Boating Knowledge Archives

Sailing to a Mooring Ball

September 29, 2024/by Grant Headifen

Sailing up to a mooring ball is an advanced skill. It will definitely prove your finesse for handling the boat and managing the crew.

Ferrying Docking Technique

August 4, 2024/by Grant Headifen

Ferrying is a docking technique whereby you can maneuver your boat in high wind and current easily.

Prop Walk Bests You

June 9, 2024/by Grant Headifen

There is one situation where you are just going to have to suck it up, admit defeat, and work with the forces of nature.

Docking Force Alignment and Moment Balance

June 9, 2024/by Grant Headifen

When you are docking, if your boat pulls on a line attached to the dock, the line pulls back on your boat. If the forces are aligned, then nothing really happens.

Dock Slips Docking Techniques

June 3, 2024/by Grant Headifen

Wind coming into the dock slip channel and your boat is to be docked stern-to, steer into the slip channel…

Catamaran Maneuvering Mastery

June 1, 2024/by Grant Headifen

As now learned, Cats can turn inside their own length, they can vector sideways, and using the bulldozer effect you can instantly rotate the Cat to point in any direction, you can do almost anything.

Using Prop Walk

May 31, 2024/by Grant Headifen

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.

While sailboats are primarily powered by wind, the use of an engine (technically your sailboat engine is “auxiliary power”) is crucial for certain maneuvers and situations. All of this begins with understanding the momentum of a sailboat!

Springing a sailboat On and In

May 24, 2024/by Grant Headifen

Coming up to a Tee-head is more the situation where you need to spring on. The need for accuracy in your maneuver is heightened when the space is tight.

Docking Maneuvers with Dual Rudders

May 24, 2024/by Grant Headifen

With Dual Rudders there is no ability to spring the boat onto or off the dock! You have no water velocity over the rudders from either boat velocity or propwash.