No Wind? No Problem!

Mastering the Art of Sailing with Little or No Wind

There’s an old joke among sailors: “How do you make a boat go faster in no wind? Buy a bigger engine.”

And some days this summer, with high pressure stubbornly parked over the UK, that joke hasn’t felt too far off the mark. The River Thames has looked like a mirror — beautiful for a picnic, less so for practising our tacks and gybes. But sailing in light airs is still sailing, and it comes with its own set of tricks.

The Stream Is Your Friend

At Upper Thames Sailing Club, we often launch upstream, which means the current will carry us back if all else fails. It’s not exactly a high-performance manoeuvre, but it does mean you’re never truly stuck. Just remember — drifting back in silence looks romantic, right up until you realise you’re about to drift into the clubhouse pontoon.

Light-Wind Techniques That Actually Help

• Heel the Boat (Hiking in Reverse):
  Normally we hike out to keep the boat flat. In light winds, you heel the boat towards the wind. This makes the sails hang better and catch what little breeze there is. It feels counterintuitive but works like magic.
• Raise the Centreboard:
  With barely any wind, the centreboard becomes more of a brake than a help. Raise it halfway (or more), and you’ll reduce drag and gain precious forward motion.
• Keep Movements Smooth:
  Every twitch of the tiller acts like a handbrake. Hold your course steady and don’t oversteer. It’s a game of patience, not power.

The “Illegal” Moves (Only When Desperate!)

There are some frowned-upon tricks that every sailor knows but few admit to:

• Pumping the Sail: A sneaky tug to flap the sail and push forward.
• Sculling with the Rudder: Wiggling it like a fish tail to generate momentum.
• Hand Paddling: Yes, literally dipping your hands in the water and paddling like a duck. Humiliating, but it works when you’re metres from the pontoon and the breeze has abandoned you.

These aren’t for racing (in fact, they’ll earn you a telling-off), but when you’re stuck mid-river with Sunday lunch calling, they might just save the day.

The Backup Plan – Our ePropulsion Motor

Of course, when patience runs out, we’ve got a trump card: the ePropulsion Spirit electric outboard. Silent, clean, and reliable, it turns our RS Toura into a river cruiser. We don’t like to use it unless we must, but it’s reassuring to know it’s there. The quiet hum is far preferable to drifting endlessly into a reed bed.

Why It’s Worth Practising

Sailing in light winds teaches you finesse. You learn to feel the tiniest breath of air, to balance the boat delicately, and to trim the sails with surgeon-like precision. If you can keep a dinghy moving in a whisper of wind, you’ll find handling it in stronger breezes suddenly feels much easier.

Final Thought

So the next time you step out onto the Thames and see nothing but ripples from ducks, don’t despair. Embrace the challenge. Heel the boat, lift the centreboard, and listen for that faint puff of air. And if all else fails… well, there’s always the motor.