Learn to sail. It's easier than it looks.
Nine short lessons with pictures, then a practice test. About 20 minutes, free, no account needed.
Have a question? , our helper who knows the sailing-school basics.
The boat
Bow, stern, port, starboard and the parts that matter on day one.
Port and starboard
Facing the front, port is left and starboard is right. Port and left both have four letters. They never change, even when you turn around.
Sheets and halyards
On a boat, ropes are "lines". Sheets pull the sails in and let them out. Halyards pull the sails up the mast.
Watch the boom
The boom swings across the boat every time you tack or jibe. Keep your head below it. "Boom" is also what it sounds like when it hits you.
Keel
The heavy fin underneath keeps the boat upright and stops the wind pushing you sideways. Keelboats are very hard to tip over.
Tiller
It steers backwards: push it left and the bow turns right. Small, smooth moves. A wheel steers like a car.
Reading the wind
Where it comes from, and how to see it on the water.
Feel it
Turn your face until the wind feels the same on both cheeks and ears. Now you are looking straight into it.
Named for where it comes from
A north wind blows from the north. A sea breeze blows in from the sea.
Windward and leeward
Windward is upwind, the side the wind hits first. Leeward (say "LOO-ward") is downwind.
See it coming
Dark, rippled patches on the water are puffs of stronger wind. Flags, smoke and the arrow at the top of the mast all point downwind.
Points of sail
Your angle to the wind decides everything. Try the dial.
Beam reach
Port tack
The wind blows straight across the side of the boat. Sails about halfway out. Often the fastest and easiest point of sail.
The no-go zone
No boat can sail straight into the wind. Inside about 45 degrees on each side, the sails just flap. To go upwind, you zig-zag.
Turning toward the wind
Called heading up. Pull the sails in as you go.
Turning away from the wind
Called bearing away. Let the sails out as you go.
The one trim rule
Let the sail out until its front edge flutters, then pull it in just until the flutter stops. When in doubt, let it out.
Tacking and jibing
The two ways to turn, and what everyone says.
Tacking calls
Skipper: "Ready about."
Crew: "Ready."
Skipper: "Tacking." Push the tiller toward the sail.
The bow swings through the wind. Release the old jib sheet, duck, switch sides, trim the new one.
Jibing calls
Skipper: "Prepare to jibe."
Crew: "Ready."
Skipper: "Jibing." Steer slowly away from the wind.
Pull the mainsheet in so the boom crosses under control. Heads down!
Leaning is normal
The lean is called heel. Too much? Ease the mainsheet or head up a little. Crew sit on the high side.
Too much wind
Make the sail smaller by reefing. The old rule: if you are wondering whether to reef, it is time.
Who gives way
Four rules that keep boats from bumping.
Pink boat gives way. Green boat holds its course and speed.
Opposite tacks
The boat on port tack (wind over its left side) gives way to the boat on starboard tack.
Same tack
The windward boat, the one closer to the wind, keeps clear of the leeward boat.
Overtaking
A boat coming up from behind always keeps clear, sail or power.
Big ships win
Ships can't stop or turn fast. Stay out of their way in channels, and cross behind, never in front.
Engine on? You're a powerboat
Powerboats usually give way to sailboats. But once your engine is running, you follow the powerboat rules, even with sails up.
Give way early
If you must give way, do it early and make it obvious, usually by turning behind the other boat.
Five short blasts
Five or more short horn blasts means danger, or "I don't understand what you're doing."
Reading the channel
Red, right, returning, and slow zones.
Red, right, returning
Coming in from the sea, keep red marks on your right (starboard) and green on your left. Heading out, it's the opposite.
Shapes and numbers
Red marks are often cone-shaped with even numbers. Green ones are square-topped with odd numbers. Numbers go up as you come in.
Slow zones
Many harbors, rivers and marinas post no-wake and slow-speed zones. Read the signs and go slow. In Florida, manatee zones protect animals that can't get out of your way.
The Intracoastal
Markers on the Intracoastal Waterway carry a small yellow triangle or square. Your instructor will show you how they work.
Four knots
The knots you'll actually use, and what they're for.
Figure-eight
Tie it in the end of every sheet so it can't slip out of the boat. It looks like an 8 before you pull it tight.
Cleat hitch
Ties the boat to a dock cleat: around the horn, a figure-eight across, and a final locking turn. Holds tight, comes off fast.
Bowline
A loop that won't slip or jam. The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree and back down the hole.
Clove hitch
Quick tie for hanging fenders on a rail or a post. Two wraps, with the end tucked under the second.
Knots are easier to learn with a piece of rope in your hands than from pictures. Grab one, and .
Safety first
Life jackets, weather and what to do if someone goes over.
Wear a life jacket
Every boat needs an approved life jacket that fits each person aboard (Coast Guard-approved in the US). Rules for kids vary by place; in Florida, under-6s must wear one on boats under 26 feet. Adults should too.
Check the weather
Look at the marine forecast before you go. In warm places like Florida, summer storms often build in the afternoon, so sail early and head in when tall dark clouds appear.
If someone falls in
Shout "Crew overboard!", throw something that floats, and have one person point at them nonstop. Then turn back and come alongside slowly.
Leave a float plan
Text someone ashore where you're going, who's aboard and when you'll be back.
Channel 16
VHF channel 16 is for emergencies and calling the Coast Guard. "Mayday" means danger to life.
Sun and water
Hat, sunglasses with a strap, sunscreen and more water than you think. Soft, light-soled shoes that won't mark the deck.
Boating rules vary by state and country, so check with your local boating authority before you go. One example: in Florida, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 needs a Boating Safety Education ID to run a boat with a motor of 10 horsepower or more, sailboats included (FWC page).
Talk like a sailor
The words you'll hear on your first sail.