Jibing can be easy, can be dangerous!

Tacking heads you into the wind, jibing turns you away from it. To Jibe, you bear away from the wind until the stern of the boat passes through the wind. Now the wind has passes from one side of the boat to the other. The challenge is that your sails are full when you jibe! Can this be dangerous? You bet!

Small boats have small sails and they don't hold much wind. Large boat's sails hold a tremendous amount of wind. It is not wise to jibe boats 35 feet and larger unless there is very little wind. When sailing downwind an 'accidental jibe' can be very dangerous. All of a sudden the boom swings across the wind resulting in a loud bang, perhaps breaking some rigging, or breaking someone's head that just happened to be standing in the way of the boom.

It is wise to practice jibing everytime you get the chance so you are familiar with the procedure. Come and take our sailing classes and learn to jibe!

www.sailnw.com/school.html

Baby Orcas join our crewed charter!

Have you ever wanted to go sailing but don't know how to sail? Come and share in the fun aboard Hopscotch, our 50' Beneteau as we sail through the beautiful San Juan Islands. Sea life abounds, you may catch a glimpse of the majestic eagles, share in the romp of the Orcas at play, or watch the curious seals follow us. Enjoy great food and fun co-captains, Judy and Griff.

http://www.sailnw.com/crewedvacation.html

Join us for a fun filled week aboard Hopscotch!

Have you ever wanted to go sailing but don't know how to sail? Come and share in the fun aboard Hopscotch, our 50' Beneteau as we sail through the beautiful San Juan Islands. Sea life abounds, you may catch a glimpse of the majestic eagles, share in the romp of the Orcas at play, or watch the curious seals follow us. Enjoy great food and fun co-captains, Judy and Griff.

CHEERS from crewed charter guests

http://www.sailnw.com/crewedvacation.html

How Did You Start Sailing?

I am asked this question over and over and it is good one. How many sailors can say that one of their kids got them into it? Usually it is Mom an Dad that get you into sailing lessons and you go from there. Well, my oldest son Bill, took me for a sail from Seattle to Victoria, BC on his new 40' sailboat. He taught me how to read a chart and how to do dead reckoning while we were underway. I loved learning some navigation and have never forgotten it. We sailed all night with the tide and arrived at our destination early in the morning to the dawn of a beautiful day in a very charming city. I had so much fun that I joined a sailing club and my sailing life has grown from that first experience to achieving my sailing instructor certification and a USCG Masters license. It goes to show that what we make out of life starts with baby steps!

Charter Cruise the San Juan Islands

A crewed charter around the beautiful San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest has cruisers sailing from one spectacular anchorage to the next. Sailors and cruisers alike enjoy SE winds of 8-20 knots during the summer months. The orca whales, Dahl porpoise and a wide variety of seals can be seen along your passage from island to island. Beautiful anchorages can be found within one to four hours of cruising. Jones Island is a marine park with protected anchorage. The tame deer will come up to you to see what food you have to offer them. Reid Harbor is another popular anchorage with many mooring buoys and great hikes on the island. Roche Harbor is a quaint village of world renown on San Juan Island that is not to be missed. Check our our sample itinerary on this web site. www.sailnw.com