Basic Theory
Easily learn the basics of sailing so that you can enjoy this great pastime even more.
- How Boats Sail
- Understand the science behind how boats sail and why they can sail into the wind
- Parts of a Sailing Boat
- The names of different parts of the inside and outside of a boat
- Parts of a Sail
- The names of different parts of a main sail
- Points of Sail
- The direction a boat is sailing in relation to where the wind is coming from
- Relative Terms
- When sailing we describe things in relation to the boat or wind. If somebody shouts "Collision AHead", you're going to want to know where to look
- Rules of the Road
- Standardize rules and practices for all vessels to prevent collisions
- Tack: Starboard vs Port
- Tack is an alignment of the boat to the wind. It's a very basic term in sailing that should be understood early on
- Terminology
- A glossary of sailing terminology
Communication Theory
Sailing related communication to improve your confidence and safety.
- Morse Code
- The sequence of short and long signals of lights or sounds used in communication
- Phonetic Alphabet
- A list of code words assigned to letters in the latin alphabet allowing for clearer voice messages by radio or telephone
- Semaphore Flags
- Used for communication that involves a signalman positioning their arms in a fixed position to encode and transmit a message
- Signal Flags
- Flags to represent individual letters of the alphabet to aid in signalling to or from sailing vessels
Navigation Theory
The process of navigating a sailing vessel from A to B, plotting your course, finding the position of your sail boat and being able to identify what's happening around you.
- Buoys
- 6 types of sea buoys used in maritime pilotage to aid in your sailing navigation, defined by International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)
- Cardinal Marks
- Named after the cardinal parts of the compass, they indicate the position of a danger
- Direction of Buoyage
- Identified on charts, the direction of buoyage helps prevent collisions at sea by clearly providing the direction vessels should be travelling in
- Emergency Wreck Buoys
- Placed above, or as close to, new wrecks and underwater hazards
- IALA Buoyage Systems
- The International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) that standardised the world's navigational buoys into two systems
- Isolated Danger Buoys
- Placed directly above a hazard such as a submerged rock or a wreck, but has navigable water all around it
- Lateral Marks
- Define the edges of a navigable channel, most commonly when entering/leaving harbours
- Preferred Channel Markers
- Used when there's 2 different navigable channels available, they are placed at the split of channels to identify which is the preferred channel
- Safe Water Markers
- Sailing buoy, identifies that safe, navigable water is all around
- Special Marks
- Indicate special areas or features such as military exercise zones, recreation zones, traffic separators etc
Weather Theory
Learn sailing weather theory to improve your confidence and safety while at sea
- Beaufort Wind Scale
- The beaufort wind scale allows an observer to judge the wind speed without the use of an instrument