Sailing For Dummies

J. J. Isler, Peter Isler

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780471791430
• eBook ISBN: 9781118052914
• Edition: 2

Interested in learning to sail but feel like you're navigating in murky waters? Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition introduces the basics of sailing, looks at the different types of sailboats and their basic parts, and teaches you everything you need to know before you leave the dock.

In Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition, two U.S. sailing champions show you how to:

• Find and choose a sailing school
• Use life jackets correctly
• Tie ten nautical knots
• Handle sailing emergencies (such as capsizing and rescuing a man overboard)
• Launch your boat from a trailer, ramp, or beach
• Get your boat from point A to point B (and back again)
• Predict and respond to water and wind conditions
• Read charts, plot your course, use a compass, and find your position at sea

Sailing for Dummies shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think. The authors keep the sailor-speak to a minimum where possible, but give you a grasp of the terminology you need to safely and effectively communicate with your crew. A textbook, user's manual, and reference all in one, this book takes the intimidation out of sailing and gives you the skills and confidence you need to get your feet wet and become the sailing pro you've always wanted to be. Anchors away!

Part I

Before You Get Your Feet Wet

In this part . . .

S ome people think that sailors are incredibly snobby rich people who hang out at the yacht club all day sipping gin and tonics, wearing blue blazers, and talking without moving their jaws (kind of like Thurston Howell III in Gilligan’s Island). If this intimidating vision has kept you from beginning to sail, this part is for you. We formally introduce you to a sailboat and then show you where you can take sailing lessons — from regular people and with regular people. We also dispel those blue-blazer myths and answer that incredibly important question that mankind ponders every morning — what to wear? Finally in this part, we look at what you need to know before you leave the dock.

Chapter 1

Ready, Set, Go: Time to Start Sailing

In This Chapter

Exploring the essentials of beginning sailing

Dissecting the parts of a sailboat

Answering basic sailing questions

Describing where sailing can take you

It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it — we are going back from whence we came.

—John F. Kennedy

Water covers nearly three-quarters of the planet. Over the course of human history, the oceans (as well as lakes and rivers) have served as pathways upon which trade and civilization have developed. Getting away from shore, you feel a link to those ancient mariners who set off for undiscovered lands. When you’re flying across the water, you’re harnessing the same forces of nature that powered the early explorers.

Why are humans drawn to the sea? President John F. Kennedy had a poetic answer. Generations before you have felt the call of the wind and waves, beckoning to accept their offer of unknown possibilities — adventure and serenity.

Even in today’s high-tech, fast-paced world, sailing regularly rates high on pollsters’ lists of desirable activities. So if you ever find yourself dreaming of packing it all in and setting sail over the horizon or of simply having your own boat to sail near home on a warm, breezy afternoon, you’re not alone. And this chapter shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think.

What You Need to Start Sailing

Starting sailing is a little different than starting most sports. In basketball, you can start to learn the basic moves like dribbling and shooting without worrying about the “playing field” — the court boundaries or the height of the basket. But the sailor’s “playing field” — the wind and the water — is constantly changing. The wind changes strength and direction while waves and/or current change the water conditions. Sailing is harnessing the power of Mother Nature, and sailors need a healthy respect for her power. So in this section, we cover some important weather and safety considerations you need to know before you start sailing.

Also in this section, we encourage you to begin your sailing career by taking lessons from a qualified instructor — we both did — so you can focus on learning the basic moves while the instructor makes sure the conditions are suitable for learning.

Taking lessons

You can find sailboats near almost every body of water. And where you find sailboats, you can find sailing schools and/or a sailing club with experienced sailors looking for crew. Most boats longer than 15 feet (5 meters) are meant to be sailed with more than one person, and the average 30-foot (9-meter) sailboat is best sailed with at least four crew members. So go down to the local marina, check out the bulletin board, and ask around. The offers you get to go sailing may pleasantly surprise you.

Although having friends to take you sailing can make practicing and progressing easy, we strongly recommend taking lessons from a sailing school with certified instructors before you head out on your own. For a variety of safety reasons, we don’t recommend sailing alone while learning the basics. In Chapter 2, we help you find the right sailing course for any experience level.

Location, location, location

You can probably guess that the weather and water conditions in a given area affect the sailing possibilities, and that most sailors put away their sailing clothes in wintertime in the snowy latitudes whilst Southern Californians can sail year round. But even snow and ice can’t stop some die-hard enthusiasts who sail ice boats on frozen northern lakes. Not to be outdone, adventurous sailors in dry, desert areas blast around on “land yachts” or “dirt boats” with wheels. Assuming that you plan to go sailing on regular, salt or fresh, nonfrozen water, then your main concerns are twofold: the water conditions (waves, currents, depth, and water temperature) and the wind conditions (wind strength and changeability). Some areas have very consistent conditions during a particular season, and others are more variable. In some places, a typically windy spot and a calm location may be less than a mile apart due to some geographic feature.

That’s why knowing the local conditions can be invaluable to any sailor. We encourage new sailors to start out, if possible, in steady light-to-medium winds and protected (calm) waters — and a sailing school knows where and when to find those conditions in your area. But as you gain experience, you can enjoy sailing in more challenging conditions — such as windy Chicago or San Francisco in midsummer, cruising in foggy Maine, or blasting down the Molokai Channel in Hawaii.

Feeling the wind

You probably know that a sailboat doesn’t move unless it has wind. (Yes — you can start up the engine, get a tow, get out a paddle, or swim along pulling your boat — but we’re talking about “sailing” using the power of the sails, right?) The wind rules a sailor’s universe — it’s the sailor’s alpha and omega. To become a sailor, you need to raise your awareness of the weather, starting with the importance of feeling and finding the wind’s direction.

Look around for a nearby flag and use its direction as a clue. In Chapter 5, we show you how to develop your feel for sensing the wind direction and staying aware of any shifts (without having the local weatherman on your speed dial). Knowing the wind’s direction is crucial because you get your boat to move by adjusting the angle of the sails relative to the wind’s direction. When the wind direction changes or you change course, you need to change your sail trim, or the angle of your sails to the wind, as you see in Chapter 5.

No matter how constant the weather seems on shore, the wind is frequently shifting both speed and direction. Staying aware of these changes is important for your safety and comfort while sailing. Sensing the wind’s speed is important too so you avoid going sailing when the wind is too st...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Before You Get Your Feet Wet
• Chapter 1: Ready, Set, Go: Time to Start Sailing
• Chapter 2: Knowing Where You Can Learn: Classes and Sailing Schools
• Chapter 3: Planning Ahead: What to Wear and What to Bring
• Chapter 4: Before You Leave the Dock
• Part II : Casting Off and Sailing Away
• Chapter 5: Going Sailing: Just the Basics, Please
• Chapter 6: Leaving the Dock (And Coming Back)
• Chapter 7: Safety: One Hand for the Boat, One Hand for Yourself
• Chapter 8: All about Weather: Red Sky at Night
• Chapter 9: Navigation: Holding Your Course
• Chapter 10: Anchors Away: Anchoring Your Boat
• Part III : Sailing Fast: Taking Your Sailing to the Next Level
• Chapter 11: The Need for Speed: Sailing Fast
• Chapter 12: Trimming Your Sails for Speed
• Chapter 13: Racing Sailboats: Going for the Gold
• Part IV : Sailing Away for a Year and a Day
• Chapter 14: Encountering Sailing Emergencies (And How to Handle Them)
• Chapter 15: Caring for Your Craft
• Chapter 16: Cruising with Children
• Chapter 17: Chartering: Changes in Latitude
• Chapter 18: Sailing Sailboards
• Part V : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 19: Ten Nautical Knots and How to Tie Them
• Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Ask Yourself When Buying a Sailboat
• Part VI : The Appendixes
• Appendix A: Glossary
• Appendix B: First Aid Afloat
• Appendix C: The Physics of Sailing: Understanding How Sailboats Work