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How can I legally sail a boat across Lake Erie into Canada?

How can I legally sail a boat across Lake Erie into Canada?

I am a United States citizen and want to sail my boat into the Canadian side of Lake Erie. How can I do so legally?

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What kind of boat should i sail?

What kind of boat should i sail?

i am 16 and have been on lasers but i want a more exotic boat that i can still sail single handed.

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Learn to Sail – Five Easy Steps to Use a VHF Marine Radio Like a Pro!

In inland waters, the Navigation Rules allow a small boat cruising skipper to make passing arrangements on the VHF marine radio. How can you make sure that the other boat understands your intentions without any doubt? Find out the steps the pros take with this easy guide.

If you are anything like me, nothing quite grates on the nerves than someone on the radio that doesn’t know what to say. Or uses the wrong frequency for communications. Not only does that create confusion, but it could endanger others in peril.

Make sure you follow the rule of good seamanship when you use the VHF marine radio. Follow these five steps to success:

1. Initiate the call

Make the call on channel 16 FM. Most VHF radios monitor this frequency even with the radio tuned to another channel. But you must use it with caution because vessels in distress use it to send out MAYDAY calls. Change to another frequency as soon as the other vessel acknowledges your call (see #4).

2. Start with vessel type

Identify the vessel type you are calling, followed by your vessel type. Names aren’t too important. Unless you are overtaking another vessel (where you could see the name on her stern), you won’t know their name.

3. Locate yourself relative to the other vessel

Tell the vessel where you are in relationship to them. You might also estimate your distance from the other vessel. Are you one mile off their port bow or their starboard bow? Are you 1/2 mile off their port quarter or starboard quarter? Are you 100 feet dead astern?

4. Shift to a working channel

You will be asked to shift to a working channel. If the other vessel starts to talk on 16, you must ask them to shift to a working channel. Use channel 6, 9, 13, or some other non-commercial frequency. In any case do not–under any circumstance–stay on channel 16 to arrange passing agreements.

5. State your desired intentions

Request what you would like to do and state your intentions so that they can be understood by anyone aboard the other boat. “Request to overtake you on your port side” or “Request a port to port passage”. Wait for the other vessel to answer you. Take action only after the other vessel grants you permission.

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Example:

You are underway in the Intracoastal Waterway and wish to overtake a tug and tow on their port side.

*(Shift to channel 16)

“Northbound tug approaching marker 16 on the Intracoastal waterway, this is sailing vessel Freedom 100 yards dead astern of you; channel 16–over”.

“Sailing vessel Freedom, this is the tug Kingfish; shift and answer on channel 13–out”.

*(Shift to channel 13)

“Sailing vessel Freedom, this is Tug Kingfish on channel 13–over”. “Tug Kingfish, this is sailing vessel Freedom. Request to overtake you on your port side–over”.

“Sailing vessel Freedom, roger; go ahead–out” or “Sailing vessel Freedom, negative. I’ll be turning hard to port into the west channel in about five minutes. Please wait–out.”

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Notice how all communications use a minimum of words. This keeps your conversation brief, clear, and to the point. It also shortens the time you are keying the transmit button. Remember, as long as you have that keyed, other boats are unable to communicate on that channel.

Use these five easy-to-learn steps to establish yourself as a confident, experienced sailing skipper. Crystal clear communications will keep you and your sailing crew safe and sound for years to come, wherever in the world you choose to sail

Captain John teaches sailing skippers the skills they need to learn to sail like a pro! Get his popular free report “Ten Top Boat Safety Checks for Cruising Boat Skippers” at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

John offers a free weekly sailing tips newsletter. Join his site to learn hundreds of little-known sailing tips and techniques with articles, videos, and live sailing forums at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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Learn to Sail – Fold Your Sailboat Sails For Maximum Performance!

Did you know that you should fold your mainsail, Genoa, or jib sailboat sails at least once every sailing season. If you sail on a racing sailboat, each sail should be folded at the end of each race. This will increase sail life and save you big $$$s in replacement costs. Follow these five simple learn to sail tips to success.

All sails are coated with a layer of resin. Cruising boat sails have a softer feel–called “hand”–and use less resin than racing sailboat sails. This makes cruising sails easier to handle, more durable, and allows you to stuff them in a sail-bag while cruising.

Racing sails are much less durable. They come with a heavy surface coat of resin, or use one of the high tech fibers like Mylar. These stiff surface coats help sails hold their shape better in light to moderate winds. But they will break down fast if not cared for.

After cruising or racing, remove the sails from your boat. Follow these five steps to keep your sails in tip top shape:

1. Remove Leech Battens

Before you fold a mainsail, remove traditional or full length battens. Although you could fold these into the sail with care, a batten will stress the sail.

2. Find a Flat, Clean Surface

Lay the mainsail or headsail onto grass, the pier, or a clean floor space. If it’s windy, move the foot of the sail upwind. This will help control the sail as you fold it.

3. Fold the Sail like an “Accordion”

Have a partner help you. Each person should hold one corner of the foot. Reach up along the edge of the sail. Grab the edge and pull it down to the foot of the sail. Now, hold the corner of the fold, reach up and grab the edge again and pull it down over the first fold. Continue this process all the way to the head of the sail.

4. Roll the Sailboat Sail

With the mainsail, move to the edge with the tack. Roll the mainsail from the tack to the clew. With a headsail, move to the edge with the clew. Roll a headsail from the clew to the tack. Mylar or high tech sails should be stowed flat if possible. If you don’t have room and need to roll them, start at the foot and roll to the head.

5. Bag with the First Attachment On Top

Slide the sail into the sail-bag so that the first attachment point lies on top when you open the bag. In the mainsail, the clew should be at the top of the bag. On a headsail, the tack should be at the top of the bag. This makes the sailing crews job faster and easier when they bend on sails the newt time you want to go sailing.

Now you know five valuable sailing tips that will breathe new life into your sailboat sails for many years to come. This will save you money and your sails deliver maximum performance in power and speed–wherever in the world you choose to go sailing!

Captain John teaches sailing skippers the skills they need to set sail for a day, a week–or a lifetime! Get his popular free report “Ten Tips to Save You $1000s on Your Next Small Cruising Boat” at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

John offers free sailing tips, articles, sailing videos and newsletter at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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Learn to Sail Secrets – How to Tack Through the Wind Smoother, Faster, And Easier!

Did you know that you can learn to sail like a pro when you tack without the worry of confusing calculations or using a steering compass? These little-known sailing tips make tacking a snap and will make sailing to windward lots of fun with greater speed and performance.

Sailing close hauled means you keep the true wind at a 45 degree angle to the boat. When you tack, the bow passes through the wind to place the wind at a 45 degree angle on the other side of the boat. Your small sailboat tacks (turns) through the true wind a total of 90 degrees.

Instead of using lots of fancy addition or subtraction, use an easier, more natural method called over-the-shoulder “aim” points. Follow these three easy steps to tacking success:

1. Steady up on your close hauled course. Stand in front of the tiller or behind the sailboat wheel so that you face the bow. Keep your shoulders square (perpendicular) to the center-line of your boat.

2. Look over your shoulder to the windward side (upwind). Find a house, tree, pier, hill, mountain peak, or some other fixed point that you can use as your “aim” point.

If out of sight of land, use the well defined part of a cloud as your “aim” point. If no clouds are available, study the angle that the waves will make to the boat after tacking.

3. Tack the boat through the wind and turn the boat onto the “aim” point. Once you steady up, adjust your sailing course so that the luff of the mainsail lies just on the edge of a flutter.

To do this, ease the boat up toward the wind until the luff of the mainsail just begins to flutter. Fall off just a bit until the flutter stops. Now you are right on the edge of the wind. Your boat should accelerate like a thoroughbred at a racetrack!

Learn to sail better than ever before with simple, easy-to-use techniques that work on any sailboat of any size anywhere in the world. You will become a more confident, skilled sailing skipper and enjoy better speed and performance–wherever in the world you choose to sail.

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Captain John teaches sailing skippers the skills they need to set sail for a day, a week–or a lifetime! Get his popular free report “Ten Top Boat Safety Checks for Cruising Boat Skippers” at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

John offers free sailing tips, articles, sailing videos and newsletter at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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Learn to Sail Like a Pro – Are You Prepared For Heavy Sailing Weather?

Did you know that most squalls, gales, or storms at sea take sailors completely by surprise. Learn to sail with skill and confidence in heavy weather with these seven “storm preparation” secrets from the pros

In his book “Maximum Sail Power”, master sailmaker and experienced ocean racer Brian Hancock says “My experience is that storms take people by surprise, and that is when they do their most damage.” So how can us mortal sailors better prepare for Nature’s wrath. Assume the worst will happen to you and your sailing crew sooner or later. Make these seven preparations now to make things much easier when tough conditions cross your path

1. Prepare Your Sailing Gear

When was the last time you dropped your roller furling Genoa and checked it for chafe and wear. Luff tapes take a beating, as do the sacrificial leech cover. Have your sailmaker make repairs to these two critical areas before you head offshore.

Check every inch of the furling drum line for wear. Replace all of the line if you find a single spot where chafe has taken over.

Inspect stays and shrouds, including terminal ends, turnbuckles, turnbuckle sleeves, cotter pins, and deck chain-plates. Before you cast off, order a die penetrate test on turnbuckles and end-swages. Replace any fittings found with hairline cracks.

Replace worn sheets. Carry plenty of canvas, old split fire hose, and marline for chafing gear to protect line from chafe. Check running rigging like boom vangs, mainsheet, traveler control lines, and reefing lines for worn spots. Replace any lines you suspect may fail in heavy weather sailing.

2. Carry and Hoist Storm Sails

Lots of folks carry a storm jib (also called a “spitfire”), but have never attached it to a stay. Sloops with a single stay covered by furling extrusion gear and a rolled up Genoa need to make special provisions in order to attach and hoist a storm jib.

If you own a sailing sloop and are going offshore, rig a second collapsible inner stay. This gives you a place to bend on the storm jib and keeps the foredeck crew off the end of the bow. Cutter-rigged sailboats should use the inner forestay for storm jibs.

Vessels that carry storm trysails (a small, triangular, loose footed sail that replaces a deep reefed mainsail) should use a separate external track. Have your crew raise the trysail and lead the sheets through the blocks aft so that they all understand the unique set of these sails.

3. Conduct a Reefing Drill

Jiffy reefing can be done in a jiffy in ideal conditions. It’s another deal altogether on a heaving, pitching deck, trying to wrangle a 470 square foot mainsail down a 63 foot mast, find the second luff reef cringle, and set the reef.

Make reefing the mainsail one of the first drills you do with any crew–novice or old salt. All boats are different and a reefing drill will clear up any confusion. Lower the sail to the first luff reef cringle. Use a pencil and mark a big “1″ in a circle on both sides of the cringle. Do the same at the leech reef cringle.

Mark the mainsail halyard where it touches the cleat. This will tell you how far to lower the halyard. On a black night with spray blowing, this will make your crew’s job much easier.

Lower the sail to the second reef and mark a big “2″ in a circle on both sides on luff and leech cringles. Mark the halyard. Repeat the process with the third reef.

4. Practice at Night

Make your first storm practice run right after sunset the first night out. Break out the storm sails, run the sheets, and hoist the storm sails. Work the kinks out now so that you are ready for the heavy stuff when it arrives.

5. Test Personal Sailing Safety Gear

Test harnesses and pay particular attention to tethers. On our last offshore delivery, we found two worn out end-clips that stayed in the open position. They would not have held crew to the jackline, which could have resulted in an overboard emergency or injury.

Check flashlights, decklights, and jackline integrity. Tape lifeline pelican hooks shut. Require all crew to wear inflatable vests with harness after dark and tethers in foul weather or when going forward in foul weather or at night.

6. Learn How Your Boat “Heaves-to”

Many racing or cruising sailboats have been damaged or lost when running before the wind in storm conditions. Boats that are properly hove-to have ridden out storms for centuries in relative comfort. Instead of running ahead of an oncoming storm, heaving-to keeps you in an almost stationary position, and the storm will pass you by faster.

Learn how your vessel heaves-to. Many modern rigs need just a reefed main and lashed tiller or wheel. Others may require a small storm jib, backed to the wind. Practice now in different wind strengths. Keep a log of what you find so that you can duplicate the same sail settings when a real blow comes.

7. Reef Before Sundown

Exercise prudence and reef the mainsail to the first reef just before the sun kisses the horizon. Squalls often come up at night and with a reef already set, you are one step ahead in your steps to prepare your small sailboat for heavy weather.

Follow these seven steps to learn to sail in heavy weather with more skill and confidence. You and your sailing crew will be well prepared for the tough stuff–wherever in the world you choose to go sailing!

Captain John teaches sailing skippers the skills they need to set sail for a day, a week–or a lifetime! Get his popular free report “Ten Top Boat Safety Checks for Cruising Boat Skippers” at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

John offers free sailing tips, articles, sailing videos and newsletter at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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Venture Through Seas, Learn How to Sail

Sailing is an activity enjoyed by families, friends and even lovers as it is available for all ages and both for male and female. Though some assumes that sailing requires strong arms and physiques, sailing is really not that physical and even a child at the age of five can already contribute their strength to help sail a yacht. Sailing helps more on your mental and spiritual health than your physical fitness.

Learning how to sail would be costly only if you are planning to take it to a professional level. If you are planning to learn how to sail for plain fun activity then learning could be really cheap. The key to spend less in learning how to sail is to look for standard equipments and appropriate clothing that are not very expensive. You can even try to rent or borrow equipments for your first few sails then purchase your own by the time that you plan to sail regularly. If you have love-ones who suffer from disabilities like impairment of vision or such, you can accompany them to experience the sport.

Just make sure that you have enough knowledge on the sport to keep them safe from any potential hazards that you might encounter on your sail together. To start learning how to sail (it depends on the boat types you are going to sail), you can approach a sailing club that offers services for beginners and take you as a novice crew or seek advices and techniques on the internet or learn the basics from books before joining a sailing club.

On your first ventures, it is advisable that you avoid sailing during peak hours or when harbors are crowded. It is a little distracting to practice on a crowded harbor as you would have to keep your distance from other vessels to ensure safety. It is also very important that you keep a slow pace while you are still learning. It is very redundant that you practice with speed and could only result to accident. Keep in mind that safety is far more important than learning how to sail and sailing would only be enjoyable when you are sailing safely.

Sailing experts recommend the use of a small boat with a light boom for starters to practice your control of the boom which is very important to keep a safe and smooth sail. It is also advisable that you learn how to swim before learning how to sail. It does not have to be at a professional level; just make sure that your knowledge in swimming is sufficient to keep you confident and safe in the water as there is always a chance that you end up in water whenever you sail. Sailing or going for recreational boats is definitely a fun activity that you can enjoy with your friends or your family while you learn some sailing history.

Visit ExpertsTown’s Sailing Blog for more information about sailing.

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Wanting to Learn How to Sail? RYA Courses Are the Perfect Solution

Every year more and more people learn to sail. The hobby is a growing phenomenon that is rekindling the sense of adventure in so many. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) offers a number of courses that anyone can take online or in a class. It is truly important to take RYA courses or RYA certified courses when looking to learn more about the world of boating.

So many people want to learn more about sailing but struggle to find the time. That’s why there are a host of sailing courses and many others available online. With the interactive potential of online courses, people can experience a much more hands on level of training and become proficient at boating sooner than ever before.

There are an unbelievable amount of courses available. One could take a course on a whole gamut of boating types. There are classes offered on windsurfing, day skipper sailing, navigation and seamen ship theory, motor cruising, power boating, and even inland waterways. There are RYA courses for any type of boating activity imaginable.

The RYA prides itself on prestigious education and thorough classwork. The courses they offer are an in depth look at specific types of boating and they focus, rightfully, on detail and safety. Before anyone sets out on open waters, they must have a complete understanding of their intentions and the very long list of possible problems they could encounter; safety is definitely the key to a successful boating career and at the core of the RYA.

Tiller is a leading training centre providing Sailing Courses, RYA Courses and Day Skipper courses on a worldwide basis. Please visit our website at http://www.tiller.co.uk/

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Learn to Sail Like a Pro – Keep It Simple to Sail More

Want to spend more time sailing and less time dockside, waiting for parts, repairs, or doing maintenance on your sailboat. To learn to sail, you need to go sailing, and that means you need to determine what you have to have aboard for comfort and which shore-based luxury items you can do without.

Here are three things I’ve never had aboard that have helped me sail more while others spend their free time laboring away in their slips!

Beef Up Your Icebox

Crewing aboard delivery yachts offshore helps me see which systems give skippers headaches the most. And refrigeration/freezers take the prize near the top. You can still eat like a king if you forgo such things as butcher meats or frozen entrees. Buy canned meats (ham, beef, chicken) instead.

Make your icebox more efficient with at least 4″ of insulation all around. Collect small, empty, individual size water bottles or soda bottles. Fill them with water, freeze them, and use them as a better, more economical substitute to store-bought ice.

Rig an Inner Forestay or Babystay

As wondrous as furling gear may be, veteran voyagers Lin and Larry Pardey rank it the #1 item that breaks down the most when they deliver yachts. It’s super complicated with a zillion parts and it puts up with severe use–and abuse–from sailors who just don’t understand how to use it the right way.

Go without the furling sails and return to the simplicity of a single wire forestay. Hank-on Genoas and Jibs last longer, cost less to maintain and repair, and help your boat perform its best on all points of sail.

If you absolutely must have a furling headsail system, then you must have a backup headsail system in place if you venture outside of protected waters. Rig a removable inner stay (sometimes called a “baby-stay)– just inside the headstay. This baby-stay serves as a great backup if your furling system fails, allows you to hank on a small working jib, lapper, or storm jib, and gives extra support to your mast when beating or reaching offshore.

Learn How to “Scoop” Air

Nothing beats air conditioning on a luxury yacht in the hot, steamy Caribbean waters…as long as it works! It’s one more big, complex machine that I’ve seen break down time and again. Enter the hatch scoop. The names are many–”wind scoop”, “super scoop”–but they all work the same way.

You pop open your hatches, attach the scoop to the lip and hoist it a few feet above the hatch. The panels of light, rip-stop nylon spinnaker cloth are arranged to “scoop” the wind and funnel it down through the hatch into the cabin below.

Cowl vent hoods on production sailboats are sized for a vessel underway–not moored or at anchor. When not underway, replace these with hoods with a scoop diameter 2 to 3 times the size of those that came with your boat. Turn each hood so that it faces the prevailing wind.

Keep your side ports open for good cross ventilation and to keep your cabin free of mold, mildew, and condensation. Make up mosquito screens for all side ports and hatches. Order “rain shields” so that you can keep side ports open when it rains. These louvered plastic fittings pop into each opening port (check out those offered by Beckson Marine, Inc.).

Learn to sail without some of these shore-based luxuries to spend more time sailing and less time tied up waiting for parts and repairs. You will keep more money in your cruising kitty and enjoy simpler, more economical small boat cruising–wherever in the world you choose to sail.

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Captain John teaches sailing skippers the skills they need to learn to sail like a pro! Get his popular free report “Ten Top Boat Safety Checks for Cruising Boat Skippers” at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

John offers a free weekly sailing tips newsletter. Join his site to learn hundreds of little-known sailing tips and techniques with articles, videos, and live sailing forums at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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Learn to Sail – What Makes a Good Sailing Instructor?

If you enjoy an outdoors life, and are an experienced sailor, you may like to consider teaching people how to sail. Learn to sail on Sydney Harbour or become a sailing instructor and teach others how to sail on Sydney harbour, what a great place to understand what it takes to become a sailing instructor.

Think carefully about the teaching process itself, and whether you have the right personality, abilities and interest level for the task. All too often, experienced sailors forget how long it took for them to learn what they know, and only when they begin teaching do they realise what a lot is involved. Take time to plan things properly before you start teaching people who want to learn to sail.

The right personality and temperament is needed to instruct people how to sail, especially when teaching children. For instance, you will definitely need a lot of patience – it took you years to learn what you know, so you cannot expect your students to become experts within only a few lessons.

You will need to be flexible. Bad weather, a damaged yacht, faulty gear, students who don’t turn up for lessons, may put paid to plans you have made for the day. Also, your students will learn at different rates so you will have to adapt your time and plans for the lesson accordingly.

As everyone learns in their own way, you will need to be creative as well. Some people learn better through reading, others by speaking about what they are trying to learn. There are those who excel with practical things and those who are stronger with theory and academic subjects. You will need to change your approach from student to student, to get them to understand what it is you are trying to teach them.

As hard as it will be for you, you will need to trust your students. They will make mistakes, but you must let them try on their own, but be on hand should anything go wrong. Also, by showing that you trust them, your students will try harder to perform the task properly, and when they succeed, it will build their confidence.

As much as you want your students to know that you trust them, safety must remain a priority. Accidents can happen, especially when excitement or stress builds up. As an instructor you will need to be aware of everything that is going on during a lesson and be able to anticipate events before they happen!

To learn to sail Sydney harbour is a fantastic location where the Pacific Sailing School has been operating since 1977. It has trained over 20,000 people to all levels of sailing, Contact the Pacific Sailing School at http://www.positionmeonline.com/14781.htm to learn sailing, safety and fun on the world’s greatest harbour!

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