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Category Archives: Skipper’s Tip
Flake Your Main – The Right Time and Place
Ask three sailors for the proper time and place to flake a main, and you are liable to get a confusing array of answers. Even sailing instructors vary on the process and timing, however, basically there are two options. 1) flake … Continue reading
Posted in General, Skipper's Tip
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Control Your Jib Sheets
Summer is here! Our typical summer wind patterns are filling in, with their associated positive and negative sides. To the positive, the sailing has been phenomenal! If you haven’t gotten out on the water, GO! Here is a big negative. … Continue reading
Posted in General, Skipper's Tip
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Docking & Communication
I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to observe a skipper trying to dock a 30 to 35 foot sailboat. I say trying because it took 4 missed approaches before number 5 finally worked, and even that one … Continue reading
Prop Walk – by Bill Yawn
PROP WALK Recently while reading a book on advanced docking techniques it was observed that the explanation of prop walk was described as the same effect of a rotor tiller moving across the ground. In other words the blades on … Continue reading
Skipper’s Tip – SHIPS!
We’ve all watched as they slink slowly and silently across the bay. Some of them are a few hundred feet long and others over 1,000 feet and for the most part small boaters stay out of the way. Some never … Continue reading
Skipper’s Tip – Jib Furling
Furling the jib can be easy and painless, or it can be hard work and even dangerous, depending on how you approach it. Here’s a tip that will help you keep it calm, under control, and less of a workout! … Continue reading
Safe Boat Handling
Safe Docking At Tradewinds, we like to stress handling lines from the boat, not the dock, whenever possible. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn how to properly step on and off a boat because not all line handling can be … Continue reading
A Captain’s Responsibilty
“I can handle anything that happens!” Have you ever gotten a chill from something someone has said. I heard this statement this morning, and I can honestly say the statement scared me more than I could have imagined. The statement was … Continue reading
Posted in General, Skipper's Tip
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Windward Docking at the Pump Out Station
Observing the “D” dock pump out station is quite educational; sometimes its down right humorous. There are only two sides to the dock, which pretty much limits the number of docking options. The north side of the dock (typically the leeward side) is … Continue reading
Posted in General, Skipper's Tip
3 Comments
Don’t Sail to a Timeline
Sailing to a specific time schedule can be dangerous. Trying to “get there” at a specific time, or wanting to trim 20 minutes off your sailing ETA may create a situation where you put yourself at risk. While returning from Drakes Bay … Continue reading
Posted in General, Skipper's Tip
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