Port Townsend Yacht Club will be hosting one of three national Women’s Sailing Conferences on August 2. The conference, sponsored by BoatUS and organized by the National Women’s Sailing Association, will include instruction on docking and mooring techniques, spinnaker handling, heavy weather sailing, single-handed sailing, GPS charting, helming, tacking & gybing and more.
Whether you [...]
I remember a crossing of the Straight of Juan de Fuca that was particularly harsh when I was eight years old. We had taken leave of the safe harbor of Port Townsend early in the morning and were greeted by calm seas for the crossing with our friends in the Catalina 27′ fleet.
No sooner were [...]
There are many worthy how-to books that you can (and should) read if you are just learning to sail. But if you are only looking for one book to read before getting on a boat for the first time, Sailing Fundamentals is the book for you.
Sailing Fundamentals is the textbook of choice for most sailing schools [...]
So you’ve just learned to sail or maybe are tired of waiting for that invitation to sail on Puget Sound on your friend’s boat. It’s time to take the plunge and buy your own sailboat.
The type of sailboat you buy should reflect the type of sailing that you plan to do, and where you will [...]
Rigging knives are used in sailing to work with lines and other forms of rigging. Rigging knives had their moment in the spotlight when one was used on America One to cut a genoa sheet that had become wrapped during the Louis Vitton finals. You should consider a rigging knife as much a necessity [...]
The figure eight knot was the first sailing knot that my father taught me when I was learning to sail, and should be the very first sailing knot you learn as well. Other names for the figure eight knot include the Flemish knot, the Savoy knot, or the Figure of Eight knot.
The primary use of [...]
Nervous about your upcoming trip on your friend or co-worker’s sailboat? Has been a bit too long since you were last on the water? Don’t know the difference between port & starboard, fore & aft, or genoa & mainsail?
It might be time to order up a DVD and sit back in the comfort of your [...]
Washington State passed legislation in 2005 requiring all boaters to carry a Washington Boater Education Card if they are operating a sailboat or powerboat with a 15HP or larger engine. This card is not like a drivers license, however, in that it does not need to be renewed - once you obtain your knowledge of basic [...]
photo by:
David J. Fred
The bowline is a simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope, and is one of the more essential knots you need to learn. Since the loop does not move once completed, you can use it to pass over a post, cleat or other object. [...]
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