It’s never too late to discover your inner captain. Our list of helpful sailing websites for beginner sailors links to some of the best advice newbie sailors can get online. Browse the below and find everything you need to know in terms of sailing theory, tips, terminology, and personal testimonials. So next time you rent a boat in Croatia or hire a catamaran in Greece, skip the skipper and experience freedom in an entirely new way.
After you read the Borrow A Boat’s guide to sailing for beginners, take a look at the below websites for more inspiration and useful tips for first-time sailing.
Helpful sailing websites for your future boat trip:
- The American Sailing Association
- Pontoonopedia
- Cruising World
- Yachts & Yachting
- Discoverboating.com
- Lasersailingtips.com
- Bella of London
The American Sailing Association
- great starting point
- offers practical tips and detailed advice on all things sailing
- entire collection of resources, aimed at first-timers
- helpful article: Beginner Sailing Tips
- inspiring article: Top Sailing Documentaries
Other interesting documentary: Between Home, which tells the story of beginner sailor Nick Jaffe who documented his 2-year sailing trip to Australia.
Visit American Sailing Association (ASA) for more fresh information for beginner sailors.
Pontoonopedia
- it recommends and promotes great –value products that offer long-term utility and impressive functionality
- it is one of the best sailing websites for beginners that entails a search engine that assists you in finding what you are searching for
- it also details the necessary accessories for your boat during each trip and explains how to fix your pontoon boat issues and carry out specific boating activities
- Pontoonopedia also offers counsel to enhance your boating experience
Are you having trouble identifying what you need? Pontoonopedia among the best sailing websites for beginners that recommends the appropriate gear with reasonable price tags. Visit Pontoonopedia to read everything you need to know about pontoon boats and helpful hints regarding pontooning.
Cruising World
- the stop-shop website and magazine for top-of-the-line sailboat reviews, chartering tips, sailing equipment reviews, liveaboard sailing guides, etc.
- their charter directory entails listings of top-notch charter companies across the world and destinations
- the site will offer details on setting up your boat for Hurricane seasons and resources for monitoring adverse weather conditions
Cruising World provides how-to insights into sails inspections, sailboat maintenance, hydrofoils, and sails materials to help improve your boating experience.
Yachts & Yachting
Yachts & Yachting is a UK-based magazine offering specialist and general-knowledge content, centered on yachting. The magazine lists the five essential skills you need to sail a boat properly:
- Sail setting – sails should be set so they are just at the point of not flapping – easing out when turning away from the wind or bearing away, and pulling them in when sailing or turning towards the wind.
- Balance – A flatboat is a fast boat. Heeling meanwhile can be used to make a boat turn, and can be useful to reduce rudder movements which slow the boat down.
- Boat trim – where you sit along the length of the boat depends on the conditions and point of sailing and affects speed by reducing drag.
- Centreboard/daggerboard – essentially a retractable keel, this aids steering and provides a lateral resistance to the power in the sails – generally in dinghies it is down to go upwind to prevent the boat slipping sideways, and lifted downwind to reduce drag through the water.
- Course made good – sailing the most efficient route from one point to another.
Paula Irish at Yachts & Yachting magazine
Useful article: guides for beginner sailors, which also includes personal success stories.
Discoverboating.com
- helps sailors and sailors-to-be with everything from sailing for the first time to buying a yacht
- useful article: Practical tips for your first time on the water (such as choosing calm and uncrowded spaces, starting out on a boat rigged with one sail and becoming familiar with sail controls)
- the website also digs deeper into the ins-and-outs of sailing and offers technical yet comprehensive explanations of sailing mechanics.
Visit Discoverboating.com for more helpful articles.
Lasersailingtips.com
Like the ASA website, lasersailingtips.com offers a compilation of resources, such as advice on learning to sail a small boat, sailing theory and a detailed section on controls and fittings.
Bella of London
Bella of London has published a brief guide including some of the key terms and regulations every beginner sailor needs to know.
So, feeling confident? Here are Yachting World’s 15 tips for crossing the Atlantic ocean. Remember that you can book the sailing holiday of a lifetime with Borrow A Boat, whether you have sailing experience or not.