Category Archives: Skipper’s Tip

Emerald Sea [Post 4]: “Wish you were here!”

By Jeff Hare, Tradewinds Instructor and owner of Emerald Sea Sailing Vessel Emerald Sea sends her greetings from Gulfo de California! We have enjoyed exploring several islands in the Mexican National Park system and highly recommend anyone visiting to just … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure Updates, Chartering, Destinations, General, Skipper's Tip | Leave a comment

Sailing Odyssey

Since Odyssey joined the Fleet, I immediately thought: “Nope! That’s just too much boat for me.” From the multiple masts and lack of jib, to the sturdy dodger and the slew of lines in the cockpit, it seemed beyond my … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure Updates, Chartering, Classes, General, Skipper's Tip | Leave a comment

Safe To Go

There is really no such thing as safe to go; if you want to be safe, don’t go. Said Saint Thomas Aquinas seven centuries ago: “If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep … Continue reading

Posted in General, Skipper's Tip | Leave a comment

Let ‘Em Fly…Or Not!

In the footsteps of Don Gilzean, Craig Walker, and Tony Johnson, I’m stepping up to share some important tips as we see the need from our clubhouse vantage point. And the biggest thing we’ve noticed lately involves…furling!  So, let’s start … Continue reading

Posted in Chartering, General, Skipper's Tip | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Why Is San Francisco Bay A Special Place to Sail?

An Introduction to Marine Weather San Francisco Bay is one of the premier sailing areas in the world. What is it that makes the area special? Easy! The weather. Year round mild conditions allow sailing nearly every day throughout the … Continue reading

Posted in General, Skipper's Tip | 3 Comments

Watch the Stern

First a “tip” then the detailed explanation with some practice exercises. The Tip: While docking in a slip (once the bow is in the slip) and when doing a fairway rotation, focus primarily on where the stern is with observation … Continue reading

Posted in Skipper's Tip | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Skipper Tip, Lee Shores

“Lee Shore” is a term you learn in your very first ASA course, Basic Keel Boat. How often do we really think about our relationship to a lee shore when we are out sailing? Inexperienced sailors in particular should try … Continue reading

Posted in Skipper's Tip | Tagged | 5 Comments

Skipper’s Tip, Reefing Underway

Reefing Underway With the summer winds starting to blow, we thought we’d touch upon this very important subject. Allowing the sails to flog for extended periods greatly shortens sail life and leads to torn batten pockets and lost or broken … Continue reading

Posted in Skipper's Tip | Tagged | Leave a comment

Downwind Slip Skipper’s Tip!

Got the blues leaving the downwind slips? With the onset of summer and the steady winds, we’ve seen a few close calls in the fairway. This looks like a great time to publish a docking skipper’s tip! When backing out … Continue reading

Posted in Club, Skipper's Tip | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Reefing Under Sail

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch one of the Tradewinds boats from a distance “struggling” in 25 knot plus winds at the eastern entrance to Raccoon Straight.  My initial thought was that the boat was in … Continue reading

Posted in General, Skipper's Tip | 10 Comments