Start Sailing Right - Sailing Downwind

Possibly the most comfortable point of sail is sailing downwind. The boat is (or should be) flatter on the water, so you don't have to hike out and the sails are all the way out so you aren't ducking under the boom.

In order to sail downwind, pull the tiller away from the mainsail until the wind is behind you. Keep the wind coming from somewhere between dead behind you to off the quarter opposite the sail (there are two quarters on a boat, it refers to the Port or Starboard side of the rear of the boat). This will help you avoid "sailing by the lee" or sailing downwind with the wind coming over the same side of the boat that the boom is on (this is BAD!) Sailing by the lee can result in an accidental jibe, which is when the wind gets around the leech of the main and forces the boom across to the other side. This can result in serious injury!

One way to avoid sailing by the lee is to always keep wind in the jib. If you are sailing dead downwind with the main all the way out, the main will blanket (or cover) the jib and block wind from it. It will luff and fall. If you turn into the wind slightly (by moving the tiller towards the sail some) and keep the wind off the quarter of the boat it will keep wind in the jib, you will go faster and it will help you avoid the accidental jibe.

So, now you want to change directions but instead of tacking you want to jibe (or put the stern of the boat through the eye of the wind). Jibing smoothly is an important skill. One thing to remember is that, unlike tacking, the mainsail never fully de-powers as you move through the wind. This puts a lot of force on the sails and the rigging. It is best not to jibe "wire to wire" with the main sheet all the way out on one side to all the way out on the other. Bring the sail in about 1/3 to 1/2 way in, move your tiller away from the sail, then as the boom moves across the boat, let the sail out on the opposite side. Here is a video from US Sailing that demonstrates jibing.

See you on the water!
Captain Rob