How to Learn to Sail Online

It can be to your advantage to learn the essentials and finer points of sailing online before hitting the water. US Sailing, the national governing body for sailing, offers courses on its website that allow you to learn on your own time at your own pace. Sailing is a fun but challenging activity. If you prepare online in advance, you can minimize the frustrations of trial-and-error learning aboard the sailboat and instead focus on improving your skills.

Instructions

    • 1

      Visit the US Sailing online education website at sailingcourse.com.

    • 2

      Click the "A Sailing Primer Before You Begin" button. A box will appear with the heading, "A Tutorial on the Basics of Sailing." Click on "View Video" beneath the link applies to your Internet connection and video player. Or, click "View Flash Slides" to see slides instead of a video.

    • 3

      Navigate back to the main US Sailing online education website. Choose a course based on your learning preference: "Keelboat Course," "Cruising Course" or "Small Boat Course." Read the course overview.

    • 4

      Click the topics in the blue boxes on the left side of the page. Review and learn the material on the page before moving on to the next topic. For example, if you choose the Small Boat Course, begin with "Terms & Boat Parts," followed by "Knots & Lines" and then "Safety," continuing until you've reviewed all the topics.

    • 5

      Click the "Online Test" link, and answer the questions once you have completed the course.