sailing tips Articles

As you embark on the sailing season, it is always a good idea to be well-prepared. Here are some early-season tips to get you off to a great start with sailing this year, and a helpful link to our reference cards. Read More >

So often in the sailing world, we’re presented with a question that takes binary form — “are you a cruiser or a racer?” Sure, people tend to have their preferences, but I’d like to propose one can embrace both dimensions of sailing in the same way one can appreciate both fine art and Formula 1. I have two boys who Read More >

Over the years American Sailing has promoted our Plastic Pollution Purge campaign. We have asked our fellow sailors to “bring back more plastic than you take to your boat”, and to have fun practicing your crew overboard drills as you recover trash on the water. But to break the vicious cycle of plastic pollution in the water we must prevent Read More >

You want to learn how to sail a boat and ASA has taught over 500,000 thousand sailors how to toss the lines and set off on a sailing adventure. Read More >

It was not that long ago that I boarded my first ever bareboat charter. The excitement with which we approached the catamaran is something I still feel today.  This was to be the greatest vacation of our lives. The top of the bucket list was going to be checked off. A bareboat charter with my family. The dream of this Read More >

Oh lordy – the birds are chirpin’, the snow’s melted and that boat is ready to gallop around for another spring and summer (at least). Here’s a list of some presents to get yourself and your lovely to make it a more pleasant sailing season. Read More >

While scrolling through Facebook I was introduced to the Women’s Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay (WSA) sailing group. This post appeared and I had to share it with our American Sailing Readers.  We all have dreams about sailing and the author of this piece, Yosh Han, outlines her twelve steps to living her life as a sailor.  Even though Read More >

Should You Know How to Swim to Learn to Sail? For sailors who grew up perpetually wet from ages 5 to 25, having fun righting capsized dinghies, less fun while righting turtled ones, and trapeze sailing small boats competitively in school and college, this question might seem to be axiomatic. Yet, there have been some very accomplished sailing skippers who Read More >

“Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all means available appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.”  – Rule 5 from the Navigation Rules (International-Inland) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security United Read More >