Above-This boat is on a starboard tack, as the wind is coming over the starboard side. In this case, the starboard side is the windward side of the boat and the port side is the leeward side. Notice that both skipper and crew wear U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices (PFDs), a very smart practice.
Learn the Basics of How to Sail
There’s nothing finer than spending a sunny summer afternoon under sail. Learning how to sail can be broken down into a handful of basic concepts. This includes sailing in a straight line, relative wind angle (RWA) and the points of sail, appropriate sail trim, turning your boat upwind (tacking), and turning your boat downwind (jibing). In this article, we’ll take a close look at the basics, using a Rhodes 18 sloop. While you may need to make a few adjustments when you use a different boat, the principles given here will remain the same.
There is no better way to learn sailing than to practice. The elements described here should give you a good start.