Making the Boat Go Faster — Your First Lesson in Sail Trim

One of the most common beginner sailing mistakes is assuming that pulling the sail in harder must make the boat go faster.

It seems perfectly logical.

You have a sail.
You have a rope attached to it.
The boat is moving.

So if you want more speed, surely you pull the rope harder?

Unfortunately, sailing boats have a rather inconvenient habit of refusing to obey this particular piece of beginner logic.

In fact, pulling the sail in too tightly can make the boat slower.

Your first lesson in sail trim therefore isn't really about learning a complicated set of rules. It is about learning to look at the sail, listen to what it is telling you, and make small adjustments.

And there is one wonderfully simple rule that can take you a surprisingly long way:

Ease the sail until it starts to complain, then pull it in just enough to make it happy.

That is sail trim at its most basic.

Later, we can worry about telltales, sail shape, twist, leech tension, outhauls, kicking straps and the finer points of aerodynamics.

For now, we just want to make the boat go.

---

The Mainsheet Is Not an Accelerator

One of the first things to understand is that the mainsheet is not like the accelerator pedal in a car.

Pulling harder does not automatically create more power.

The sheet primarily controls the angle of the sail relative to the boat and the wind.

If the sail is too far out, the wind cannot flow properly around it and the sail begins to flap.

If the sail is pulled too far in, the sail can also stop working efficiently.

Somewhere between those two extremes is the position where the sail works well.

The beginner's job is to find it.

And fortunately, the sail gives you a very obvious clue.

It starts flapping when you have eased it too far.

---

The Simplest Sail-Trim Exercise You Will Ever Learn

Imagine you are sailing along comfortably.

Try not to change course.

Keep the boat pointing approximately in the same direction and look at the mainsail.

Now slowly let the mainsheet out.

Not all at once.

Just a little at a time.

Watch the sail carefully.

Eventually, the front part of the sail will begin to flutter or flap.

Sailors call this luffing.

You have now eased the sail slightly too far.

So gently pull the mainsheet back in.

The moment the flapping disappears, stop.

You are now much closer to a useful sail setting.

That is the whole basic exercise.

1. Hold a steady course.

2. Slowly ease the sheet.

3. Watch for the sail beginning to luff.

4. Pull the sheet back in gently.

5. Stop when the sail just becomes smooth again.

Then give the boat a few seconds to respond.

Do not immediately start pulling and easing again.

Let the boat settle.

---

Don't Wait Until the Whole Sail Is Flapping

There is an important difference between a sail just beginning to luff and a sail flogging violently in the wind.

You are looking for the first small sign.

Often this will appear towards the front edge of the mainsail, near the mast.

The sail may tremble.

A small section may flutter.

The smooth curved shape may begin to collapse.

That is enough.

You do not need to let the sail flap wildly.

Once you see that first sign, gently sheet in until it disappears.

This teaches you something much more useful than simply being told:

"Pull the mainsheet in about this far."

Why?

Because the correct position keeps changing.

---

The Correct Sail Position Depends on Where You Are Going

This connects directly with the points of sail we introduced earlier.

A sailing boat doesn't keep its sails in the same position all the time.

As the boat changes direction relative to the wind, the sails must change position as well.

A useful beginner rule is:

Turn towards the wind - sheet in.

Turn away from the wind - ease out.

So if you are sailing close-hauled, with the boat travelling as close towards the wind as it comfortably can, the mainsail will normally be relatively well sheeted in.

Bear away onto a close reach and you can ease it slightly.

Move onto a beam reach and the sail comes further out.

Bear away onto a broad reach and it comes further out again.

Sail downwind and the sail may be a long way out.

That means there is no single "correct mainsheet position".

The correct position depends upon:

• the direction you are travelling;

• the direction of the wind;

• the strength of the wind;

• the sail;

• and the boat.

This is why learning to look at the sail is so much more useful than memorising where the boom ought to be.

---

Try It Every Time You Change Direction

Suppose you are happily sailing on a beam reach.

The sail is set nicely.

The boat feels balanced.

Then you decide to head further away from the wind.

You move the tiller.

The boat turns.

But if you leave the sail exactly where it was, it may now be pulled in too tightly.

So ease the sheet.

Let the sail out until it just begins to complain.

Then bring it back in enough to stop the luffing.

Now suppose you turn back towards the wind.

The opposite happens.

As the boat turns towards the wind, you will normally need to pull the sail further in.

Course and sail trim therefore belong together.

Change one and you usually need to think about changing the other.

---

Why Doesn't Pulling the Sail In Harder Make the Boat Faster?

Here we need just a little sailing science.

A sail works because air flows around it.

You can think of it as an aerofoil - something related to the wing of an aircraft, although the complete physics of sails is more complicated than that simple comparison suggests.

The important point for the beginner is that the sail needs to meet the wind at an appropriate angle.

Too loose and it flaps.

Too tight and the airflow around it becomes less efficient.

The sail may still look beautifully tight.

It may not make any noise at all.

But that does not mean it is producing the best forward-driving force.

In fact, an over-sheeted sail can produce:

• excessive heeling;

• increased sideways force;

• more rudder drag;

• more resistance through the water;

• and less useful forward drive.

The boat can feel very dramatic without actually being very fast.

This is an important sailing lesson:

Noise, heel and effort are not the same thing as speed.

---

A Flat Boat Can Be a Fast Boat

Beginners often associate excitement with performance.

The boat heels.

Water rushes past.

Everyone hangs onto something.

Surely we must be going quickly.

Not necessarily.

Particularly in a dinghy, excessive heel can be inefficient.

The rudder and centreboard are designed to work properly when the boat is reasonably balanced.

Heel the boat excessively and their relationship with the water changes.

You may find yourself pulling the tiller harder simply to keep the boat travelling where you want it to go.

That creates additional drag.

Sometimes, particularly when a gust arrives, easing the mainsheet slightly can actually help the boat accelerate.

The boat becomes flatter.

The helm becomes lighter.

The boat stops fighting you.

And more of the sail's force is turned into useful forward motion.

That can feel rather strange the first time you experience it.

You ease the sail...

...and the boat goes better.

---

What Are Telltales?

Once you have become comfortable watching for the sail beginning to luff, you may notice small pieces of wool, ribbon or lightweight material attached to the sail.

These are telltales.

They are wonderful little sailing instruments.

They show us something we cannot normally see:

the airflow around the sail.

When the airflow is behaving well, telltales generally stream smoothly backwards.

When the airflow begins to break down, one or more telltales may:

• lift;

• flick;

• circle;

• disappear behind the sail;

• or flap around.

Don't become obsessed with them during your first few minutes of sailing.

You already have plenty to think about.

But once steering starts becoming automatic, telltales become extremely useful.

They help you refine the simple:

Ease until it flaps, then sheet in slightly

method.

---

If You Have Jib Telltales

Many training boats have telltales on the jib.

You may see one on each side of the sail.

In straightforward conditions, you are often trying to get both telltales flowing reasonably smoothly backwards.

If one starts lifting or behaving differently from the other, it can indicate that the angle between the sail and the wind needs adjusting.

That adjustment might come from:

• steering slightly differently;

• changing the sheet tension;

• or a combination of both.

For the beginner, don't worry about interpreting every flick immediately.

Start simply.

Look for smooth airflow.

Make one small change.

Wait.

See what happens.

That last point matters enormously.

---

Make One Adjustment at a Time

A common beginner sequence goes something like this:

The sail flutters.

Pull the sheet.

The boat heels.

Ease the sheet.

Turn the boat.

Pull the sheet again.

Move across the boat.

Turn the tiller.

Ease the sheet.

Wonder why everything has suddenly gone wrong.

The problem isn't necessarily that any individual action was wrong.

The problem is that there were six actions in about three seconds.

Sailing becomes much easier when you slow the process down.

Make one adjustment.

Then observe.

If you ease the mainsheet, give the boat a moment to respond.

If you change course, stabilise the course and then look again at your sail trim.

You are trying to develop a cause-and-effect relationship:

I did this.

The boat did that.

That is how you begin learning to sail by feel rather than simply following instructions.

---

The Boat Is Constantly Giving You Feedback

Your sail is not your only instrument.

The whole boat tells you how well it is sailing.

Pay attention to:

The sound

A badly luffing sail is obvious.

But also listen to the water moving around the hull.

The amount of heel

Does the boat suddenly feel as though it is being pushed over unnecessarily?

The tiller

Does it feel light and balanced, or are you having to pull hard against it?

The wake

Look behind occasionally when it is safe to do so.

Is the boat moving cleanly through the water?

Your speed relative to other boats

If another similar boat seems to be effortlessly sailing away while yours feels extremely dramatic, it may be worth experimenting with the sail trim.

The feeling of acceleration

One of the most satisfying sailing experiences is making a small adjustment and feeling the boat immediately respond.

That is when sail trim begins to make sense.

---

A Brilliant Beginner Exercise: Deliberately Get It Wrong

One of the best ways to understand correct sail trim is to deliberately experience incorrect sail trim.

Choose an open stretch of water with plenty of room and appropriate supervision.

Settle onto a comfortable reach.

Get the boat moving.

Now deliberately ease the mainsheet too far.

Watch what happens.

The sail luffs.

The boat slows.

Now pull the sail back in until the luffing stops.

Feel the boat accelerate.

Then deliberately pull the mainsheet too far in.

What happens now?

Does the boat heel more?

Does the tiller feel different?

Does the boat actually go any faster?

Now ease the sheet again until the sail is just comfortably working.

This is much more powerful than somebody simply telling you where to put the mainsheet.

You have experienced the difference yourself.

---

Another Useful Exercise: Turn and Trim

Once basic steering feels comfortable, try this sequence.

Start on a beam reach.

Trim the sail using our simple method.

Now bear away slightly.

Ease the sail.

Bear away again.

Ease again.

Then gradually turn back towards the wind.

As you do so, progressively sheet in.

You begin to establish a relationship between:

boat direction -> wind direction -> sail position

That relationship is at the heart of sailing.

You don't need to calculate it.

You begin to recognise it.

Eventually, your hands start adjusting the mainsheet almost automatically as the boat changes course.

---

What Happens in a Gust?

Imagine you are sailing happily when a stronger puff of wind arrives.

Suddenly the boat heels.

A beginner's instinct can be to hold onto everything even more tightly.

Sometimes that includes holding the mainsheet firmly in position.

But if the boat is becoming excessively overpowered, a small ease of the mainsheet can spill some of that power.

The boat becomes flatter.

The helm becomes easier.

When the gust has passed, trim the sail again.

For now, the important principle is simply this:

The mainsheet is something you continually adjust.

It is not something you set once at the beginning of the sail and then forget.

---

Don't Cleat It and Forget It

Some boats have a mainsheet cleat.

They are extremely useful.

They can also encourage a bad beginner habit.

The sailor finds a mainsheet position that seems approximately correct, puts the sheet into the cleat and mentally crosses:

"Mainsheet"

off the list.

But the wind changes.

The boat changes course.

A gust arrives.

The boat slows.

And the mainsheet remains exactly where it was five minutes ago.

Learning to sail means developing the habit of continually asking:

Does this still feel right?

Your sail trim is never completely finished.

---

Common Beginner Sail-Trim Mistakes

1. Pulling everything in hard

It feels secure.

It looks tidy.

It is frequently slow.

---

2. Looking only at your hands

Don't stare at the mainsheet.

Look at what the mainsheet is controlling.

Watch the sail.

---

3. Never experimenting

If you think the sail is correct, ease it slightly and see what happens.

You can always pull it back in.

---

4. Making enormous adjustments

Sail trim is usually about small changes.

A few centimetres of sheet movement can make a noticeable difference.

---

5. Forgetting to retrim after turning

New direction.

New angle to the wind.

Probably a new sail position.

---

6. Trying to correct every tiny flutter

The wind is rarely perfectly steady, particularly on rivers and inland waters.

Trees, buildings, other boats and bends in the river can all create shifting and disturbed air.

Don't chase every tiny movement.

Look for the general pattern.

---

7. Pulling harder when the boat heels

Sometimes the answer is exactly the opposite.

Ease slightly.

Flatten the boat.

Then reassess.

---

Watch the Sail - But Keep Looking Where You Are Going

There is one small problem with telling beginners to watch their sail.

They can become so fascinated by it that they stop looking anywhere else.

You must still keep a proper lookout.

Look ahead.

Look around you.

Check for other boats.

Then glance at the sail.

Then look ahead again.

A good helm is constantly moving their attention between:

• where the boat is going;

• what the wind is doing;

• what the sail is doing;

• what other boats are doing;

• and how the boat feels.

At first that seems like a lot.

Eventually it becomes normal.

---

The Science Can Come Later

There is a great deal more we can say about sail trim.

We can investigate:

• angle of attack;

• attached and separated airflow;

• pressure differences;

• sail camber;

• twist;

• mast bend;

• vang or kicking strap tension;

• Cunningham tension;

• outhaul adjustment;

• traveller position;

• jib leads;

• slot effects between mainsail and jib;

• apparent wind;

• and how trim changes in different wind strengths.

Racing sailors can spend years refining these things.

But you don't need any of them to begin understanding your sail.

For your first lesson, remember one thing:

Ease the sail until it starts to complain, then pull it in just enough to make it happy.

---

Your Sail-Trim Checklist

Next time you are sailing, try this:

1. Establish a steady course.

2. Look ahead and make sure you have room.

3. Look at the sail.

4. Ease the sheet slowly.

5. Watch for the first sign of luffing.

6. Sheet in just enough to remove it.

7. Let the boat settle.

8. Feel whether the boat accelerates.

9. Change course.

10. Retrim the sail.

11. If telltales are fitted, start watching them too.

12. Repeat.

That simple exercise begins developing one of sailing's most important skills:

feeling what the boat wants.

---

Sailing Is a Conversation, Not a Set of Fixed Instructions

Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons for anybody learning to sail.

There isn't always one fixed answer.

The wind moves.

The boat moves.

You move.

The water changes.

The sail changes shape.

And you constantly respond.

A beginner often wants the instructor to say:

"Put the mainsheet exactly here."

An experienced sailor is more likely to say:

"Try easing it."

Then:

"Watch the sail."

Then:

"Feel what happens."

Because eventually that is what sailing becomes.

Not a collection of instructions memorised on shore, but a continuous conversation between sailor, boat, wind and water.

So next time the boat feels slow, resist the temptation simply to pull everything in harder.

Ease the sheet.

Watch the sail.

Let it complain.

Then pull it in just enough to make it happy.

You may be surprised how much faster the boat becomes.

My name is Philip. I started sailing when I was 65. 

I joined a club and because my son had already been part of a club for many years - borrowing all types of boat. He knew what we needed and the type of boat I would require. 

So we did by an RS Toura - a virtually unsinkable dinghy which has given me the confidence to experiment and learn and take my RYA exams and become a competent sailor and then to move up to the boat of my dreams - the A-Rater.

Coming up Next

Lesson 11 in my beginner sailing series explains how to tack without turning too far, stopping head-to-wind… or meeting the boom unexpectedly.

Tacking looks complicated the first time you try it.

Turn towards the wind.
The sails flap.
The boom comes across.
Duck.
Change sides.
Straighten the rudder.
Sail away.

Easy — once you know the sequence.

Return to https://pmrsailing.uk/Lessons.html

 

Your First Ten Minutes at the Helm

The moment sailing suddenly becomes real

Your first lesson in steering a sailing boat is discovering that the tiller appears to disagree with everything your brain tells you.

You are sitting in the boat. Someone has finally handed you the tiller extension and maybe the mainsheet.

You are now, officially, steering.

You look ahead.

The boat begins drifting slightly to the left.

Naturally, you move your hand to the left.

The boat turns even more to the left.

So you move your hand sharply in the other direction.

The boat responds enthusiastically and heads off to the right instead.

You correct again.

And a few seconds later you are sailing a course that would look rather impressive if your intention had been to avoid a series of invisible obstacles.

We've all been there.

Fortunately, steering a sailing dinghy begins to make sense remarkably quickly.

And your first ten minutes at the helm can teach you far more than simply how to point the boat in the right direction.

They begin teaching you something much more important:

how to feel what the boat is doing.

---

Before You Start — Get Comfortable

One of the first mistakes beginners make is concentrating so hard on the tiller that they forget about everything else.

Before worrying about steering, get yourself into a comfortable position.

In a typical training dinghy, you will normally sit on the side deck rather than down in the bottom of the boat.

Try to sit where you can:

• reach the mainsheet comfortably;

• hold the tiller extension without stretching;

• move your weight if necessary;

• see ahead of the boat;

• turn around and look behind you;

• duck underneath the boom when required.

You should feel reasonably relaxed.

That does not mean lounging backwards admiring the scenery.

But neither should you be sitting rigidly as though somebody has just connected you to the mains electricity.

A surprisingly large part of learning to sail is learning to relax.

If your shoulders are tense, your grip on the tiller becomes tense.

When your grip becomes tense, your steering movements become larger.

And large tiller movements usually produce large changes of direction.

---

Meet the Tiller Extension

The rudder at the back of the boat turns the boat.

Attached to the rudder is the tiller.

And attached to the tiller on most dinghies is another lightweight stick called the tiller extension.

The tiller extension allows you to steer while sitting comfortably on the side of the boat.

It may initially feel rather awkward.

You are not holding it like the steering wheel of a car.

You are often holding it lightly across your body while simultaneously controlling the mainsheet with your other hand.

That means your hands are doing two different jobs.

One hand is controlling direction.

The other is helping control the sail and therefore the power of the boat.

For somebody completely new to sailing, that can feel like rather a lot.

It becomes automatic surprisingly quickly.

---

Hold It Lightly

One of the best pieces of advice I can give a beginner is:

do not strangle the tiller extension.

You do not need a death grip on it.

Hold it lightly enough that you can make small movements with your fingers and wrist.

The rudder is surprisingly powerful.

A small movement may be all that is required.

Imagine balancing a broomstick on your hand.

You would not make enormous movements every time it started leaning.

You would make small corrections.

Steering a sailing boat is similar.

The aim is not:

turn — correct — turn — correct — turn — correct.

The aim is eventually to reach the point where the corrections are so small that an observer hardly notices you making them.

---

The Great Tiller Paradox

Now we reach the part that confuses almost everybody initially.

If you want the bow to move to the left, you move the tiller to the right.

If you want the bow to move to the right, you move the tiller to the left.

In other words:

Tiller right = bow left

Tiller left = bow right

This seems completely wrong when you first try it.

Cars do not behave like this.

Bicycles do not behave like this.

Computer games generally do not behave like this.

So your brain initially protests.

Suppose the boat begins pointing too far to the left.

You think:

"I need to go right."

Your instinct may tell you to move your hand right.

Unfortunately, moving the tiller right pushes the rudder one way and turns the bow left.

Exactly the opposite of what you intended.

You realise your mistake and immediately move the tiller dramatically left.

The boat now heads rapidly right.

You panic slightly.

Tiller right again.

And the zig-zag begins.

It is practically a sailing rite of passage.

---

Don't Try to Think About the Tiller

There is an interesting transition that happens as you learn.

At first you think:

"I want the boat to go left, therefore I must move the tiller right."

That works.

But it is slow.

Eventually you stop thinking about the tiller altogether.

You simply think:

"I want the boat over there."

Your hand automatically moves in the correct direction.

That is the goal.

It is rather like learning to ride a bicycle.

Nobody who has been cycling for twenty years consciously calculates how far they should turn the handlebars to maintain balance.

Your brain has learnt the relationship between movement and result.

Sailing becomes the same.

---

Your Most Important Instrument Is Not in the Boat

Beginners often stare at their hands.

They watch the tiller.

They watch the mainsheet.

They watch the cleat.

They look at their feet.

Almost everything receives attention except the place where the boat is going.

But your most important steering instrument is actually your eyes.

Look ahead.

Choose something in the distance.

It might be:

• a tree;

• a building;

• a buoy;

• a point on the riverbank;

• another suitable fixed landmark.

Then try to keep the bow pointing towards it.

This immediately gives your brain a reference.

Without a reference, you may not notice that you are slowly wandering off course.

With one, even a small change becomes obvious.

---

Look Farther Ahead Than You Think

This is another lesson we already know from driving, cycling and skiing.

If you stare immediately in front of yourself, everything seems to happen very quickly.

Look farther ahead and you have more time.

That matters enormously in sailing.

You should gradually develop the habit of scanning:

Where am I going?

Where are the other boats?

Where is the riverbank?

Is there something ahead of me?

What is the wind doing?

Where might I need to turn next?

At first, just concentrating on steering in a straight line is enough.

But good helms eventually spend surprisingly little time staring at the boat itself.

They are constantly looking around.

---

Your First Steering Exercise

A very useful first exercise is wonderfully simple.

Find a reasonably clear piece of water with an instructor or experienced sailor beside you.

Choose a landmark ahead.

Then try to sail towards it.

Do almost nothing.

That last instruction matters.

Beginners frequently believe they must continually steer the boat.

They don't.

If the boat is balanced and travelling steadily, leave it alone.

Let it sail.

Only make a correction when you actually need one.

If the bow starts moving slightly to the left, make a small tiller movement.

Then bring the tiller back towards the centre.

Watch what happens.

Give the boat time to respond.

This last point is enormously important.

---

The Boat Has Not Ignored You

Sailing boats do not always respond instantly.

Make a steering movement and there may be a short delay while the boat changes direction.

A beginner sometimes interprets that delay as:

"Nothing is happening."

So they move the tiller farther.

Still not enough.

Farther again.

Suddenly the boat responds to all those accumulated instructions.

Now it is turning far too quickly.

The beginner then applies an equally dramatic correction in the opposite direction.

And we are zig-zagging again.

The lesson is simple:

make a small movement and give the boat a moment to respond.

Sailing rewards patience.

---

Try Not to Stir the Water With the Rudder

There is another reason for using small tiller movements.

The rudder does not only steer the boat.

It also creates drag.

Every time you make a large rudder movement, you are effectively placing a brake in the water.

In racing, experienced sailors try to steer smoothly partly because unnecessary rudder movement costs speed.

You do not need to worry about racing technique during your first lesson.

But developing smooth steering from the beginning is a very good habit.

Think of the rudder as something you use carefully rather than constantly.

---

Now Add the Mainsheet

Once you can roughly steer in a straight line, you have another control to think about.

The mainsheet controls the position of the mainsail.

Pulling the mainsheet in generally brings the sail closer towards the centre of the boat.

Easing it allows the sail farther out.

During your first few minutes, the experienced sailor beside you may help with the sail while you concentrate on steering.

Eventually you will hold:

tiller extension in one hand

and

mainsheet in the other.

Now the boat begins to feel like something you are actually controlling.

---

Don't Cleat Everything and Forget About It

On many training boats the mainsheet can be held in a cleat.

But particularly while learning, it is useful to remain aware of the sheet and what the sail is doing.

The mainsheet is not simply something you adjust once and forget.

Wind strength changes.

Your direction changes.

The relationship between the boat and the wind changes.

The sail may need adjusting.

And, importantly, easing the mainsheet can reduce power if the boat begins feeling uncomfortable.

Your instructor will introduce this gradually.

You do not need to master sail trim in your first ten minutes.

For now, the aim is simply to begin connecting three things:

where the wind is coming from;

where the boat is pointing;

and

where the sail wants to sit.

---

Let the Boat Settle

This is one of those lessons that sounds almost too simple.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing.

A boat often needs a moment to settle after a steering movement, a gust or a change in sail position.

Beginners tend to react to everything.

Boat heels slightly.

Move tiller.

Sail flaps.

Pull mainsheet.

Boat turns.

Move tiller again.

Boat heels the other way.

Move body.

Within seconds six different corrections have been made and nobody is quite sure which one caused what.

Instead, make one sensible adjustment.

Then observe the result.

That is how you begin learning what each control actually does.

---

Use the Boat as Feedback

A dinghy constantly communicates with you.

It just does not use words.

The tiller may become heavier.

The sails may begin flapping.

The boat may heel.

The bow may start turning.

You may feel the boat accelerate.

Water noise may increase.

The pressure in the mainsheet may change.

Initially these sensations mean very little.

After several hours sailing, you begin recognising patterns.

Eventually you can often tell something is wrong before you have consciously identified what it is.

The boat simply feels wrong.

That is one of the most satisfying stages of learning to sail.

---

What Happens When You Start Zig-Zagging?

Imagine your intended course is towards a large tree on the riverbank.

The boat starts drifting left.

You notice late.

You make a large correction.

The boat turns right.

You keep the tiller over for too long.

Now the bow passes your tree.

You make another large correction.

The bow heads back left.

The result looks something like:

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Meanwhile your instructor is probably saying:

"Smaller movements."

They are right.

The cure is normally:

Look farther ahead.

Notice changes earlier.

Use less tiller.

Return the tiller towards the centre.

Give the boat time to respond.

Within a few minutes the zig-zags become smaller.

Then smaller again.

Eventually you realise something rather satisfying.

You are actually sailing in a straight line.

---

Don't Forget Where the Boom Is

There is one other object deserving your attention.

The boom.

You learnt about it when we looked at the parts of a dinghy earlier in this series.

Now it has become rather more personal.

As the boat turns through the wind, the boom can move across the boat.

Sometimes quite quickly.

Your instructor should tell you when to duck.

But begin developing your own awareness.

Do not become so fascinated by the tiller that you forget there is a large aluminium pole approximately head height behind you.

Sailing teaches situational awareness rather effectively.

Occasionally with immediate feedback.

---

Your First Ten-Minute Challenge

If you are learning at a sailing club, ask whether you can try this simple progression with an experienced sailor aboard.

Minutes 1-2: Get Comfortable

Sit correctly.

Hold the tiller extension.

Work out where the mainsheet is.

Look around the boat.

Minutes 3-4: Steering Only

Choose a landmark.

Try to keep the boat pointing towards it.

Concentrate on tiny tiller movements.

Minutes 5-6: Stop Overcorrecting

Notice how long the boat takes to respond.

Make a correction.

Wait.

Observe.

Minutes 7-8: Add the Mainsheet

Begin holding the mainsheet as well as the tiller extension.

Notice how the sail feels.

Minutes 9-10: Look Around

Try maintaining your course while occasionally checking around you.

Look ahead.

Look to the sides.

Notice other boats.

Notice the wind.

Notice what the boat is telling you.

You are beginning to helm rather than simply steer.

---

One of the Great Pleasures of Teaching Sailing

There is often a wonderful moment when somebody first takes the tiller.

Initially there is intense concentration.

The tiller goes the wrong way.

The boat zig-zags.

The mainsheet gets forgotten.

Someone ducks unnecessarily because they think the boom is about to move.

Then, almost without warning, everything becomes calmer.

The movements become smaller.

The boat settles.

And the new helm looks up rather than down at their hands.

That is the moment sailing begins to click.

Not perfectly.

Not completely.

But enough.

The person who ten minutes earlier had never steered a sailing boat is now actually controlling one.

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You Don't Need to Master Everything Today

This entire PMR Sailing series is based around one important idea:

you do not have to know everything before you start sailing.

You do not need your own yacht.

You do not need years of experience.

You do not need to understand every sailing term.

And you certainly do not need perfect steering on your first attempt.

Join a club.

Get into a suitable training boat with someone experienced.

Take the tiller.

Make the inevitable mistakes.

Laugh at the zig-zags.

And keep going.

Because somewhere between:

"Why does the tiller work backwards?"

and

"Look — I'm actually steering this!"

you have crossed one of the most important milestones in learning to sail.

You are no longer merely sitting in a sailing boat.

You are sailing it.

My name is Philip. I started sailing when I was 65. 

I joined a club and because my son had already been part of a club for many years - borrowing all types of boat. He knew what we needed and the type of boat I would require. 

So we did by an RS Toura - a virtually unsinkable dinghy which has given me the confidence to experiment and learn and take my RYA exams and become a competent sailor and then to move up to the boat of my dreams - the A-Rater.

---

Coming Next in the PMR Sailing Beginner Series

Lesson 10 Making the Boat Go Faster — Your First Lesson in Sail Trim

Pulling the mainsheet harder doesn't necessarily make a sailing boat faster.

Sometimes the fastest thing you can do is ease it.

Beginner's rule:

"Ease the sail until it starts to complain, then pull it in just enough to make it happy."

 

Points of Sail — Your First Sailing Road Map

Once you understand the points of sail, sailing suddenly starts to look less like magic and more like navigation.

One of the first things a new sailor discovers is that a sailing boat cannot simply point in any direction, pull the sails in and expect everything to work.

The direction of the wind matters.

A lot.

Change the angle of the boat to the wind and you also have to change the position of the sails. Some directions make the boat feel fast and lively. Others are calmer and easier to understand. Point too close to the wind and eventually the sails begin flapping and the boat stops.

That relationship between the direction of the boat and the direction of the wind is what sailors mean when they talk about the points of sail.

At first the names can sound like another batch of mysterious sailing terminology:

• close hauled;

• close reach;

• beam reach;

• broad reach;

• run.

But there is a surprisingly simple way of understanding them.

Imagine a clock.

Put the wind at 12 o'clock.

Suddenly the whole thing starts to make sense.

The PMR Sailing Clock Face

Imagine looking down from directly above your sailing dinghy.

The wind is blowing towards you from 12 o'clock.

Your boat can sail around much of the clock face, but there is an important area near 12 o'clock where it cannot sail directly.

If you remember the previous lesson, this is the no-go zone.

A conventional sailing boat cannot simply point straight into the wind and continue sailing forwards. Get too close to the wind and the sails stop producing useful driving force.

But turn the boat slightly away from 12 o'clock and everything changes.

On either side of the no-go zone we begin with close hauled.

Turn further away and we move through:

Close hauled -> close reach -> beam reach -> broad reach -> run

And as we move around that clock face, there is another very useful rule.

The further away from the wind you turn, the further out the sails normally go.

That one idea will take a beginner an extraordinarily long way.

---

1. Close Hauled — Sailing as Close to the Wind as We Can

Imagine the wind is coming from 12 o'clock.

Your boat might be heading approximately towards 1:30 or 10:30.

You are not sailing directly into the wind, but you are sailing as close towards it as the boat can efficiently manage.

This is called close hauled.

The sails are pulled in relatively tightly towards the centreline of the boat.

You will probably hear someone say:

"Sheet in."

That means pulling the sheet so that the sail comes further towards the boat.

On many dinghies, close hauled feels quite purposeful. The boat may heel as the wind loads the sails, and everything suddenly feels much more like what newcomers imagine "proper sailing" to be.

It is also the point of sail that lets us make progress towards somewhere that lies upwind.

Not directly towards it — but gradually, by sailing a zigzag course.

More on that shortly.

What should the sails look like?

On close hauled:

• the mainsail is pulled in relatively tightly;

• the jib is also sheeted in;

• the sails should be reasonably smooth rather than flapping;

• the boat is pointing fairly close towards the wind.

Do not make the common beginner mistake of assuming that "tighter must always be better".

If the sails are pulled in too far, they can become inefficient.

Sailing is often about finding the right position rather than simply pulling harder.

---

2. Close Reach — Turn Away a Little

Now turn the boat slightly further away from the wind.

Perhaps on our imaginary clock the bow is pointing somewhere around 2 o'clock or 10 o'clock.

You are now on a close reach.

The sails need to be eased out a little.

This is an important beginner lesson.

If the boat changes direction but the sailor does nothing with the sheets, the sails may no longer be correctly adjusted.

So as the boat bears away from the wind:

ease the sails.

Not necessarily dramatically.

Just enough to keep them working efficiently.

A close reach is often a comfortable and fairly quick point of sail. The boat still feels positive, but compared with close hauled it may feel slightly less demanding.

---

3. Beam Reach — The Beginner's Best Friend

Now imagine the wind is still coming from 12 o'clock but the boat is pointing towards 3 o'clock.

Or 9 o'clock.

The wind is now coming more or less directly across the side — or beam — of the boat.

This is a beam reach.

For beginners, this is one of the most useful points of sail to learn first.

Why?

Because several things become easier to recognise.

The wind direction is relatively obvious.

The sails are neither pulled in tightly nor completely let out.

The boat normally makes good forward progress.

And if you turn a little towards or away from the wind, you can immediately see how the sail trim needs to change.

That makes the beam reach a wonderful teaching position.

What should the sails look like?

On a beam reach, the sails are normally eased considerably compared with close hauled.

As a very rough beginner's picture, think of the sails as being somewhere around halfway out.

The exact position depends on the boat, the wind and the conditions, so this is not a measurement to be taken literally.

The more useful technique is:

Ease the sail slowly until it just begins to flap at the front edge, then sheet it back in slightly until the flapping stops.

That begins to introduce the real skill of sail trimming.

You are not memorising one fixed rope position.

You are looking at the sail and responding to what it tells you.

---

A Simple Practical Exercise: Start on a Beam Reach

If I were introducing someone to steering and sail control for the first time, I would normally want them to experience a beam reach quite early.

Imagine we are sailing across a fairly open piece of water with plenty of room.

The first exercise might be very simple.

1. Put the boat onto a beam reach.

2. Hold a steady course.

3. Look at where the wind is coming from.

4. Ease the mainsheet slightly.

5. Watch the front of the sail.

6. When it begins to flap, pull the sheet in gently until the flapping disappears.

7. Keep looking ahead rather than staring permanently at the sail.

That small exercise teaches several things simultaneously.

You are steering.

You are feeling the wind.

You are adjusting the sail.

You are seeing the effect of your adjustment.

And, most importantly, you are beginning to understand that sailing is a continual conversation between the boat and the wind.

---

4. Broad Reach — Let the Sails Out Further

Continue turning away from the wind.

Your boat may now be pointing towards roughly 4:30 or 7:30 on our sailing clock.

This is a broad reach.

The wind is now coming from behind the boat, but still from one side.

The sails are eased out further.

Broad reaching can be tremendous fun.

In a decent breeze the boat may accelerate noticeably. In some dinghies it can feel beautifully balanced and fast.

But there is something important happening here.

The boom is now further away from the centreline of the boat.

That means that if the boat changes direction or the wind shifts, the boom can move through a much larger arc.

Beginners therefore need to start developing an awareness of where the boom is.

Sailing instructors develop a remarkable habit of automatically ducking.

There is a reason.

---

5. Run — Sailing Away from the Wind

Finally, turn until the boat is travelling approximately in the same direction as the wind.

On our clock face, with the wind coming from 12 o'clock, the boat is now heading towards 6 o'clock.

This is called a run or sailing downwind.

The sails are eased well out.

It looks as though this should be the easiest possible point of sail.

After all, the wind is simply behind you.

And in some respects it is simple.

But beginners can sometimes find running less comfortable than expected.

Why?

Because when the wind comes directly from behind, small changes in direction can cause the sail and boom to move from one side of the boat to the other.

If that happens unintentionally, the boat may perform an accidental gybe.

That can make the boom cross the boat very quickly.

So although sailing downwind may appear easy, it requires awareness.

For the beginner, a broad reach is often more controlled than sailing dead downwind.

---

The Simple Sail-Position Rule

If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this:

Towards the wind: sails in.
Away from the wind: sails out.

Or, using our sailing clock:

Close hauled — sails well in

Close reach — ease slightly

Beam reach — ease further

Broad reach — sails well out

Run — sails almost completely out

That is not a perfect scientific rule.

Sail trim is a much richer subject, and later we can talk about telltales, sail shape, twist and airflow.

But for someone stepping into a dinghy for the first few times, it is an extremely useful mental map.

---

But How Do We Sail Somewhere Upwind?

This is where the points of sail suddenly become much more than vocabulary.

Imagine the place you want to reach lies directly towards 12 o'clock.

Unfortunately, the wind is also coming from 12 o'clock.

You cannot simply point the boat there.

So instead you sail close hauled on one side.

Then you turn the bow through the wind — a manoeuvre called tacking.

You then sail close hauled on the other side.

Your route becomes a zigzag.

You are never sailing directly into the wind, but each leg takes you partly towards your destination.

This is one of those moments when sailing begins to feel slightly miraculous.

You can use wind coming from the direction you want to travel to help you get there.

Not directly.

But very effectively.

---

Heading Up and Bearing Away

There are two more expressions worth learning because instructors use them constantly.

If you turn the bow towards the wind, you are heading up.

If you turn the bow away from the wind, you are bearing away.

These movements immediately affect sail trim.

If you head up:

sheet in.

If you bear away:

ease out.

Again, this is a simplified beginner's rule, but it creates an excellent habit.

Imagine turning gradually around our clock face.

Starting on a run at 6 o'clock and heading towards 3 o'clock:

the sails progressively come in.

Continue towards close hauled:

they come in further.

Turn back towards 6 o'clock:

they progressively go out again.

That connection between steering and sail position is one of the foundations of sailing.

---

Don't Stare at the Ropes

One of the easiest beginner habits to develop is looking down into the boat.

You start thinking:

"Where should this sheet be?"

So you stare at your hands.

Meanwhile the boat gradually turns through 30 degrees.

Now the wind angle has changed.

Which means the sail position you were carefully adjusting is wrong anyway.

Try instead to develop a simple sequence:

Look ahead.

Feel the wind.

Look at the sail.

Adjust the sheet.

Look ahead again.

Eventually the process becomes almost automatic.

---

The Boat Will Tell You When Something Is Wrong

Sailing becomes much easier once you realise that the boat constantly gives you information.

If you turn too close towards the wind:

the sail begins to flap.

If you bear away without easing:

the sails may feel heavily loaded and badly positioned.

If you ease too far:

the front of the sail may begin flapping.

If everything is roughly right:

the sail fills smoothly and the boat accelerates.

Beginners sometimes imagine that experienced sailors somehow know the perfect sail position by calculation.

Usually we are doing something much simpler.

We are constantly observing.

The wind changes.

The boat changes direction.

We adjust.

Then we adjust again.

---

A Useful Exercise: Sail the Clock Face

Once you can steer reasonably confidently, try turning the idea into a practical exercise.

Start on a beam reach.

Then gradually head up towards a close reach.

Sheet in slightly.

Continue towards close hauled.

Sheet in further.

Now bear away again.

Ease the sail.

Return through the beam reach.

Continue to a broad reach.

Ease further.

Eventually approach a run.

Then reverse the exercise.

You are effectively sailing around the PMR Sailing Clock Face.

Do it slowly.

The objective is not speed.

The objective is to make the connection:

Boat direction -> wind angle -> sail position -> boat response.

Once that connection settles into your mind, a great deal of sailing suddenly becomes logical.

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What Beginners Often Get Wrong

"I've turned the boat, but nothing has happened"

You probably forgot to adjust the sails.

Steering and sail trim work together.

"The sail is flapping"

You may be too close to the wind, or the sheet may be too loose.

Look at the wind direction before simply pulling ropes.

"The boat suddenly slowed down"

Again, check your angle to the wind.

A perfectly good sail setting can become wrong because the boat has changed direction.

"We're going downwind, so surely I pull the sail in to catch more wind?"

Usually the opposite.

As you turn away from the wind, the sails generally need to be eased further out.

"I thought sailing downwind would be easiest"

It can be straightforward, but watch the boom and be aware of accidental gybes.

For early practice, a beam reach is often much easier to understand.

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Why the Beam Reach Is Such a Good Starting Point

For a beginner, I would much rather establish control on a beam reach than immediately insist on perfect close-hauled sailing.

A beam reach lets someone experience what a working sailing boat feels like.

You can steer.

You can see the effect of the mainsheet.

You can feel acceleration.

You can turn gently towards and away from the wind.

And because you are not right on the edge of the no-go zone, small steering errors are usually more forgiving.

That confidence matters.

There is plenty of time later for precise tacking angles and perfect sail trim.

The first objective is to make the boat respond predictably.

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Try This Next Time You Are at the Club

Before launching, stand beside the water and work out where the wind is coming from.

Imagine the clock face floating over the sailing area.

Ask yourself:

• Where would 12 o'clock be?

• Where would a beam reach take me?

• Which direction would be close hauled?

• Where is directly downwind?

• Where is the no-go zone?

Then, when you get into the boat, see whether the picture still makes sense.

It probably will.

And that is when sailing starts becoming much less mysterious.

Instead of simply pulling ropes and hoping for the best, you begin to know why the boat is behaving as it does.

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Your First Sailing Road Map

The points of sail are not merely names to memorise for a sailing course.

They are your first genuine map of how a sailing boat moves through the wind.

With the wind at 12 o'clock:

Close hauled: sail as close towards the wind as the boat allows.

Close reach: turn a little further away and ease the sails slightly.

Beam reach: sail across the wind with the sails further out.

Broad reach: the wind comes increasingly from behind and the sails are eased further.

Run: sail downwind with the sails well out.

And sitting above it all is the no-go zone — the part of the clock where the boat cannot sail directly.

Once that picture is fixed in your mind, many other sailing skills become easier.

Tacking starts to make sense.

Sail trimming starts to make sense.

Planning a route starts to make sense.

Even instructions shouted from another boat begin to sound less mysterious.

"Bear away!"

"Ease the main!"

"Come onto a beam reach!"

You suddenly know what everyone is talking about.

And perhaps that is the real moment when learning to sail begins.

The boat has not changed.

The wind has not changed.

But now you have a road map.

Understand the wind. Understand where the boat sits on the clock face. Adjust the sails to match — and suddenly sailing stops looking like magic.

My name is Philip. I started sailing when I was 65. 

I joined a club and because my son had already been part of a club for many years - borrowing all types of boat. He knew what we needed and the type of boat I would require. 

So we did by an RS Toura - a virtually unsinkable dinghy which has given me the confidence to experiment and learn and take my RYA exams and become a competent sailor and then to move up to the boat of my dreams - the A-Rater.

Coming up Next Lesson Lesson 9: Your First Ten Minutes at the Helm.
Your first few minutes steering a sailing dinghy can be wonderfully confusing.

Want the boat to go left?

Move the tiller right.

Then overcorrect.

Then correct the correction.

Then discover you've invented sailing in zig-zags.

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