Learn to Sail Part 1 is designed to prepare you for your first sail on a sailboat with an experienced skipper or instructor. This course should take you no longer than 30 minutes. It will explain how a sailboat works, discuss the importance of wind awareness, and we’ll cover some basic rules of the road. I’ll tell you what to bring, and finally we’ll discuss some important safety considerations.  

You will be emailed a certificate of completion once you mark all lessons as complete. It's going to include a link to your certificate so check your spam folder. You can also login and access your certificate at any time.

Taking advantage of online learning allows everyone on the boat to get more from our time on a sailboat and allows us to spend more time on a sailboat and less time on shore. I’m not going to overwhelm you with vocabulary, expect you to know how to rig the boat, or show you how to tie knots, at least not in this course. There is plenty of time to learn those things should you decide you want to continue sailing. For now, I’ll provide you with basic concepts so you’ll understand how to sail from point A to point B and land at the dock. I want you to learn but I also want you to relax and focus on having fun your first time out. 

If you live in or around Central Illinois, I hope you'll come sail with me at my home club of Commodore Decatur Yacht Club and its auxiliary Clinton Marina Sailing Club. I personally give free sailboat rides most Saturdays and select weeknights. To get started you can register here and Bob Reible (rides coordinator) will follow up with a day and time slot that works best for you. If you don't live near I hope one day we might cross paths on the Flying Scot regatta trail. I attend all the Midwest District regattas and sail in Florida and Texas during the cold months.

This course is free. I don’t ask for money, but I love getting feedback from those who feel my courses and videos helped. I especially appreciate it when people tell me what I can do to make them better, so please don’t be shy and spend a few moments to share your experience.  Liking YouTube videos and subscribing my the Sailboat Instructor YouTube Channel is VERY MUCH appreciated.

No matter where you sailing adventures take you, please don't hesitate to contact me if you think I can help get you there. Feel free to email directly at sailboatinstructor@gmail.com or leave a comment.  

Let's go sailing!

Eric Bussell
SailboatInstructor.com
Chief Content Creator