Sailing 101: The Beginner’s Guide to Sailing

June 1, 2025

Welcome to Sailing 101, The Beginner’s Guide to Sailing. Here you’ll find an overview of the core concepts of sailing, from the mechanics of sailing upwind and downwind to the steps involved in getting the sails up and back down again.

Who’s this for? We’ve written this primarily as a guide for people who are new to sailing. Whether you’ve been invited on a day sail or are thinking about taking a sailing class, reading this should help you feel more comfortable when you step onboard for the first time.

But, more experienced sailors may find some useful tips and insights here as well—and, of course, nothing you find online is a substitute for in-person instruction. The best way to learn how to sail is to get out on the water. With this in mind, let’s get started.

The Basic Mechanics of Sailing

We’ll begin our beginner's guide to sailing by introducing the basic mechanics of how sailboats move through the water. Generally speaking, any time you are sailing, you are either:

Going with the wind,
Going against the wind, or
Sailing with the wind at 90 degrees.

When it comes to sail trim, managing the boat, and mitigating potential risks, all of these involve different techniques and best practices. Fundamentally, however, they are all sailing. If you have your sails up and the wind is propelling you forward, you can officially call yourself a sailor.

While there are different techniques and best practices for each point of sail (more on this below), if you are just beginning to learn how to sail, you will want to start with the basics. Advanced sail trim is beyond the scope of this Sailing 101 guide—though we plan to address sail trimming in detail in future articles. So, if you’re starting at the beginning, what do you need to know?

Sailing Downwind (Broad Reach or Running with the Wind)

Sailing downwind is the most intuitive for most people. Depending on whether the wind is slightly off to one side of your sailboat’s stern or the wind directly behind you, this can be referred to as either being on a broad reach or running with the wind.

In both of these scenarios, the wind is pushing your sailboat forward. Your sails are catching the wind, and they are effectively acting as kites. You will want to have your mainsail and headsail both eased, meaning that they will be far out to the leeward side of the boat.

Which side is the leeward side? Unless you are dead downwind, the wind will be hitting your sailboat on one side or the other. This is the windward side. The other side of your sailboat is the leeward side. The force of the wind will push your sails to the leeward side automatically; so, while this may seem confusing at first, you’ll quickly get the hang of it once you start sailing for the first time.

Sailing Upwind (Close Reach or Close Hauled)

If the wind is coming from the front of your sailboat, you will either be sailing on a close reach or close hauled. You cannot sail directly into the wind, and you cannot sail at too tight of an angle to the wind, either (on many sailboats, this angle is approximately 45 degrees). However, you can sail against the wind as long as you stay out of this “no sail zone.”

When you are sailing upwind, the wind is no longer pushing your sailboat forward. As a result, it is in a different mode. While modes are a relatively advanced concept that many sailors assume are solely the domain of yacht racers, we think this is a helpful concept to understand when you are learning how to sail. Hence, we’re talking about it here in Sailing 101: The Beginner's Guide to Sailing.

When your sailboat is in an upwind mode, the wind is actually pulling your sailboat forward. The curvature of your sails mimics that of an airplane wing, and the concept that lifts airplanes off of the ground is the same concept that drives sailboats forward upwind. The wing, or airfoil, shape of the sails creates lift at an angle that is roughly perpendicular to the surface of the water, and this—with the counterbalance of the forces acting against your sailboat’s keel—literally pulls your sailboat through the water.

To sail upwind, you will need to have both sails trimmed in. When you are sailing as close to the wind as possible (just outside of the “no sail zone”), your boom should generally be on or near the centerline of the boat. This is essential for getting the right angle of attack against the wind. If your sails are eased out too far, they won’t be able to pick up the flow of the wind and pull your sailboat forward.

Sailing Perpendicular to the Wind (Beam Reach)

If you are sailing in between upwind and downwind, this means that the wind is coming directly from the side, or beam, of your sailboat. When the wind angle is 90 degrees, this is referred to as sailing on a beam reach.

When your sailboat is in beam reaching mode, it is still being pulled through the water—similar to when you are sailing upwind. The sails’ airfoil shape is doing its work; and, while it might seem like your sailboat would simply get pushed over, the physics involved actually mean that sailboats typically heel more on a close reach or close hauled than when sailing with the wind on the beam.

Since the wind is now coming from the side of your sailboat instead of in front of you, you will need to ease the sails a bit. Generally speaking, on a beam reach, your sails will be trimmed about halfway between your trim setting for your upwind and downwind modes.

The Points of Sail

While you can either sail with the wind, against the wind, or with the wind on your beam, sailboats behave differently (and need to be sailed differently) at all different angles to the wind. To address this, there are seven well-established points of sail.

As you begin your journey to learn how to sail, you will want to pay attention to where the wind is coming from on the water. This will tell you your point of sail; and, this, in turn, will tell you how you need to trim your sails. Once you know the seven points of sail, you can also practice this on land. Simply pay attention to where the wind is hitting your body, and then figure out on which of the following points of sail you would be sailing:

In Irons – If your sailboat is in the “no sail zone,” this is also referred to as being in irons. When your sailboat is in irons, you cannot sail. To get out of irons, you will need to either turn on the motor or use a tactic such as backwinding the sails in order to get your bow out of the wind.
Close Hauled – If you are sailing close hauled, you are sailing as close to the “no sail zone,” or as close to the wind, as possible. This can be a fast and exciting point of sail, with the boat heeled over and, in rough seas, water splashing over the bow.
Close Reach – If you are not close hauled but you are still sailing upwind, then you are sailing on a close reach. This can be more comfortable than sailing close hauled, particularly if the waves are perpendicular to the wind (as is often the case).
Beam Reach – If the wind is directly off of your sailboat’s beam, you are sailing on a beam reach. As discussed above, you will still treat this essentially as an upwind mode, with the airfoil shape of the sails pulling your sailboat through the water.
Broad Reach – As soon as the wind is behind your sailboat’s beam, you switch from a beam reach to a broad reach. This is the first downwind mode. When you are on a broad reach, the wind will now be pushing your sailboat forward.
Running with the Wind – If the wind is almost directly behind you but not quite, this is referred to as running with the wind. While this can be a comfortable and fast mode of sailing, you need to be careful to make sure the wind does not shift around behind your boat to the other side, which could result in an accidental gybe.
Dead Downwind – If the wind is directly behind you, this is referred to as sailing dead downwind. In practice, most sailors do not sail dead downwind due to the difficulty of keeping wind in the headsail and the risk of an accidental gybe. As you learn how to sail, you will most likely want to avoid sailing dead downwind until you have some experience under your belt.

Understanding the points of sail is about more than just familiarizing yourself with sailing lingo—it’s essential to learning how to sail. If you don’t know your point of sail, and if you don’t know what this means for where the sails need to be (i.e., whether they need to be trimmed in tight or eased out), you won’t be able to sail effectively. You might get lucky—certain points of sail in particular can be fairly forgiving—but getting lucky isn’t good seamanship, and it won’t allow you to make informed decisions when the winds change.

The Parts of a Sailboat and Its Sails

Now that we’ve covered the basic mechanics of sailing and the points of sail, it’s time to talk about your sailboat and its sails. If you’re already familiar with these terms, you can skip over this section of Sailing 101: The Beginner's Guide to Sailing. If you aren’t, here’s what you need to know:

Blocks – On a sailboat, pulleys are referred to as blocks. They are used to change the directions of the lines used to raise and trim the sails. They are also used to create purchase systems that reduce the amount of force it takes to trim the sails by hand.
Boom – The boom extends horizontally from the mast of a sailboat. It is attached to the mast at the gooseneck. Together, the mast and the boom hold up the mainsail while you are sailing.
Boom Vang – The boom vang connects from the bottom of the mast to some point in the first third of the boom. It helps to support the boom and is also used for headsail trim. If you trim the boom vang on, this flattens the headsail. If you ease it off, this adds twist to the headsail.
Cleats – Cleats are most commonly used to attach dock lines between a sailboat and a dock. They are usually made of metal, and you can attack dock lines to them either using a loop at the end of the line or by tying a cleat hitch.
Clutches or Jammers – Clutches and jammers are used to hold lines on a sailboat while they are under tension. When a line is in a clutch or jammer, it can’t feed out, and you will need to release the line in order to feed it out when necessary.
Cockpit – The cockpit of a sailboat is the area at the back of the boat where you steer, trim the sails, and relax. Most cockpits have long benches; and, on larger boats, there will be additional seating at the rear of the cockpit for the captain.
Cunningham – A Cunningham is a line used to trim the mainsail. While the mainsail halyard pulls the sail up and tightens the luff of the sail, the Cunningham pulls down against the fixed halyard to tighten the luff even more.
Deck – The deck of a sailboat is the area where you walk around above board. When you are learning how to sail, you will want to keep the deck of your sailboat clear to reduce your risk of tripping or slipping while the boat is heeled over or pushing through waves.
Furling Line – A furling line is used to furl a headsail that is stored on a roller furler. Most modern sailboats have a headsail on a roller furler, which makes getting the headsail out much easier than raising one from the deck.
Halyards – Halyards are lines that are used specifically to raise sails on a sailboat. They attach to the head of the sail and run up the mast and back down (usually to the cockpit) where they can be hauled in using winches.
Headsail (Jib or Genoa) – The headsail is the sail at the front of the boat. It is attached to the forestay and hauled up to the top of the mast using another halyard. While there are several different types of headsails, jibs and genoas are the most common—and, when you are learning how to sail, you will almost certainly be using one of these headsails.
Hull – The hull of a sailboat is the outer shell that gives the boat its shape and volume. When you are learning how to sail, you will want to know what someone means when they refer to the boat’s hull, but you won’t really have to do anything with the hull while you are sailing.
Keel – The keel is a weighted protrusion sticking out of the bottom of a sailboat. Keels come in many shapes and sizes, but they all serve the same basic purpose of giving the boat righting moment. On modern sailboats with heavy keels, the righting moment created by the keel will prevent the boat from capsizing even at extreme angles (90 degrees of heel or more in many cases).
Mainsail – The mainsail is the sail attached to the mast and the boom. It is the largest sail on most sailboats, and it is controlled primarily using the mainsheet and boom vang. On boats equipped with Cunninghams, travelers, and backstays, these can all be used to help achieve perfect sail trim.
Mast – The mast is the spar sticking up out of the center of your sailboat. It is supported by shrouds, and may either be stepped on the deck or on the keel. Halyards carry the heads of sails up the mast, and then clutches or jammers hold the halyards in place while you are sailing.
Rudder – The rudder is what steers a sailboat. Some modern sailboats have two rudders, though most just have one located on the centerline of the boat. Rudders are steered using either a tiller or steering wheel.
Sheets – Sheets are lines that are used specifically for trimming sails. When you are learning how to sail, you will be using jib sheets (or genoa sheets) and a mainsheet.
Tiller or Steering Wheel – A tiller or steering wheel turns the rudder, which in turn steers the boat. While smaller sailboats tend to have rudders and larger sailboats tend to have steering wheels, some larger boats—especially those that are race-oriented—have tillers as well.
Winches – Winches are used to trim sheets and halyards. When in use, these lines are under an immense amount of force, and the mechanical advantage afforded by a winch is essential for trimming. When you need to ease a sheet or halyard that is under load, you will use wraps around a winch to ease it in a controlled manner rather than just letting it fly.

To be clear, there are many more parts to a sailboat, especially once you get inside. But, for purposes of Sailing 101: The Beginner's Guide to Sailing, we think this covers what you need to know. These are the main terms you are likely to hear (and are likely to use) as you learn how to sail—and, once you become familiar with them, hearing and using them will become second nature.

We talked about headsails (jibs and genoas) and mainsails as parts of your sailboat, but each of these sails has parts of its own. When you leave the dock for the first time to learn how to sail on the water, you will need to be familiar with the parts of each sail. Fortunately, across all of the various sail types, the six main parts are the same:

Clew – The clew is the lower rear corner of the sail. This is where you will attach the sheet for trimming the sail.
Foot – The foot is the bottom of the sail, it extends from the tack to the clew.
Head – The head is the top corner of the sail. This is where you will attach the halyard in order to raise the sail.
Leech – The leech is the rear edge of the sail, running between the clew and the head.
Luff – The luff is the leading edge of the sail, running between the tack and the head.
Tack – The tack is the lower front corner of the sail. You will typically attach this to the boat using a fixed point on the boom, forestay, or roller furler.

If your sailboat is already rigged (which will most likely be the case if you are taking a sailing class or a friend or family member is taking you out sailing), you likely won’t have to deal with any of the parts of the sail your first time out. Nonetheless, these are terms you will want to know as well; and, as you advance in your sailing, you will learn how each part of the sail comes into play when rigging the boat and when trimming for both the wind angle and the wind speed.

5 Steps to Start Sailing

Those, in our estimation, are the fundamentals of sailing. If you know the parts of your sailboat and you have a general idea of how your boat is propelled forward on the various points of sail, you are well on your way to being an informed and helpful member of your crew. Now, it’s time for the good stuff: How to start sailing.

Once again, in this Sailing 101 guide, we are focusing on the basics for those who want to learn how to sail. We know (because we are sailors) that there is much more involved in helming a sailboat and sailing efficiently. But, for purposes of your first sail—getting out on the water and experiencing the power of the wind for the first time—these are the five basic steps to start sailing:

1. Raise (or Unfurl) the Mainsail

We’ll assume that someone else has helped you get off of the dock. You are in open water, and it’s time to get the sails up. So, what do you do?

The first step is to raise (or unfurl) the mainsail. To do this, you will want to go into irons—ideally directly head to wind. This way, the wind won’t put any pressure into the mainsail, and you should be able to raise it (or unfurl it pretty easily).

Assuming the mainsail is fully rigged, once you are head to wind, you will start raising the mainsail with the halyard. You’ll want to wrap the halyard around a winch at least a couple of times, and you’ll use the winch’s mechanical advantage to pull the sail up. Once you are no longer able to pull the sail up on your own, you will close the clutch or jammer (or use the self-tailer if the winch has one), and then use a winch handle to crank it up the rest of the way.

If the mainsail is on a furler, then you will simply unfurl it once you are head to wind. Many boats that have furled headsails also have electric winches, so this is often as easy as pushing a button.

2. Get Out of Irons (Start Sailing)

Once you have the mainsail up, the next thing you need to do is get out of irons. The easiest way to do this (and the way most sailors do it) is to use the motor. Once you are out of irons, the mainsail will fill with wind, and you will be sailing. At this point, assuming everything looks okay, you can turn the motor off.

3. Unfurl (or Raise) the Jib or Genoa

You’re sailing! Once you’ve gotten used to the feel of the boat (and assuming the conditions permit), you will want to unfurl (or raise) the headsail. Most sailboats these days have furling headsails, which makes getting the headsail out pretty simple. But, if your boat doesn’t have a furling headsail, you will need to raise the jib or genoa in a manner similar to how you raised the mainsail.

To unfurl the headsail, you will take the furling line out of its clutch or jammer, and then you will use a winch to trim the jib sheet or genoa sheet on the leeward side of the boat. In gentle to moderate wind conditions, you should generally be able to do this on any point of sail.

4. Trim the Sails to Your Wind Angle

Once you’ve got both of the sails out, it’s time to start thinking about sail trim. Determine your point of sail, then think about the three basic modes we discussed earlier in this Sailing 101 guide (upwind, downwind, and beam reach). If you’re sailing downwind, you will want to have the sails eased so that they catch the wind and it pushes you forward. If you’re sailing upwind or on a beam reach, you’ll need the sails to act as airfoils, which means you will want to trim them in so that the wind is streaming past and pulling your sailboat forward.

5. Steer to Your Sail Trim (or Keep Trimming the Sails)

On a sailboat, trimming and steering go hand-in-hand. Generally speaking, you need to either:

Steer to your sail trim, or
Trim the sails to your steering angle.

If you have a particular destination in mind, you may want to focus on trimming the sails to your desired steering angle. However, if you are just out to learn how to sail, you may want to steer to your sail trim instead. This will allow you to leave the sheets alone and focus on steering the boat—maintaining your point of sail (or angle of attack) so that the boat keeps moving forward through the water.

With both options, you will need to continuously pay attention to the wind. Especially when you are near land, the wind will be shifting constantly. While you don’t necessarily need to maintain perfect sail trim all the time, you will want to get into the habit of keeping power in the sails while also maintaining control at the helm. This takes practice—and, the more time you spend on the water, the easier and more intuitive it will become.

Congratulations, You’re Sailing! Now What?

You did it! You’re a sailor! So, now what?

Getting the sails up and getting underway is a major step for all new sailors. But, it is also just one step of many. Since you are relying on the wind to power your sailboat—and since the different points of sail all have different implications for what you need to do (and whether you can sail at all)—steering and turning aren’t as simple as they are in a powerboat or in a car.

Steering a Sailboat (Tiller or Wheel)

As we discussed above, sail trim and steering go hand-in-hand. If you steer your sailboat to alter course, you will need to adjust the sail trim to your new point of sail. If your sailboat has a wheel, you will turn the wheel in the direction you want to go and then trim the sails accordingly. If your sailboat has a tiller, you will push the tiller away from you to turn the bow toward you, and you will pull the tiller toward you to turn the bow away.

Tacking Upwind

If you need to steer your sailboat through the “no sail zone,” you will need to perform a tack. This is when the wind transitions from flowing over one side of your sailboat to the other. You will want to make sure you have the mainsail in tight; and, as you steer through the “no sail zone,” you will let the mainsail come across (it shouldn’t have far to go) as you release the working sheet on the headsail and trim in the lazy sheet (which now becomes the working sheet) on the new leeward side.

Gybing Downwind

While you tack upwind on a sailboat, you gybe when going downwind. This is more than just a difference in terminology. Since the mainsail is typically eased out when you are sailing downwind, when you gybe, it has much farther to go. This can potentially be dangerous; and, to protect yourself and your sailboat, you will want to do your first gybes slowly and in fairly benign conditions.

There are many different schools of thought on gybing, so we’ll just discuss one of the ways that we were first taught when we were learning how to sail. You will want to start your turn very slowly; and, at the same time, you will want to start trimming in the mainsail. This will mean that your mainsail is heavily overtrimmed, but this will limit how far the boom has to travel during the gybe, which is much safer. Once the boom crosses over the center line, you can ease the mainsheet back out, and you can handle the headsail just as you would in a tack—keeping in mind that you will want to leave the headsail eased for downwind sailing after the gybe.

Keeping a Lookout

While you’re focused on sailing, it can be easy to forget that there is an entire world around you. This is especially true when you are on the water for the first time to learn how to sail. But, with that said, keeping a lookout is extremely important.

As a sailor, you have a responsibility not only to protect yourself and your crew, but also to avoid endangering others around you. Not only do you need to watch out for things like buoys, day markers, sandbars, and other underwater hazards, but you also need to watch out for other vessels. You’ll want to make sure you know who has the right of way (which we’ll cover in a later article, but which you can also learn about here from the U.S. Coast Guard); but, even if you have the right of way, you’ll still need to be prepared to take evasive action if necessary.

This, too, requires practice. While you are learning to sail, you will most likely want to have at least one experienced crew member with you on board. This is true even after your first sailing lessons. Putting it all together takes time, but it only takes one mistake to cause a lifetime of consequences.

Enjoying Your Time on the Water

With all of that said, you will also want to take some time to reflect on what you are doing. You are sailing—and, for many people, this is a lifelong dream. So, while you will need to focus on the task at hand, you will also want to find moments where you can soak it in and enjoy your time on the water.

Getting the Sails Back Down

When you are done sailing for the day, you can’t simply turn around and go home. Instead, you need to get the sails down first. Roughly speaking, you can think about this as simply reversing the process of getting the sails up that we covered earlier in Sailing 101: The Beginner's Guide to Sailing. Here too, there are many different preferences and schools of thought, so here is just one way to get the sails back down when you are still learning how to sail:

Start Your Engine So You Can Maintain Steerage – First, you will want to start your engine so that you can maintain steerage. You’ll be going into irons to get the mainsail down; and, when you don’t have wind flowing over the sails, you don’t have control of your boat. Starting the engine solves this problem.
Furl (or Drop) the Jib or Genoa – The headsail went up (or out) last, so it goes down (or in) first. We’ll assume your sailboat is equipped with a roller furler, so you will need to make sure the working sheet is ready to run free, and then you will want to maintain light pressure on the sheet while you pull in the furling line.
Drop (or Furl) the Mainsail – At this point, the next step is to get your headsail down, so you need to get into irons. Steer your sailboat head to wind, bring the boom to the centerline with just a little bit of slack in the main sheet, and then use a few wraps around a winch to gradually lower the mainsail halyard. If your sailboat is equipped with a furling headsail, you’ll furl it in instead.

Since you are learning to sail, we’ll assume that you are heading back to a dock and not preparing to anchor or tie up at a mooring (these are also separate subjects that we intend to cover in future articles). With this in mind, you’ll want to make sure you’re ready with fenders and dock lines on the correct side of the boat. You can use a simple clove hitch to attach the fenders to the lifelines for now, though you may want to use a more secure hitch (such as a round turn with two half-hitches) once the boat is secure and you know that you won’t need to quickly relocate the fenders.

If you have time (and you have someone else steering the boat), you can also start cleaning up the cockpit and the deck while you are heading back to the dock. Of course, if you are taking a lesson or sailing on someone else’s boat, you should listen to what they want you to do. But, if you don’t have other instructions, you can start coiling lines and stowing them, putting on sail ties where they are needed, and generally making sure you are prepared to leave the boat as you found it.

5 Common Issues for Beginner Sailors (and How to Overcome Them)

As you are learning how to sail, you should expect to encounter circumstances that make you feel uncomfortable. This is natural; and, while some of this can be attributed to being a new sailor, some of this is also your gut instinct telling you that something might not be right. With this in mind, we want to include in our Sailing 101 beginner’s guide to sailing some common issues and what you can (usually) do to overcome them:

1. The Boat Feels Like It’s Overpowered While Sailing

If it’s a windy day, you might start to feel like your sailboat is overpowered. This typically manifests in one of two ways—either: (i) the boat is heeling excessively; or, (ii) it’s hard to keep the boat sailing in a straight line because it is constantly trying to turn into the wind.

If your sailboat is overpowered—but not to the extent that it’s unsafe to be on the water—your first course of action is to ease the sheets. If you’ve heard the saying, “When in doubt, let it out,” this is when it applies. Easing the sheets will start to depower the sails; and, oftentimes, it doesn’t take much to get the boat back under control. Alternatively, you can let the boat turn into the wind, and then you will be in irons.

2. The Boat Wants to Round Up While Sailing

If your sailboat wants to round up (turn into the wind) while you are sailing, this is usually another scenario in which easing the sheets will help. However, if the boat isn’t overpowered as a whole, your sail balance could be off. In this scenario, you may need to adjust the trim on one or both of the sails so that the headsail and the mainsail are working together to drive the boat forward rather than letting it twist on its center of rotation. Generally, this means either trimming in the headsail, easing the mainsail, or doing a combination of both.

3. You Can’t Get Out of Irons

Let’s say you turned your engine off before you got out of irons, and now you’re stuck. What can you do to get sailing?

As we discussed earlier in this Sailing 101 guide, the easiest solution (and what most sailors do the majority of the time) is simply to turn your engine back on. Alternatively, you can try to backwind one or both of the sails by pushing or pulling them to one side. Eventually, this should cause the boat to start twisting, and eventually, the wind will start to flow over the sails in the right direction. However, this maneuver can be dangerous in heavier conditions, so it will probably just make sense to start the engine while you are still learning how to sail.

4. You Can’t Build Speed Upwind

Let’s say it’s a breezy day, but despite your best efforts, you simply can get going upwind. It seems like you should be going faster—and other sailboats are moving—but you’re barely making any headway.

While there could be a variety of factors at play here, most often this is a sign of being overtrimmed. With this in mind, your first step should be to ease the sails a bit—not too much—and see what happens. If overtrimming was the issue, you should find that you start to gradually build momentum, and then you should be able to maintain your speed on your point of sail.

Alternatively, you may be stalled because you are just inside of the “no sail zone.” If this is the issue, you’ll want to bear off slightly (turn away from the wind), and then this should start to power up your sails.

5. Getting Nervous While You’re On the Water

When you are learning how to sail, you might get nervous on the water. If you do, trust us, you are not alone. If you have more experienced sailors with you, your first course of action should be to ask for advice. You should never hesitate to ask questions when you are sailing with others who are more experienced than you—they will almost always be more than happy to help. They were once learning how to sail, and they know what it’s like to be in your shoes.

If you don’t have anyone to ask, the most important thing is not to panic. This isn't something you can learn from a beginner's guide to sailing. It simply takes practice and experience. Truly dangerous scenarios are extremely rare. Take stock of your situation, think about your options for depowering the sails or getting them down, and you will most likely be able to find a solution. Of course, if you are facing an emergency, you can (and should) call for help using your VHF radio.

Using Your VHF Radio While Sailing

All sailboats should have at least one VHF radio on board. This is a vital piece of safety equipment—not only for making contact in the event of an emergency, but also for communicating with other vessels on the water. Proper VHF radio use is also beyond the scope of this Sailing 101 guide, and it is also a topic we intend to cover in the future. For now, here are some resources you can use to learn about VHF radio calling—and reading these resources will be well worth your time:

Radio Information For Boaters (U.S. Coast Guard)
VHF Radio Protocol (Boat U.S.)
The Basics of Marine Radio Use (Boat U.S.)

While most marinas have phone numbers you can call from your cell phone, using a VHF radio to communicate is common practice. If a commercial vessel needs to hail you on the water, it will attempt to contact you via VHF as well. As a sailor—even one who is in the early stages of learning how to sail—it is important to know how to use a VHF radio properly.

Gearing Up for Your First Time Sailing

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t briefly touch on gearing up for your first time sailing. If you’ll be sailing on someone else’s boat (either with a friend, family member, or instructor), you most likely won’t need to bring much. But, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for a day on the water in the conditions you are likely to face. This means wearing a sailing UV shirt and a hat to protect you from the sun, and it means bringing any other layers you might need. You’ll want to stay hydrated as well—and, while there might be water on board, it never hurts to bring your own water bottle to make sure you can grab a quick drink when you need to.

We hope you’ve found Sailing 101: The Beginner’s Guide to Sailing useful. We’ve tried to be concise while also delving into some of the unique complexities of sailing in a way that is easy for new sailors to understand. Of course, there is a lot more to learn, and this guide is by no means comprehensive. In future articles, we’ll cover many of the topics discussed above in greater depth, and we’ll also cover other topics related to sail types, sail trim, boat handling, navigation, and safety on the water.

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