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Welcome! NauticEd’s Sailing Blog is an extension of our sailing courses and charter vacations – a happy space where our team of pro sailors and collaborators share education and vacation information, tips, news, and sometimes just fun stuff. With over 850 articles and growing, we offer sailors a wealth of sailing information. If you are interested in powerboating, check out our new powerboating courses and blog. Cheers! Grant Headifen – NauticEd.

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Sailing guide: Tips on how to gybe single-handed

How to Gybe Single Handedly

When gybing, typically you are going from 120 deg apparent wind (from your aft quarter) on one side to 120 deg apparent wind on the other side. Due to the nature of angles between apparent and true wind, this equates to about a 90 degree turn overall. So pick a point on land (or a cloud) that is 90 degrees away. This is your target new heading. If you're doing a gybe single-handedly, first lock the wheel or set the autopilot so you can leave the helm station.
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Boats docked with springlines, demonstrating effective docking techniques against a rocky shore.

Spring-on and Spring-off exercise

The Animation is the most common way to get your boat off the dock or get in when the wind is not working in your favor. You can also use this if the current is working against you also. It is especially useful for tight spots - many times you might want to get into the fuel dock and back out again, but there is only a tiny spot. No worries!
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Image illustrating different types of maritime distress flares and signals on the ocean with a rescue scene.

Flares Are Essential Safety Equipment

In addition to your flare kit, you should have on board a distress signaling kit. It should contain a mirror (which has been consistently proven to attract attention to far away viewers), an eVDSD (electronic Visual Distress Signal Device) which is an LED SOS signaling device discussed above, a whistle, a distress orange flag, and a floating LED flashlight - all stowed in a loudly marked bag for easy grab.
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Last updated on January 7th, 2025