Boating & Sailing Tips for beginners
New to boating and sailing? Here’s a basic but essential guide for your boat trip.
Sail un-crowded, calm waters.
If just starting to learn the fundamentals of boating, a very helpful tip is to first start practicing the handling and navigating of a boat in the ideal conditions, which should generally include low traffic and light winds.
Use a dinghy or small sailing boat when first starting to learn the basics of sailing.
A sail boat with minimal sails and rigging is certain to be easier to handle and manoeuvre, while being safer to use. A small sailboat with just the one sail rigged is certain to make life less complicated and easier for the beginner to start learning with.
Abide by any safety rules and regulations related to boating.
A wide range of basic safety practices are relevant when out on the water irrespective of the knowledge or experience of the helmsman. Basic safety rules can include having a sufficient swimming ability, having the right life jackets or similar devices on board, and making certain that someone is aware of your planned itinerary prior to leaving the port.
Invest the time into the researching the weather, wind, and tide conditions.
A prior knowledge of the weather forecast is certain to mean that you are more prepared for the planned boat trip. If poor weather is likely to present itself, a collection of basic wet weather gear and clothing is likely to be highly desirable. Boating and sailing basics require that you are prepared for what lies ahead.
Get a full appreciation of boat control.
An experienced boater is someone who is able to ride the waves appropriately, easily adjust sails and rigging to easily take advantage of the changing water and wind conditions. So, if the wind is very strong or very light, it is an ideal practice to have the sails flat, whereas in a moderate wind, it helps to have the sails full.
Learn the basic boating terminology.
If you are able to have a full appreciation of what starboard, port, aft, bow, windward, boom, etc means, this is certain to mean that you will be able to pick up boating that much easier when you start to take formal lessons. If not, don’t worry about it — you can always hire a skipper!
