Sailing Education Archives

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.

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

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.”

Electronic Navigation

October 20, 2023/by Grant Headifen

We are well into the 21st century. Chances are that within 30 feet (10 meters) of you right now there are 2-3 GPS-enabled potentially lifesaving devices…

Sailboat Engine and House Systems

October 19, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Perhaps the most important use of DC power on a vessel is for starting the engine. Considerable power is needed for this task and if the engine does not start immediately…

Motor Sailing

October 19, 2023/by Grant Headifen

If the wind is light and your time is short you might want to consider motor-sailing—using your auxiliary engine…

Anchoring Rode and Scope

October 19, 2023/by Grant Headifen

To hold a sailboat, the anchor must naturally be attached to the vessel. This is accomplished by using “rode,” which is either all chain or a combination of rope (nylon line) and chain.