I’ve recently learnt to sail but when I’m on the water, all of my theory goes out of my head. Can someone please explain the steps of sailing or confirm what I’ve written below?

  1. check the wind direction
  2. think of where I want to navigate to and point the boat relative to the wind.
  3. think of the points of sail. For the boat’s position relative to the wind, change the main sail to the respective point of sail and the wind will catch the sail.
  4. use the main sheet to keep the sail in the “point of sail” direction that the wind should be in.
  5. make very small movements to keep the boat going straight towards my target
  6. once i’m going straight, check the sail if it’s luffing periodically and trim the sail if necessary

when tacking,

  1. use the tiller to turn the boat around, either pull it fully towards or away from me
  2. once the boat is turned around, pull the tiller so that it’s now straight and you can let the tiller handle lay on the side of the boat
  3. switch sides as usual

thank you!

  • Demonmariner@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 months ago

    You haven’t mentioned what kind of boat you have. Sailing a monohull vs a catamaran is somewhat different, also the size and rig make a difference. Your process looks about right to me, for a typical small monohull boat.

    It’s mostly about practice, though, sailing needs to be instinctive. Try not to overthink it.