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How to Spring off the Dock

July 8, 2013/by Grant Headifen

Springing Off the Dock in a Sailboat Here is a simple animation that shows you how to spring off the dock when the wind is blowing you back onto the dock. Often there may be another boat in front of you and so trying to push the bow out first can easily lead to disaster […]

How to go to the potty on a sailboat and the consequences

June 29, 2013/by Grant Headifen

There is a skill in going to the potty on a boat that, while obvious to some, may not be to a newbie without a swagger.

How to Dock a Sailboat

June 27, 2013/by Grant Headifen

Need to dock a sailboat? This course will have you confident enough to back a boat into a slip in a 40 knot cross wind.

How to sail in light winds

June 25, 2013/by Grant Headifen

Sailing in Light winds Sailing in light air is certainly a skill that needs to be taught by sailing schools when learning to sail. But, here are some very key points you can learn that will get you moving through the water on light wind days. Light air sailing is very much a learned skill. […]

Sailing Tip: How to move the fairlead forward whilst under tension

June 14, 2013/by Grant Headifen

In a stiff breeze you want to move the fairlead forward after you have reefed the headsail right? Yes, right!

How to do a Running Fix

April 19, 2013/by Grant Headifen

Running Fix Explained This week we uploaded our updated Coastal Navigation course to Apple for publishing on iTunes as an interactive eLearning App. We’re very excited about this update because of the HTML 5 animations we’ve used to explain some of the concepts. Specifically in regards to this post, no where on the web have we […]

How to dock a sailboat

March 10, 2013/by Grant Headifen

Here’s a fun suggestion – grab a sandwich, a few drinks, and a mate (with a boat if you don’t have one) on a sunny windy day and get out to the boat with your newfound maneuvering under power skills from our Maneuvering Under Power Course. Gingerly take the boat away from the marina and […]

How To Bareboat Charter – Question

January 15, 2013/by Grant Headifen

Here’s a question from a potential student about how to bareboat charter a yacht. It’s such a good and typical question that I’m posting the answer here. QUESTION >>>> Hi, My girlfriend and I are interested in getting our bareboat certification. Growing up I sailed small Sunfish/Lazer style sailboats on lakes, I have extensive power […]

How to read a polar plot for sailboats

October 11, 2012/by Grant Headifen

The polar plot is the navigator’s friend. Below is an example for one particular boat for one particular true wind speed.

How to Pull on a Line

May 27, 2012/by Grant Headifen

Here’s a quicky sailing tip that isn’t documented in too many places. And you might think it’s a bit basic but I’ve even seen old time sailing instructors doing this the wrong way. One day their luck is going to run out. Fortunately we got to you just in time. I was out racing last […]