Boating Knowledge Base

Have a sailing question? Access NauticEd’s sailing and boating knowledge base, and gain in-depth answers to your sailing questions. If you’re interested in powerboating, visit our new powerboating blog.

Boat throttle control diagram showing forward, neutral, and reverse positions to increase RPM.

Sailboat Gear and Throttle Controls

Sailboats, and boats in general, use their gears and throttle to control momentum. It’s unlike driving a car in that you have no brake! Instead, you use your forward and reverse gears and throttle to both increase and decrease speed...
May 22, 2024/by Grant Headifen
Blue kayak on a sandy beach with sailboats in the calm sea under a clear sky. Perfect day for sailing and kayaking.

How to Book a Sailing Charter

There are a few things you need to know about booking a charter.
April 4, 2024/by Grant Headifen
Sea anchor setup on a yacht deck with tow line and deflate line labeled for easy sailing navigation and safety.

Sea Anchor

Finally, there is something called a “sea anchor.” These can be a variety of devices used to slow down a vessel caught in high winds and turbulent seas.
October 13, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Comparison of masthead and fractional rig sailboats with labeled diagrams showing sail positions.

Mast Head and Fractional Rigging

There are two variations on the standing rigging set up: Masthead and Fractional. On masthead rigs, the attachment point for the sidestays (shrouds), forestay, and backstay (if they exist) is at the top of the mast.
October 15, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Group of people planning a sailing route with a map and notes in a cozy room, discussing navigation strategies.

The Nautical Chart

Safely maneuvering a vessel while using positions derived from various coastal and near coastal sources is called coastal navigation.
October 24, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Schematic of boat bilge pump system with battery, manual and float switches, showing hull and water levels.

Bilge Pumps on a Charter Boat

Boats have two types of pumps to empty bilge water; electronic and manually operated. 
April 5, 2024/by Grant Headifen
Satellite image of a swirling hurricane over the Atlantic, approaching the southeastern coast of the USA.

Understanding Weather Systems

Weather is a highly complex natural phenomenon. Globally, it is all connected and operates on a multitude of physical laws.
October 19, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Heave To

Heave To in sailing is a way to stop the boat with full sails still up. You might do
October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Magnetic field lines around a bar magnet, illustrating north and south poles with curved lines of force.

Magnetism

We begin with a phenomenon called magnetism. This phenomenon was known thousands of years before electricity. Magnetism was discovered...
October 16, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Scenic harbor view with numerous anchored sailboats and yachts, surrounded by lush greenery and coastal buildings.

Anchoring Courtesy

After safely and securely anchoring your vessel, there are certain factors to contend with - most are common sense.
October 14, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Sailboat racing on open water with crew adjusting sails, vibrant spinnakers in the distance, under a clear sky.

Holding a Straight Course in Sailing

Holding a straight course is an imperative skill to master as you learn to sail. As an experienced sailor, nothing is more distracting to a good day out sailing than a novice helmsperson swinging the boat in all directions.
October 12, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Sail TellTales

"Telltales" attached to the sail in strategic positions to "tell" us what the wind is doing at that exact location.
August 11, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Blue spiral notebook with a matching pencil, perfect for jotting down sailing notes and navigational tips.

Using Prop Walk

You can use prop walk to turn your boat in a tight marina by applying forward and reverse gears at appropriate times, leaving the rudder locked to starboard.
May 31, 2024/by Grant Headifen
Two sailboats, one red and one blue, are connected on the water.

Towing

The following diagram shows how you can tow another vessel. Form a “bridle” from the rear cleats...
October 24, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Diagram of a sail with terms: head, luff, leech, foot, tack, clew, jibsail, jibsheet, fairlead, and geometric center.

Fairlead Control

The fairlead is the first control device that the jib sheet passes through on its way back to the cockpit. You can move the fair lead forward or backward.
August 30, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Navigation Tools

No matter the chart in use, the navigator’s work largely involves the determination of direction and distances. The most useful tools for actual chart work are...
October 25, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Group of sailors examining navigation charts at a table in a nautical classroom setting.

Charter Local Area Familiarization

Once you’ve arrived at the charter base, the company will give you an extensive briefing on the local area, where to sail, where not to sail, and they’ll also give you a recommended route to take for the time that you have allotted.
April 4, 2024/by Grant Headifen
Diagram of green light patterns: Flashing (2), Flashing, Occulting, Quick Flashing, ISO for nautical navigation signals.

Lights on ATONS

Lights are installed on some ATONS. The lights are usually alternating on and off on some consistent interval to distinguish one ATON from another.
October 24, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Sailor in a red jacket braving rough seas, harnessed on a wet deck with splashing waves, focused on handling the sail.

Sailing Safety Equipment

There is a plethora of equipment specially designed for a variety of emergencies at sea. Some are inexpensive...
October 16, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Sailing diagram showing prop walk effect causing boat to veer off desired path due to strong wind and speed factors.

Prop Walk Bests You

There is one situation where you are just going to have to suck it up, admit defeat, and work with the forces of nature.
June 9, 2024/by Grant Headifen
Sailboats racing in the ocean with crews managing sails, showcasing competitive sailing dynamics and teamwork.

Sails

Sails are sophisticated objects. It is not only the materials they are made from that are important, but also, the way they are cut and sewn.
October 13, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Crew Briefing Video

It is important to know how much experience your crew has before you embark on any sailing adventure. For our boat, we created a video walkaround introduction to the boat covering safety items and also just general items on how we want our boat looked after.
October 15, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Diagram of yacht communication and navigation system with satellite, GPS, radar, WiFi, and autopilot integration.

Electronic Communications

Nowadays, gigabytes of data can be sent in a second as a digital signal. It is all a complete Wow!
October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen
Sailboat on emerald sea approaches stormy skies, showcasing adventure and the thrill of sailing challenges.

Weather Warnings

Weather services will also provide weather warnings, such as small craft or gale warnings for a certain area, as well as fog predictions.
October 16, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Last updated on December 6th, 2024