Sailing is usually a remarkably safe and enjoyable activity. Most days on the water involve nothing more dramatic than adjusting sails, watching the weather, and deciding where to stop for lunch. Still, things can go wrong. A crew member can get hurt. A steering cable can fail. An engine can refuse to start just when you need it. A sudden …

Anchoring a sailboat can seem surprisingly simple. You find a quiet spot, lower the anchor, let out some rope or chain, and settle in. But good anchoring involves considerably more than dropping a heavy object onto the seabed. A properly anchored sailboat is held by an entire anchoring system: the anchor, chain or rope, the angle of pull, the seabed, …

You are sailing along on a beautiful afternoon. The wind is steady, the sails are trimmed, and for once everything seems wonderfully uncomplicated. Then you look ahead. Another sailboat is approaching. It is not directly in front of you, but it is close enough that you begin wondering whether your courses might cross. Do you turn? Does the other boat …

Tides are one of those parts of sailing that can seem complicated until someone explains what the numbers actually mean. Open a tide table for the first time and you may see a collection of times and heights that look more like a schedule than useful sailing information. But those few numbers can answer some very important questions. Will there …

A nautical chart can look intimidating the first time you open one. There are numbers scattered across the water, strange symbols near the shoreline, colored areas, dashed lines, compass roses, abbreviations, buoys, lights, rocks, wrecks and notes seemingly everywhere. At first glance, it can feel as though you need to memorize an entirely new language before you can use one. …

What Is a Marine VHF Radio? A marine VHF radio is one of those pieces of equipment that can sit quietly aboard your sailboat for hours without attracting much attention. Then, suddenly, it can become one of the most important pieces of equipment you own. VHF stands for Very High Frequency. Marine VHF radios use designated radio frequencies to allow …

Few situations aboard a sailboat demand a faster response than a person falling overboard. Fortunately, there is something reassuring every beginner should understand: Person overboard recovery is a skill you can practice. You do not need to improvise the entire maneuver during an emergency. You can learn a sequence, practice it in controlled conditions, and gradually make the response familiar. …

There comes a point in learning to sail when you discover that controlling a sailboat does not always mean making it go somewhere. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is almost stop. You may want a few quiet minutes to organize the cockpit. Someone aboard may need a break. You might need time to check your position, sort out …

A beam reach is one of the best points of sail for learning how a sailboat really works. The wind comes across the side of the boat rather than from ahead or behind. The sails are eased away from the centerline. The boat usually develops good speed without requiring the precise steering and tight sail trim needed when sailing upwind. …

Reefing is one of the first sailing skills that truly changes the way a beginner thinks about controlling a sailboat. When you first learn to sail, much of your attention is focused on making the boat move. You learn how to steer, trim the sails, tack, jibe, sail upwind, sail downwind, and reach efficiently. Eventually, however, the wind increases. The …