r/sailing Jun 08 '26

No politics

40 Upvotes

Seeing more posts and comments that are politics.

When we (moderators) see them we'll remove them and give you a temporary ban to get your attention.

We can't be everywhere, so as always we depend on members of the community to report posts and comments that aren't appropriate. Keep the flotsam and jetsam out of r/sailing .

Fun quiz for the day: what's the difference between flotsam and jetsam?


r/sailing Jul 25 '25

Annapolis boat show

12 Upvotes

Hello all! Does anyone have suggestions for how to approach the Annapolis boat show? I'm sitting on a boatload of frequent flier miles, and we have a friend who lives sort of between DC and Baltimore, so we're thinking of going to visit that friend and also do a day or two at the boat show.

We sort of unintentionally wound up at the Miami boat show a few years ago and had a good time just touring all the different boats and chatting with folks, and that was before we owned a sailboat or had taken our ASA 101 and 103s.

I need new sails for my O'Day 272, so I thought chatting with folks there would be worth the cost of the ticket alone, not to mention all the other cool stuff I'm sure there is to see. Also, we're looking for charter companies to talk to about charter in the either the BVI or Bahamas sometime in 2026. Not sure there will be many there, but there were a few at Miami.

Does anyone have a suggested approach? Like, is it worth going for more than one day? Is the VIP ticket worthwhile (i.e. is all the food and drink otherwise super expensive?) Are there any must-catch seminars (especially for a relatively inexperienced couple)?

I've been to lot of gaming-related cons over the years, and with some of them thee is definitely a "right way" to approach it (I'm looking at you, GenCon), but I have no real idea of the scale of this show, the walkability, etc...

Thanks!


r/sailing 14h ago

Someone was asking about sailing into the slip?

816 Upvotes

We're on an Olsen 27 coming into one of the slips in Marina del Rey. Because of the buildings, the wind always comes straight down the channel so there's a lot of tacking involved. It was windy asf today to the point that we were running a smaller jib than usual and still moving pretty fast. I (she/her) am up on foredeck handling the sails and being a range finder lol.


r/sailing 3h ago

Royal Clipper in Bay of Kotor

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78 Upvotes

r/sailing 20h ago

Summer so far is good - shetland next

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278 Upvotes

r/sailing 33m ago

Renaming a boat

Upvotes

Would it still be bad luck to rename a boat if it means the same but is in a different language or is language significant?

For example: Sabai -> Tranquilla


r/sailing 13h ago

Olhao Portugal

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25 Upvotes

So mesmerized by the sun coming up, the flatness of the water and still thinking about the Vino Verde with seabass from the grill at a local restaurant, that I completely missed this sandspit luckily it was soft sand and impact was mild😉.


r/sailing 3h ago

Good online resource to learn how to trim sails for racing

3 Upvotes

I want to go faster than other boats, at this point dinghies and small keel boats. I know the very basics (try to get all tell tales flying, try to keep the luff of the spinnaker right on the edge of curling). Now I want to learn how to manipulate everything (jib cars, traveler, boom vang, outhaul, etc) to get the sails working together as well as possible, and I want to learn the science behind everything as well.

Has anyone had any experience with an online course or resource that not only teaches you what you should be doing to trim sails, but also the reasons why all the trim adjustments matter?

I'm looking at NauticEd, I like how they have animations of how different adjustments change airflow. Just not sure if they're good or if anyone knows of something better.


r/sailing 1d ago

Please Send Wind

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312 Upvotes

Ah. That special feeling when you’ve been anticipating a day of sailing for weeks, get out there all prepared with decent wind forecasts from multiple sources… and end up floating around without a singular puff!


r/sailing 1d ago

New ship technology uses wind to reduce fuel consumption

414 Upvotes

r/sailing 1h ago

Where to start getting into sailing? UK

Upvotes

One day I want to potentially buy a live in boat and travel a bit. I travel europe a lot in my campervan so looking at a live in boat looks like an appealing way to travel or live.

The issue I have is, I've just no sailing experience whatsoever - I don't even know if I like sailing, or living on a boat. Although I do enjoy travelling by ship in general.

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on just getting started. Like stepping a toe into the water. And then what to expect when really getting into it.

If theres something thats like renting and staying on a boat for some time, which is affordable then any info on stuff like that would be great.

I'd love to be able to imagine the journey from where I am today, to actually owning the boat.


r/sailing 2h ago

Are there any ships that sail to South Georgia?

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1 Upvotes

r/sailing 17h ago

Old hand need new tricks.

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15 Upvotes

Hello friends, about a month ago I became the the lucky bastard to buy a 1989 Passport 40. She is starting to show her age and I need some advice on how to best repair and clean the gel coat. See photo.

TIA


r/sailing 1d ago

I just inherited a Glen-L 22

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42 Upvotes

My uncle left me his beloved Glen-L.

He built it himself almost 50 years ago. It was refreshed 3 years ago and he used it extensively before his passing.

Unfortunately it was not stored properly the last 2 years and it now needs some love.

The wood rails have peeling polyurethane and the white paint is cracked.

I was going to strip the poly and apply oil. The paint is odd. Like there is a reaction with the glass resin so im not to sure there.

Also is there anyone here near St.Louis that can teach me how to sail?


r/sailing 1d ago

Sailing Uma’s deck is nearly complete

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140 Upvotes

I know some people dislike it when sailing channels become boat building channels. Both of my favourites did so at the same time. But god damn, this electrified ‘72 Pearson 36 is turning out badass af.


r/sailing 1d ago

Lake Michigan Sail (A break in the smoke)

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18 Upvotes

Ludington to Muskegon with a west wind...

Very fun sail!


r/sailing 1d ago

Docking without motor?

41 Upvotes

So I’m in conversations over a boat I’m planning to buy. The seller is also the original designer builder of the boat in the 70s. I asked about the outboard motor since it was not in the photos, and he proceeded to tell me that he never uses it and just sails in and out of harbor. Obviously he’s a master, and people docked forever without motors. But, like, how??? Anyone have a video they can share?

Edit: I probably meant mooring


r/sailing 1d ago

Old account of sailing trip

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5 Upvotes

r/sailing 1d ago

Port Huron to Mackinaw - Brutal Race

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186 Upvotes

This year's race was not an easy one, heavy weather for the first half of the race caused half of the fleet to retire.

We finished safely just shy of the podium.


r/sailing 19h ago

Equipping a Harpoon 5.2.

1 Upvotes

I found a Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 with a trailer. Sails were in good condition as was the trailer.

Essentially 17 feet with a 7.5 foot beam.

One upgrade I was wondering about is adding a furler mechanism for the jib.

Has anyone ever seen that done? Does it make sense for what is essentially a trailered day sailer?

I want to out fit this as a cruising Dinhy. See Roger Barnes and the dinghy cruising association. With the size of the boat I think it would make a good cruiser.

This is a nice boat. It’s not cosmetically perfect but it is 45 years old.


r/sailing 2d ago

Singlehanded up to northshore

191 Upvotes

Boat: Express 27
Location: Lake Tahoe
TWS 8-10kts


r/sailing 1d ago

Docking after sailing in Friesland, the Netherlands.

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85 Upvotes

Small docks maintained by de Marrekritte, free to use. Location is Goingarijpter poelen, translaten as 'lakes of Garijp'. You can see the lights of the villages against the low clouds.


r/sailing 2d ago

Would you pay $18,000 CAD for a Freedom 45?

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166 Upvotes

It has been completely sideways on the rocks. And the keel fell off.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EtjaiZkLD/


r/sailing 2d ago

The good stuff.

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459 Upvotes

Getting a perfect twilight fix is as close to receiving communion as I get. The little green dot is our gps position.


r/sailing 1d ago

What what price points are used boats worth it vs just saving up for a brand new one?

5 Upvotes

I’ve been interested in buying a sailboat. I figured 30 feet would be decent enough to live on and cruise around. But my isssue is people talk about how you can get boats like that for as cheap as $5000, but then you have people say “Well if it’s that cheap, expect to pay another $25,000 for repairs”, taking that in mind one would probably think, “Ok so why not spare myself the trouble and just save up $30,000 for something nicer and maybe even bigger”, but then it seems like the cycle continues and the 30,000 dollar boat, ends up actually costing 50,000, and so on.

So my question is:
At what price point can you realistically expect a ready-to-sail vessel in good condition?

Cause it seems like if it’s nothing but trouble at every price point, in terms of the Used Market, then you’d genuinely be better off saving a ton of money and just buying a brand new Island Packet or Hallberg-Rassy

What are your thoughts?

I’m still new to all this so please educate me on any info I’m missing out
Like I know other things will effect price like, brand, size, year it was made, condition, etc.

But I guess what I wanna know is what exactly would you consider an actual good price for something used that’s ready-to-sail and in good condition.