Sailing at home
A boat, water, a buoyancy aid, a rescue boat and an instructor at a club; at home, knots, wind and the parts of the boat.
What should we practise today?
Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.
New to sailing? The game in a minute
Read this once before the first card.- The sport in short
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A sailing boat is pushed by the wind on its sail. The sailor steers with the tiller and pulls in or lets out the sail with a rope (the mainsheet) so the wind fills it. Children start in a small boat called a dinghy, often an Optimist, alone or two to a boat.
- How the wind works
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A boat cannot sail straight into the wind; that direction is the no-go zone. To go upwind, a boat zigzags, turning its front through the wind each time: a tack. Every course compared with the wind has a name: a point of sail.
- How races work
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Boats start together behind a line on a signal, sail round marks (buoys) in a set order, and the first to finish wins. A series of races is scored by places: 1 point for first, 2 for second, and the lowest total wins. Boats follow right-of-way rules so they do not hit each other.
- Rules children break first
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- A life jacket on and done up, every time on the water.
- Never on the water without an instructor and a rescue boat.
- Watch the boom: duck when the boat turns.
- If the boat tips over, stay with the boat.
- At home you learn
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Knots, the parts of the boat, finding the wind and the points of sail. Everything on the water is learnt at a club.
Words you will hear (30, in plain language)
- Dinghy
- A small open sailing boat; the Optimist is a small one-person boat made for children.
- Bow
- The front and the back of the boat.
- Tiller
- The stick used to steer, joined to the rudder at the back.
- Rudder
- The flat blade under the back of the boat that turns it.
- Boom
- The pole along the bottom of the sail, which swings across when the boat turns.
- Mainsheet
- The rope that pulls the sail in or lets it out.
- Centreboard
- The board pushed down through the middle of the boat to stop it sliding sideways.
- Cleat
- A fitting to tie a rope to, and the knot used on it.
- Figure of eight
- A stopper knot, a fixed loop, and a knot that ties two ends together.
- Buoyancy aid
- A floating vest worn on the water.
- Rescue boat
- The motorboat that stays close to help.
- Wind direction
- Where the wind comes from, and a sudden stronger puff of it.
- Points of sail
- The names for a boat's course compared with the wind.
- Close-hauled
- Sailing as close to the wind as possible; with the wind coming from the side; with the wind from behind.
- No-go zone
- The direction straight into the wind, where a boat cannot sail.
- Head to wind
- Pointing straight into the wind, which stops the boat.
- Tack
- Turning the front of the boat through the wind.
- Trim
- Setting the sail at the right angle to the wind.
- Capsize
- When the boat tips over in the water.
- Rigging
- Putting up the mast, sails and ropes before sailing.
- Reef
- Making the sail smaller for strong wind.
- Hiking
- Leaning out over the side to keep the boat flat; a stick fixed to the tiller so you can steer while leaning out.
- Luff
- Turning toward the wind, or away from it.
- Telltales
- Short ribbons on the sail that show if it is set right.
- Helm
- The sailor who steers, and the sailor who handles the other ropes.
- Mark
- A buoy on a race course, and sailing round it.
- Starboard
- The right and left sides of the boat facing the front; a boat with the wind on its right side is on starboard.
- Leeward
- The side away from the wind, and the side the wind comes from.
- Right of way
- Which boat must keep clear: a boat on starboard has right of way over one on port; the leeward boat has right of way over the windward one.
- Protest
- A complaint after a race that a boat broke a rule.
Try it, nothing to buy
Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.- Base setup Mark your space Indoor room (knots, wind games), yard, sailing club. What fits, kit and safety
- b1 · Basic Knots and the parts of the boat Game: Point and name 10 min · 1 to 2 players · one room, yard or lane
- b2 · Basic Wind and points of sail Game: Wind compass 8 min · 1 to 2 players · yard or lane, park
The cards, level by level
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.Ticks and stars are saved in this browser only. Clearing the browser's data, or another browser, starts from zero. Carry them into the app
Basic 3 cards · show· hide First the parts of the boat, launching and bringing the boat back in, and steering; then basic sailing, looking after the boat, the rules for avoiding other boats, tacking and controlling speed. Most children need several weeks or a season of lessons.
- b1✓ Knots and the parts of the boat At home
- b2✓ Wind and points of sail At home
- b3✓ First lessons on the water, with an instructor At a club
Move on when the instructor passes the stage.
Intermediate 2 cards · show· hide Rigging the boat, more theory, capsize recovery, launching and sailing alone round a triangle course in moderate wind, a first look at race starts, then sailing two to a boat as a team. Capsize recovery comes after tacking and speed control.
Move on when the instructor passes the stage.
Advanced 1 cards · show· hide Boat-speed tuning, precise starts, tactics, rules and protests, and steady focus across days of racing.
Teaching this at home
Movement, safety and the words at home. The sport itself needs water, a boat, a horse or a coach.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.
How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.