Sailing Archives

Heaving To in a Sailboat is a Practiced Skill

August 8, 2011/by Grant Headifen

While books say to tack the boat with the head sail cleated to windward and turn the wheel to windward, there’s more to know about heaving to

How to Sail with a Jockey Pole

June 22, 2011/by Grant Headifen

Last weekend we were out racing and one of the legs was very similar to a race we’d done a few weeks back with the same wind condition. On that previous race we’d lost huge ground over the other boats solely because the sail configuration and hull design etc on this boat doesn’t allow the […]

Learning to Sail with the Tell Tales

June 3, 2011/by Grant Headifen

Take a look at some footage of the tell tales on the head sail as a NauticEd student turned the boat through various wind angles.

Sailing A Catamaran

June 1, 2011/by Grant Headifen

In this article, we’re talking about bareboat chartering of a Catamaran sailing boat on a sailing vacation.

Do YOUR Job

May 14, 2011/by Grant Headifen

Yesterday we were out racing in our local sailing regatta. At the end of any regatta race we always have a debriefing on what we could have done better. Turns out this one works especially well in our work lives as well and so that was the topic of conversation over a few beers afterward. […]

Sailboat Mast Height

March 9, 2011/by Grant Headifen

Know your sailboat mast height! Some lessons learned from encountering over-water power lines during a bareboat sailing trip.

Heaving To And Something About It That You Might Not Know

July 23, 2010/by Grant Headifen

Most sailors already know how to heave to so I’ll give the quick part of this tip up front. The Quick Bit When heaving to, and if you have the choice, do it so that your boat is on a starboard tack. This way you are the “Stand-on” vessel in an approaching situation with other […]

Leeway and a Bottle of Rum

June 22, 2010/by Grant Headifen

Leeway is just one of those things that is a law of the universe that we have to put up with. It’s just like gravity. Still with gravity – the advantage is that it’s highly predictable. And so then is leeway. Leeway is the sideways slip motion of our sailboat downwind from the pressure of […]

Weather Helm Vs Lee Helm – What is it? How to use it?

June 16, 2010/by Grant Headifen

Most of us sort of understand the concept of weather and lee helm, but few explanations go into how it gives your boat a sailing advantage.

Stopping Rounding Up Dead in it’s Tracks

June 8, 2010/by Grant Headifen

Rounding up is caused by many factors. One is too much wind and force aloft which tends to heel the boat over. This reduces the amount of rudder in the water and thus the rudder’s effectiveness. Another factor in rounding up is the center of pressure of wind on the sails is too far aft […]