As a race committee chairman, … I am surprised at how few [sailors] seem to attempt to finish at the nearest point [favored end] of the finish line.Stuart Walker, in Advanced Racing Tactics Just as you should have an idea…

We ran across Nautical Language, a fascinating page on the Sea the Sea website. Nautical Language explains the meaning and origin of over 200 everyday expressions from our seafaring roots.  Here are some of our favorites: Aloof: A nautical order to…

I struggle with upwind strategy skills more than any other element of sailing. Smart upwind sailing requires managing the trade-offs between sailing the lifted tack, sailing in more wind, picking a side, and sailing conservatively. For this post, we decided…

Downwind is a great time to make gains if you pay attention, take advantage of opportunities and manage your boat well. Here are ideas for sailing fast and winning downwind in 14-20 MPH winds provided by 2018 Australian & 2018…

Water under your boat can be fast. Water IN your boat is almost always slow. 2018 Australian & 2018 New Zealand Optimist Champion Fletcher Walters demonstrates his champion techniques for sailing and bailing in this video. Of course, practice is…

Racing sailors face a constant stream of strategic and tactical decisions. In the heat of a situation, it’s easier to make the right decision if you’ve seen it before. To help you accumulate experience, SailZing plans to present a series…

You can gain or lose boats quickly while approaching, rounding, and exiting the windward mark. There are plenty of things to worry about, so we’ve compiled a windward mark preparation checklist to help you think ahead and consider everything. We’ve pulled together…

Dave Dellenbaugh’s Speed and Smarts, Issue 130 (May/June 2014) has a very informative diagram showing how to use apparent wind clues to sail faster and smarter downwind. We present Dave’s diagram as a quiz, with his answers reprinted in the…