HOME :: Travel-and-Leisure / Sailing Learn to Sail Downwind - Five Tips For Safer Downwind Sailing!

If you are anything like me, when you first started to learn to sail, downwind sailing was the toughest point of sail. That sailboat boom--like a battering ram from King Arthur's day--seemed ready at any moment to swing across the boat and bonk you on the head. Here are five sailing tips you can use right now to make downwind sailing easier, safer, and a real breeze!

Even the pros find sailing downwind a challenge. That's because it takes just a subtle shift in the true wind to make the apparent wind shift a lot. Follow these five tips:

1. Use a Boom Vang (Smaller Sailboats)

Use your boom vang on smaller boats to prevent accidental jibes. Release the lower snap shackle from the mast attachment point. Move it out to a strong deck padeye near the shrouds. Allow about 1" to 2" of give in the boom vang to keep excessive strain off of the boom.

2. Rig an "End-of-Boom" Line (Larger Sailboats)

Larger sailboats need something less restrictive and with more give than a boom vang. Attach a line twice the length of the boat to the end of the boom. Run it forward to the bow. Attach a snatch block to the stemhead fitting (where the headstay attaches). Pass the line through the snatch block and back to the cockpit. Use a sailboat winch to make adjustments.

3. Center the Boom Before You Jibe

Whether sailing single handed or with crew, you need to "de-power" the mainsail before you jibe the boat. Pull the mainsheet in to bring the sailboat boom as close to the centerline as possible. Next, jibe the boat. Release the mainsheet and feed it out under control. This technique keeps the jibe under perfect control and prevents strain on the boom gooseneck (where the boom attaches to the mast).

4. Reef Before You Fall Off

Prevent big problems by tucking in a reef or two before you fall off downwind. This de-powers the main, keeps high loads off of boom fittings, and gives you better control when downwind sailing in gusty conditions. If you intend to sail downwind for an extended period, rig a preventer as described above. If the wind picks up and you need to change course back upwind, your set to go with a reef already tucked in!

5. Dampen the Mainsail or Sail by Headsail Alone

Some boats use a damping method when carrying lots of headsail and or spinnakers downwind. They will sheet the reefed main hard in near the center-line and leave it there. And then sail with two headsails or a spinnaker. Or, you may want to drop the mainsail altogether and sail with headsails alone. Long distance cruising sailboats use this method often to make sailing stress free and fun.

Use these five sailing tips to learn to sail downwind under complete control--without the worry of accidental jibes or being overpowered. This will boost your sailing skipper skills to new heights wherever in the world you choose to sail.

Captain John teaches sailboat cruising 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 tips, articles, videos and newsletter at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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