Boating Knowledge Archives

Crew Overboard

October 21, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Crew (“Man”) Overboard (MOB) is fortunately relatively rare, but chances are that in your sailing career it will happen.

Fire on a Sailboat

October 21, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Putting out fires quickly is essential. The sooner you find the source the quicker the fire can be extinguished.

Directions are super important because while sailing, you will always be in communication with others regarding directions of obstacles, wind changes, your destination, water current, and other boat traffic.

Unfurling or Raising the Sails

October 21, 2023/by Grant Headifen

You have motored your vessel from the slip into open water and are now ready to either unfurl or raise the sails, depending on your setup.

Sailboat Diesel Engine

October 21, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Thanks go to Mr. Rudolf Diesel who years ago in Germany cleverly invented an engine that today bears his name (luckily, they chose to use his last name)—the sailboat diesel engine.

Why Anchor?

October 20, 2023/by Grant Headifen

There are many reasons for anchoring your boat…

Sailboat Battery Charging

October 20, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Like a water bucket, batteries have a specific storage capacity and must be refilled/recharged when their contents of energy are depleted.

Sailboat Battery Usage

October 20, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Batteries are a vessel’s major source of power for many essential functions both when in the slip and while sailing.

Sailboat Balance

October 20, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Below is an animation that shows the balance of forces: actually it is technically the balance of a concept called “moments.”

Types of Anchors

October 20, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Anchor design has been the focus of much research over thousands of years, and as a result, there are