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Self-Taught or School-Taught Sailing: Which is Better?

When it comes to learning to sail, this old saying rings especially true. Whether you’re nervously approaching a crowded dock or reefing a mainsail as a squall builds, the ocean doesn’t wait for you to figure it out. So should you teach yourself, learn from friends, or take a course at a sailing school?

From 7-Up to Nuns in Red

Understanding the U.S. Aids to Navigation System (ATONs) is essential for safe and confident navigation. In this guide, you’ll get a clear explanation of how to distinguish channel markers, interpret their shapes and numbers, and remember their placement whether you’re sailing up the East Coast or out to sea.

Understanding Lift

If you’ve ever wondered how a sailboat moves forward – even when it’s not running with the wind – you’re not alone. It seems almost magical: a boat with no engine gliding to windward under nothing more than a sheet of cloth. But there’s a beautiful explanation behind it all, rooted in physics and refined by sailors over centuries. The secret? Lift.

Things a Marine Survey Can’t Tell You

Enhance your sailing skills by engaging all six senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and intuition—to navigate, troubleshoot, and fully experience life on the water.

Sailing Through Stress: Understanding the Stress Continuum at Sea

Enhance your sailing skills by engaging all six senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and intuition—to navigate, troubleshoot, and fully experience life on the water.

2025 Father’s Day Gift Guide for Sailors

Father’s Day is coming up, and if the dad in your life knows how to rig a reef, eyeball the wind, or crack a cold one after setting anchor, skip the usual socks and gadgets. Get him something that makes sense for the sailor he is—gear he’ll actually use, appreciate, and brag about on the dock.

How to Be a Great Sailing Crew in 3 Steps

Steve Hunt, professional sailor and high school sailing coach, distills decades of experience into three essential characteristics that define a great crew: mindset, skill, and communication.

So You’ve Taken a Sailing Course… Now What?

You passed a sailing course. Now what? Explore some real-world, practical ways to stay on the water, build your skills, and become a confident sailor – no matter where you’re starting from.

Storm-Ready: Choosing a Safe Spot for Your Boat

Since 2003, I’ve studied hurricane damage patterns up close. One truth has become clear: where you put your boat is just as important as how you secure it. You can do everything right with your lines and gear, but if the location is exposed to storm forces, it might not matter.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Sailing Books

What makes a great sailing book? Authenticity, passion, vivid imagery, and character development come to life in these four sailing books.

American Sailing and SeaPeople Join Forces to Enhance Sailing Education World-Wide

American Sailing and SeaPeople partner to offer unparalleled sailing educational tools and digital logbook capabilities to sailors worldwide.

The Six Senses of Sailing

Enhance your sailing skills by engaging all six senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and intuition—to navigate, troubleshoot, and fully experience life on the water.

Let’s Talk About the Ocean

Sailors are in a unique position to make a meaningful difference. We are the eyes and ears of the ocean. We see what others can’t. We witness the changes—floating plastic bottles, discarded fishing nets, and dying coral reefs. But we can also be the solution.

Deaf Sailors Navigating New Waters: Overcoming Challenges in Sailing Education

For deaf sailors, the thrill of taking to the water is paired with unique challenges. Learning to sail can be demanding for anyone, but for those who are deaf, the experience requires adjustments, patience, and often customized teaching methods. While instructors and students must work around these barriers, many deaf sailors successfully navigate the learning process and thrive.

Women in Sailing – Captain Laurel Seaborn

This Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting Laurel Seaborn—sailor, maritime historian, and director of a new Women’s Sailing Program at Athens Sailing School. From growing up on a sailboat to crewing historic tall ships and studying seafaring women of the past, Laurel brings a wealth of experience and passion to empowering women on the water. Her all-women classes focus on confidence, community, and hands-on training in the Aegean Sea.

The Legendary S/V Bubbles Return with ASA-Certified Virgin Island Sailing School

S/V Bubbles, the legendary sailboat from Chasing Bubbles, is back! Now restored, she offers ASA-certified courses with the Virgin Island Sailing School. Learn to sail in the Caribbean while supporting youth programs that empower at-risk kids.

SailGP Brings High-Octane Racing to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York

Sailing isn’t just about following official rules—it’s also about respecting the unwritten ones. From anchoring etiquette to VHF communication and marina manners, here’s how to sail with courtesy and seamanship.

Cooking at Sea: How to Manage the Motion of the Ocean

Explore the essential skills to manage cooking in motion, keeping things efficient, safe, and delicious with Gio and Julie Cappelli.