Starting the Diesel Engine
Prior to starting the diesel engine: Become familiar with how and when a vessel’s transmission gear shift…
Grant Headifen is a USCG-certified Master Mariner (50-Ton), founder of NauticEd, and one of the sailing world's most recognized educators. With 46 years on the water, charters across 40+ global destinations, 5 sailing books, 30+ online courses, and 300,000+ students worldwide, Grant brings real-world expertise to every article. He pioneered fractional boat ownership through SailTime and serves on the Texas Boater Safety Advisory Board. NauticEd is the only U.S. sailing education body recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard under American National Standards.
Prior to starting the diesel engine: Become familiar with how and when a vessel’s transmission gear shift…
Dressing appropriately for weather conditions is an important but often overlooked topic. Weather in the marina may be considerably different from weather beyond the marina and conditions can drastically change during your venture.
When it comes to dinghy operations, the following is a dangerous attitude: “It’s only a short distance ashore—jump in…
Studying a harbor layout does very little good without understanding the symbols and what they signify. It pays to
Have a dock line untying plan based on the wind and the current direction and then communicate this to the crew. Depending on which is stronger…
“Weighing the anchor” simply means raising it. If raising the anchor is to be done by hand…
As the skipper of a vessel, you are expected to be able to handle situations thrust upon you at a moment’s notice. Many of these situations are boat-related issues, but there are also crew injury issues for which you should be prepared to assess and handle at least enough until professional assistance arrives.
There is a plethora of equipment specially designed for a variety of emergencies at sea. Some are inexpensive…
At a sailing group meeting, someone mentioned they were having trouble determining if the boat was pinching or not.
A word of caution whenever using any home AC appliances on a vessel. Generally, these devices will work fine
NauticEd is a fully recognized education and certification platform for sailing students combining online and on-the-water real instruction (and now VR). NauticEd offers +24 online courses, a free sailor's toolkit that includes 2 free courses, and six ranks of certification – all integrated into NauticEd’s proprietary platform. The USCG and NASBLA recognize NauticEd as having met the established American National Standards. Learn more at www.nauticed.org.
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