Dropping the kite double-handed may seem a daunting challenge, but provided you take adequate steps…
Expert sailing techniques
Off-piste sailing: serene rock-hopping footage from Kragero, Norway
Close encounters of the rocky kind are normally the stuff of sailors’ nightmares, but the…
Get out of that! What to do when your spinnaker snags a racing mark
It looks a rather pleasant day on the Solent with 15 knots and sun, and…
Hoisting the spinnaker short-handed – offshore sailor Pip Hare offers her tips
Contrary to what you might think, you don’t need to grow another set of arms…
How do you escape a traffic jam? Top tips from Olympic Gold-medallist Giles Scott
Anyone who has ever had the delight of taking part in the Round the Island…
Pip Hare: How to stay safe on board when you’re sailing short-handed
A man overboard is every double-handed crew’s nightmare; with only one pair of hands left…
Get out of that – heaving to in strong winds. Advice from Dee Caffari
This image should be entitled ‘Get into That’. Bernard Stamm had 120 miles to go…
Sailing upwind when short-handed requires different techniques
Excessive heel is your enemy when sailing upwind, and with no hiking crew this is…
5 tips: spinnaker drop – how to drop the kite without drama
The leeward drop and mark rounding was looking fine and you were about to nail…
How to plan watches and sleep when sailing short-handed
Before you decide on the best way to run watches double-handed, answer this question: are…
Paul Larsen, world speed record holder, advises on how to avoid a pitchpole
I can see the boat has a reef in and the daggerboards slightly raised, so…
Short-handed navigation – and how to create your ‘road book’
Navigating when sailing short-handed can be an often-overlooked challenge. It can throw up stressful situations,…
Get out of that! Dismasting – Mike Golding explains what to do as soon as it happens
Although it is difficult to understand exactly what went wrong, we can deduce the following:…
How to use the outside gybe for short-handed sailing. Pip Hare explains
Outside gybing is not purely reserved for boats with extra-short poles or top notch race…
Get out of that! – Ken Read deals with a wayward spinnaker
This is a highly precarious position, and one that you should never find yourself in…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 1: Avoiding a Chinese gybe
Chinese gybes on windy days are a good spectator sport, but with the right prompt…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 2: Broaching
Most of us will be familiar with that final pull on the helm that cannot…
Get out of that! – Ian Walker on avoiding the crash gybe
On the edge and living dangerously, the crew in this photo are, to their credit,…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 3: Gybing
The first time I gybed single-handed it was on a 40-footer with a symmetrical spinnaker.…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 4: Upwind trim
Sailing to windward on a badly trimmed boat seems like punishment. We have all felt…