LEARN TO SAIL - OUR STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO THE POINTS OF SAIL

Learning to sail is an exciting journey. However, grasping the basics without expert instruction can lead to frustration. Here's a short step-by-step guide to understanding the wind, the sails, and the points of sail. This clear instructional video is the best explanation of the basics of sailing.

There are three main points of sail: upwind (close-hauled), reaching (beam reach), and downwind (running). Understanding these points is crucial for controlling your boat effectively. Close-hauled is when you sail as close to the direction of the wind as possible. Reaching involves sailing across the wind. Running is sailing downwind with the wind at your back.

Before setting sail, grasp the concept of wind direction and its impact on your boat. You'll need to pay attention to the wind's behavior, as it will dictate your course. Start by observing flags, ripples on the water, and the direction of smoke if present. This awareness will guide your decisions while sailing. Onboard our yacht we also have wind instruments and a wind arrow at the top of the mast to help us.

Proper sail trim is vital for maximizing your boat's performance. Adjust the angle of your sails according to the wind direction to achieve the desired speed and direction. Experiment with different sail positions to find the most efficient setup for the current conditions.

The best way to put this into practice and to cement your learning of these basic skills is to attend a RYA Competent Crew course. Learn2sail on the Algarve offers all year-round courses with highly experienced instructors. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, you can join us anytime. Faro Airport on the Algarve is no more than 2 to 3 hours flying time away from any European country.

The team at Learn2sail look forward to welcoming you to the Algarve on one of our structured RYA courses soon. Let's Go Sailing!

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[xgtmg]

45 years ago I bought a 25 ft sailboat as my first house. I paid 400 dollars for it. Taught myself to sail in the Indian River in Florida. Wound up sailing to the Bahamas and on to Haiti. Now that I am retired I am going to do it all again.

[commonsenserevolutionx]

I’ve sailed many times, not a pro by any means, but comfortable enough. Had a small “cat” as a kid, just on lakes. Learned to sail thru trial and error...mostly error. This is a very good explanation and this man would be an excellent teacher I believe, seems very knowledgeable and patient, wish he could give me lessons.

[MrMctwisted]

Those little boats with the sails position drawn on them is the single best thing I’ve seen on any learning to sail video. I’m picking up a CLC Passagemaker dinghy today as my first ever boat….. you can count the times I’ve been on a boat on one hand and that includes ferries 😂. So pumped to get on the water it’s always been a dream of mine to sail and finally I’m going to have a crack at it. Thanks for the great content!

[deltafour]

I finally learned how to sail by using this video. By demonstrating how to sail using those table top models, it gave me that AH HA moment where it all came together! Please, don't ever take this video down.

[stylembonkers]

Life skill to feed your sense of adventure. Love it.

[rabukan]

Best explanation I've seen on points of sail. Break it down to simple, then show how it actually works without getting caught up in lingo - close haul, close reach, etc., which just confuses beginners. Sailing is about how much wind do your sails need to move you forward. If you have too much, back off, or make the sail area smaller (reef.) It's that simple. Now seamanship is different, both for sailing and motor yachts. That takes time, study, and experience. But if you can get your boat moving efficiently with the wind, you can work on seamanship over time. Well done!

[LearnSail]

Keeping things simple and relevant when learning will enable you to grasp the basic quickly. The skills of seamanship will follow on. If you have a dream, if you’re bold enough to have a dream, make sure you live it. Sailing can do this. It’s magical.

[greggtomchick]

Your sail illustrations on the table were terrific!!

[Marts]

Awesome video thanks!! I recently bought a 16’ wayfarer and had never been sailing. Learned a lot from YouTube and have since taken it out multiple times! Now I’m trying to learn the technicals to eventually move into a bigger boat!!

[robertcratchet]

great video! I like how you showed how to control the sails based on where the wind is coming from. Thanks for posting!

[chelofonte]

This has been the most motivating and best explained video found on YouTube for beginners like me.

[markk]

Clearest sail instruction video ever! Thanks Mark

[doctorcrypto]

What a fantastic instructional video. Clear, precise and to the point!

[claresullivan]

I'm glad this was my first intro to sailing video - so well explained! thank you for the great content!

[jogrant]

Thank you. That was a good straight forward lesson and not overwhelming with too much info. I'll remember that. I bought a book yesterday about How to Sail and spent a couple hours last night reading through what looked like the main points. After completing the emergency chapter, I went to bed with eyes big as saucers, haha. So now I am here and going to watch some more.
I wish I had a boat. Oneday!!

[daveg]

I think I need to go to this guy's sailing school.

[bynpmsx]

Nothing better than riding the wind!!!! Im a catamaran sailor

[stevebarberphotography]

Brilliant content guys, very informative. Thank you!

[rambojohn]

This is a great visual representation of the points of sail and explained beautifully. Thank you for your expertise.

[Jbmc]

You my friend make it so easy to understand, I started reading a book and that it the absolute worst way fir me to learn. I get very tired very fast reading and only comprehend half of it. But…. When I did my diving course ai was 49 years old and because of the awesome way Padi taught in their books I aced it right away, on my written 50 question exam I got 1 wrong. So I believe if someone can make it easy like you do here I can pick this up very easy.