Sailboats offer high degrees of freedom and a way to explore new places in the world. While it’s not for everyone, those who have been able to overcome the initial learning curve and make the commitment find that it’s worth it. But it’s not cheap – even that daysailer you spotted at the boat show may cost thousands in insurance, storage and maintenance.
Once you’ve figured out how to hoist the sails (assisted by instructions in the cockpit) and trim them for maximum efficiency, you’ll have to learn how to maneuver the boat with the wind. It’s important to be able to read the wind, watch telltales and keep a good eye on your position. Sailing terms like beam reach, broad reach and close reach describe the angle at which the wind contacts the sails and the adjustments necessary for peak performance.
You’ll also need to understand how to tack – shifting the boat from one side of the wind to the other. You’ll need to point the tiller in the direction you want to go, trim the jib sheet on the side of the boat that is away from the wind (leeward) and then pull on the jib sheet on the side facing the wind (windward). Then when you have the jib set you can pull on the mainsheet to ease the amount of heel.
Those who go down the sailboat route may also need to familiarize themselves with navigation tools such as the compass, chartplotter and radar. But all this information is only valuable if you know what to look for and how to use it.
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