Sailing Tips
Daily tips to improve your sailing knowledge and skills
Attach short wool or ribbon telltales about one-third back from the luff on both sides of your jib at three heights. When all telltales stream aft evenly on both sides, your sail is trimmed correctly for the current angle to the wind. If the windward telltales lift or flutter, ease the sheet slightly; if the leeward ones stall, trim in. Checking telltales regularly is far more reliable than guessing by feel alone, especially in shifting breezes.
Source: AI Research
Attach short wool telltales about one-third back from the luff on both sides of your jib at three heights. When the windward telltale lifts or flutters, you are pinching too high or the sheet is too tight — bear away slightly or ease the sheet. When the leeward telltale stalls, you are sailing too low or the sail is too loose. Properly streaming telltales on both sides confirm you are in the groove for maximum upwind efficiency.
Source: AI Research
After anchoring, set a GPS anchor drag alarm on your chartplotter or phone app by marking your position and defining a swing radius based on your rode length and water depth. If the boat drifts beyond that circle, the alarm will wake you before you end up on a lee shore. Test the alarm by temporarily reducing the radius to confirm it triggers — a two-minute check that could save your boat overnight.
Source: AI Research