Sailing Education Archives

Sailboat Diesel Closed Water System

October 23, 2023/by Grant Headifen

The second sailboat cooling system fluid is called the closed or coolant water system.

Standing Rigging

October 23, 2023/by Grant Headifen

To keep the mast from toppling over, an array of rods, cables, ropes (lines), and wires are attached at various spots on the mast and run down to the bow, stern, and sides of the vessel.

Wind

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Winds can be gentle, hardly felt, like zephyrs flitting about in a local area, or they can be vast movements of air moving swiftly across oceans and continents at low and high altitudes.

Heave To

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Heave To in sailing is a way to stop the boat with full sails still up. You might do

Shore Power Connection

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

One of the more common sources of fire on a boat is a loose connection of the shore power to the receptacle plug on the stern of the boat.

Sailboat Diesel Engine Fluids

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Diesel engines make use of a variety of fluids, including raw and coolant water, diesel fuel, and lubricating oil. A problem in the flow of any one of these fluids can cause problems…

Sailboat Diesel Water Systems

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Diesel engines run hot because of high compression and therefore need to be cooled. Fortunately, ample cooling is readily available from the water the vessel is sailing in.

Electronic Communications

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Nowadays, gigabytes of data can be sent in a second as a digital signal. It is all a complete Wow!

Raising the Alarm in Emergencies

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

A comprehensive list of how and the equipment used to raise the alarm in sailing emergencies

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.