The secret of happy gybing lies in how the boat is steered. With enough breeze to make gybing an issue, steer 5° or 10° above a dead run, then heave the mainsheet right in and make it fast. Now steer …
Running a Back Bearing
This method for keeping a boat on track as she moves down a safe line from a known charted object is moderately accurate. The trouble is that deciding which way to turn when the reversed bearing …
Checking for drag
By far the best method of observing whether or not an anchor is dragging is to find a natural transit of two objects more or less abeam when the boat is head-up to the hook. For crispness, these want …
Instant relative bearings
Everyone knows that at sea, a collision heading can be defined by noting whether the relative bearing of the other vessel remains constant. Out in the open, there is time to take compass bearings or …
Tidal observations
Sailors in the central Solent can always tell the direction of the tide at Calshot by noting how the light float is lying. The authorities gave this vessel an anchor ball when they towed away the old …
Check if in doubt
If you’re in doubt about the identity of a land or seamark, the easiest way to make sure of it is to plot a GPS fix on the chart and see what the bearing of the object ought to be from there. Next, …
