of traveling on a sailboat. We present a selection of our favorite soft-sided and water-resistant or waterproof bags to get you ready for travel season.

Steps to Buying a Sailboat

I will let you on a secret. I bought my first bought before I knew how to sail. But, I wanted to sail my entire life, and every time I walked through the marina, I would gaze at the sailboats. I would do my internal math to compute the affordability of owning a sailing vessel. I asked myself all the

Tying a Clove Hitch

A clove hitch is a knot commonly used in boating. It is named after its shape, which resembles a clove, a small aromatic bulb often used in cooking. How To Tie a Clove Hitch: The resulting knot is secure, easy to tie and untie, and can attach a rope to an object or join two ropes together. However, it is

Sail Trim for Cruisers: Why Trim Your Sails?

A rumor is going around the American Sailing offices that trimming your sails makes for more efficient sailing. That rumor is directed at my sailing technique. First, let me explain why I sail. On any given day, I can sail with no destination in mind. I have nowhere to go and nowhere to be. So, I raise the main and

What is a Flying Bowline?

A flying bowline is a type of knot that is commonly used in sailing. It is a variation of the bowline knot, which is a strong and reliable knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. Other variations of a bowline are known as a bowline on a bight, a double bowline, or a Yosemite

Tips From The Text “Tides and Currents”

ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising includes an understanding of tides and currents and how they affect your sailing plans. Have you studied a tide table lately?

Mediterranean Mooring: What Is It and Why?

The Mediterranean Moor is a hybrid of anchoring, rafting, and docking used in regions where there is little room and tidal range.

Where Are We Going: Understanding Points of Sail

The direction of the wind dictates the direction a sailboat can sail. Understanding the points of sail is vital to understanding how sailors orient themselves relative to the wind. The Points of Sail describe the range of courses a sailboat can and cannot travel.

What is Seamanship?

How is seamanship defined? It is pretty much everything that happens on a vessel.

Understanding a Lee Shore

Captain Cam Seamus from Harbor Sailboats in San Diego California shares a few tips about handling and understanding a Lee Shore. Understanding a lee shore, the possible consequences, and how to avoid them is a necessity for anyone, anywhere, who is behind the helm of a boat. It’s an important and yet often overlooked concept. In fact, as I started compiling my

Do You Use Your VHF Radio?

VHF radio is the primary means of urgent communication between boats, shore facilities, and emergency services. VHF Signals travel line-of-sight with typical ranges of 20 to 30 nautical miles. Recreational boats under 65 feet are not required to have a VHF radio but most sailboats and powerboats carry one aboard because of its simplicity, convenience, reliability, and, above all, it

Plastic-Free Provisioning

Over the years American Sailing has promoted our Plastic Pollution Purge campaign. We have asked our fellow sailors to “bring back more plastic than you take to your boat”, and to have fun practicing your crew overboard drills as you recover trash on the water. But to break the vicious cycle of plastic pollution in the water we must prevent

How A Boat Sails Upwind

A sailor’s life revolves around the wind. Its direction and its strength govern where he can sail, with what degree of difficulty or comfort, and how quickly. Naturally, the language of sailing reflects how sailors orient themselves and everything around them with reference to the wind. Upwind and Downwind The sailor’s world is roughly divided into two hemispheres: upwind and

Safety Equipment Required on a Boat

The USCG requires certain safety equipment on a boat and it is imperative that you make sure that your vessel is properly outfitted with this equipment. These minimum standards require U.S Coast Guard “approved” or “certified” equipment. This equipment includes: Life Jackets All recreational vessels must carry one wearable life jacket for each person on board. Any boat 16 feet

Planning a Daysail

As you embark on a daysail you might need a checklist of the things that you must have to make the day more enjoyable. First, you have the knowledge that you have already garnered from ASA 101, so you would have decided where to go, how to get there and when the optimal time to sail is. Sailing is about

Tips From 106: Handling An Emergency

Thes tips are excerpts from ASA Advanced Cruising & Seamanship book. The textbook is the official manual for ASA 106 Advanced Cruising. The textbook was produced as a collaboration between the American Sailing Association and North U. A central facet of risk management is prevention. As the old navy expression states so well, “The price of safety is eternal vigilance.”

ASA Way to Foretell a Lowering Sky

“When in evening, say ye, ‘Fair weather, for the heaven is red’. And if in morning, say, ‘Today will storm, for the sky is red and lowering’.” – The Book of Matthew 16:2-3 In late winter and spring precipitation begins its transition from snow to rain. As rain clouds form, they become thicker and lower in the sky, usually as