Hello fellow sailors. It was a sad day on September 12 when I taught my last group sailing class of 2026 (private lessons still available). Like each year it always comes to an end. I do get a break and get to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends, so there is that.
I do keep sailing in the winter, mostly on my little Hobie Wave catamaran sailboat. I have even sailed on snowy days. I have sailed on Lake Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake (Idaho USA) when most of the lake was frozen (see vid below). I will be posting some winter sailing videos so stay tuned by visiting this site regularly. Sailing in the winter is also my training for the 2028 Race 2 Alaska.
The good news is our 2027 sailing class dates for the Complete Sailor 101 have been posted. Will soon have our 2027 Small Boat 100 classes dates posted.
If you have taken a class in the past and would like to take the classroom portion again as a refresher, we offer the indoor class in-person or via video.
We will likely be adding "Spinnaker sail class" for 2027. If you do not know what a spinnaker sail is, it's a sail that looks like a big balloon forward of the mast off the bow.
We will also be offering small boat trapezing class as well.
In 2027 for the Small Boat 100 classes, we will be adding an end of the season regatta and potluck. So past students can come to the regatta and race fellow students. And students who did not take the Small Boat 100 class can come and watch, east food. It's actually nothing serious, just a fun get-together, with some not serious racing.
And finally, Mindy our Small Boat 100 instructor is planning a Halloween class in October 2027. Come dressed up in your favorite scarry costume, etc. More info coming soon.
Sailing on the sea and Rounding Cape Pillar in a 12ft open sailboat (RAW AUDIO) - Welsford SCAMP & Houdini... Visit this videos youtube channel and subscribe.
I thought this video about the worst sailboats is interesting. I do not totally agree but almost do.
I made a comment on this video, here it is...
"I am the one in the video sailing the Super Snark. I used to sell this boat until covid took it out of production. In this video he comments that they are fragile, but they are anything but. I have seen the original boats (call the Sea Snark with no plastic covering) that are all foam, not plastic covering still sailing, 1960's models. This boat first went into production in 1954, later in the 80's they covered the hull and cockpit in plastic and renamed if the Super Snark. More people have learned to sail on this boat than any other. I sailed my Snark for years, raced against Lasers in light winds and won, they are great in light winds. Sailed in heavy air too, and still fun to sail. By the way the mast is not flexi as they are short masts due to a lateen sail set up. Sure, this boat is not high performance, but who cares as they are fun to sail, and durable.
Sad to say I got a dealership selling the 26M, bad mistake. New boats would come to me that leaked bad, inconsistent thickness of fiberglass in the hull and deck. They sail like crap and do not motor all that well either. Yes, there are some who own them, that love them, but it's because they do not know any better.
Not mentioned in this video are the West Wright Potters, likely due to them being built well, etc. I think the Potters are less than desire-able, the 14 and 15 can capsize, which is next to impossible to recover from, and the 19 sails like a box (not a good thing). Still with those faults they should not in this video as one of the worst sailboats.
I agree with his assessment on the other boats in the video. When it comes to trailer-able sportboats I love the Montgomery's, Sage17, San Juan 21, Catalina 22, Compacs, and the Malbec18.com . Great boats."
A boating accident that killed 3 girls at a summer sailing camp in Biscayne Bay Florida brings to light the dangers of sailing in a busy channel, particularly on that day with light winds, reducing speed and maneuverability of the sailboat. It appears the 5 girls and a 19-year-old female instructor were in a main navigable channel with little ability to sail at any good rate of speed when they were struck by a tugboat pushing a construction barge. The barge ended on top of the sailboat, a Hobie Getaway (17’ long), with the girls attempting to jump and swim out of the way. 3 of the girls were struck and drowned resulting in their deaths. Very tragic. My thoughts and prayers are with their families. On the side note, all the girls were wearing life jackets.
I live near the Snake River where tugs pushing grain barges are a constant sight. The question has been asked why the tugboat skipper did not stop or avoid the collision. The non boater/land lubber this seems like good questions but for us experienced boaters/skippers its more complex.
Boating rules state that boats with limited draft and maneuverability have rights over boats that are more maneuverable. We all the boat with so called right away as the Stand On Vessel and the boat that does not have right away is Give Way Vessel. In reality both boats need to avoid a collision. And in reality, the small sailboat was the Give Way Vessel. It is likely the tugboat skipper never saw the sailboat due to all the gear and crane on the barge. Big mistake on the tugboat captains' part as you must have a look out on the front of the barge. The sailboat skipper could see the tugboat coming but seemed to not take evasive action well in advance of the accident. It is the skipper's responsibility to be aware of their surroundings and act accordingly to prevent an incident. Some would say the wind was light, which it was, and had no motor, which is correct. The best option would have been to not sail on light days in the channel when busy and to paddle and/or skull the boat out of the way of the tugboat. Channels should be avoided and only crossed when needed. Again, maneuver out of the way well in advance. With an added note, we sailors all know the wind can die without notice, so the sailboat could have had wind and then it died. From the report there is not a note about the wind but in imagens we can tell there is little wind. Also, on very windy days one would not want to capsize in a busy channel resulting in being ran over.
Some might ask what the tugboat captain could have had done. He should have had a lookout or some type of video camera in his cabin showing all in front of the barge. That was his main mistake that likely will cost him legally. What I do not know is if the skipper saw the sailboat but could not maneuver in time. Did he blow his horn, warning the sailboat skipper that might have not been paying attention, or assume the tugboat could maneuver around them (not a correct assumption).
The reality is that the sailboat skipper made a fatal mistake, she was in the wrong and did not take action early enough to avoid getting hit. The tugboat captain had few options due to being restricted to the channel by draft and maneuverability. However, his lack of a lookout is a big problem and breaks a big navigation rule. His main option would have been to slow down at least or put the motors in reverse (if conditions allowed); there really was not much he could do once near the sailboat.
I am not trying to put all the fault on the young female skipper as we all make mistakes but sadly, in this incident, obviously it was a fatal mistake.
My other thought is that this was part of the Maimi Yacht Club sailing program in a busy boat traffic area. Why was there not a support boat looking out for the campers/sailors. And if they had a support boat, why were they not watching sailors in this busy channel. A support boat could have easily moved the sailboat out of the way, out of the channel.
So where is the blame, really it's on all parties… Tugboat captain did not have a lookout and was not blowing his horn, the young skipper did not act soon enough (getting out of the way); And the yacht club did not have proper on the water support. In the end it’s an epic tragedy that could have been avoided, one we all can learn from.
So, a quick update on SailGP Racing. Racing like always was tight and competitive. The good news is Team USA almost got 3rd place overall for this series. If they had not received a black flag, indicating they made a major mistake with impeding other boats at the start of one of the races they would have been in the final. Currently due to all the penalties received in previous racing series they can in no way get into the big grand slam finally at the end of the season, but they can work on improving so they are ready for next season, which they are doing. Good on them, great attitudes.
Team Germany due to their consistent racing won in the end. They won the final with room to spare over the 2nd place boat, Team Australia. 3rd place went to Team Switzerland.
Team Brazil had a boat failure, that did not allow them to race.
Skipper Miles Moore of FunToSAIL.com will be racing in the 2027 WA360 that take place June 26th. A race around the Puget Sound from Port Townsend WA, past Seattle, to the Canadian border, through or by the San Juan Islands, across the Strait of Juan De Fuca and back to Port Townsend. Approximately a 360-mile round trip adventure that does not allow gas or electric motors, only sail and/or muscle power.
We are posting about this race well in advance in the hopes of securing sponsors/donors, to help with the race and to acquire funding for our accessibility work and suicide prevention.
With this race will be the start of the FunToSAIL.com video and article series about small boat adventure sailing, types of safety and general gear used, Float Plans, etc.
Miles is dedicating this race to suicide prevention. As one who has delt with depression all his life, this effort to expand awareness of resources to help prevent suicide is particularly important to him. Click here for resources.
It's also his goal to stream some parts of this event so those with disAbilities and others following the race can ask him questions live and some of the racing directly from his boat. Miles has a special part of his heart reserved for those with disAbilities due to his own challenges and seeing others struggle but prevail in life. He has been doing accessible and therapeutic sailing for 30+ years. In addition, has been developing an Inland NW marine access guide so those with disAbilities can find access to the water. Click here!
Miles has taught sailing for 40+ years via his sailing school here at FunToSAIL. He is a Recreational Therapist and previously worked for the state of Idaho as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Before going to college, he worked in the fishing industry in Westport WA.
Click the donation button above if you would like to support FunToSAIL's efforts.
RESULTS...Feb 18-19, 2025, Sydney Harbor Australia
With 2 days of racing team Australia was set to win it all with 2 wins on the first day of racing, and with a series of top finishes on day 2, however due to penalty at the start of the final, they did not recover, coming in 3rd out of 3 teams. Team Britian had great finishes on both days of racing, they won it all in the end, with Canada coming in second.
It appears to me that the new forward T-Foils that replaced the L-Foils used for the first time in this race series seemed to perform well in all conditions, particularly in the strong winds over previous racing all the teams seemed to have better control. The T-Foils also produced better tops speeds.
The bad news is team USA continues to underperform. They outdid their previous horrible performances by not even being able to race due to capsizing on a practice day while not sailing, that is right, they were not even racing or practice sailing in any capacity. They were being towed and one of their idiot crew members allowed the wing to power up and not only capsize but to significantly damage the wing. So, they are the first team to get the Darwin award. On top of that SailGP penalized them 8 points for their stupidity because the capsize was avoidable (read the full story here). If I sound annoyed, that is an understatement. My official position is to cancel this whole team and start new. There is no reason team USA cannot be a top team, but they need to get the right team, like get some sailors who know how to sail a high-performance multihull, not employ a bunch of so slow mo monohull sailors. So, stay tuned, who knows maybe they can get their act together, but at this point I do not have much hope. I should note they did place 3rd in the first racing series of the year, so maybe there is hope.
102 kph, watch the video
In San Fransico Bay on November 15, 2024 SailGP engineers and support crew tested the new T-Foils with the help of team Canada on their F50, they hit for the first time 100+ kph (101.98 or basically 102 kph / 55 knots / 63 mph). Previously Team New Zealand hit 97.2 / 52 knots / 60 mph on Jan 13 in Waitematā Harbour in Auckland. It will be curious to see which SailGP team hits 100 kph / 54 knots / 62 mph during actual racing. We will report it here when it happens.
I have been asked the following several times by students of mine... Can a sailboat use a fan to make it sail forward? The answer is no, so why not? Because if you have two forces acting equally on each other, then you are going nowhere. The 2 forces, fan and sail, cancel each other out.
If you use the sail only via the wind, then of course you will sail forward. If you use the fan only against the air you get a fan boat and you move forward, stick the fan blade in the water like a propeller in the denser air called water and you have even more density to push against and again you move forward.
So, it's obvious use sail only or motor only with a fan in the air or propeller in the water to move forward.
Mark Rober talks about this in his video "Testing if you can blow your own sail (see video below)." He also talks about the density of the air that also plays into a sailboat sailing and other affects that are quite interesting.
In addition, Mark points out the importance air density, known as air pressure... On ground there is more air pressure because there are more air molecules, higher up like on the top of Mt Everest, there is much less air pressure, less air molecules. Air molecules weigh more down low than higher up. Gravity is pulling on the air molecules. A helium ballon will rise because its lighter than the air molecules around it. Thus, a sailboat will sail better with more air pressure versus less, but for us sailors the air pressure is always good as we mostly sail at sea level or on lakes that are higher up inland but still have more than enough air pressure.
Mark Rober full video is super interesting, so of course watch the full video below. He makes kits that you can buy to experiment on varies scientific and engineering topics. Well worth the cost for kids and the young at heart. Click this link to visit his website to purchase.
Watch the air pressure topic at the 3 minute and 8 second mark.
Watch just the fan and sail experiment at 5 minutes and 42 second mark.
The whole video is interesting to watch and learn from.
Here is one of my favorite YouTube sailing accounts, Ruddy Duck Sailing Adventures. I particularly love this channel because its local and he creates great videos/content. I am also planning on doing more videos this year and I take inspiration from him and his account.
Check out his videos at this link and reward is awesome work by subscribing...
Here is a video about a replica Viking Ship that was sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Great video. What intrigues me is their comment about possibly being in the Race 2 Alaska, like the same year my wife and I will be doing it. Would be amazing to see this boat and possibly sail the same year in the race. Hope you enjoy this video.
I thought this video was a perfect example of why powerboaters should never make a video about the problems with sailboats as it devolves into silly arguments against sailboats because the lack of any real knowledge on this topic. I think if one does a video about the pros and cons of powerboats versus sailboats its better to drop the pros and cons and simply note each boats characteristics, usage, etc. Let the reader or listener make the choice of what is best for their needs.
However here is my evaluation of this powerboater, Wayne the Boat Guy video called "Sailing: The Problem With Sailboats." See his video below.
I do not want my comments to be negative but its obvious Wayne has never sailed. His comments are what I find typical of power-boater mentality. Seriously why even make a video about a thing you know nothing about. I would never do a video on racing cars because I know nothing about it.
I am going to comment related to each of his 5 points on his video about the problem with sailboats.
1. Steep Learning Curve: This depends on what you are going to sail. I run a sailing school, teaching on small boats up to 18', small catamarans and sportboats (what some may call trailer-able keelboat). I teach basic small boat (capsize-able boats) and big boat (non capsize-able boat with cabin) classes, that includes safe boating. Both of these classes are one day classes starting at 7am and ending at 6pm. I teach the required safe boating stuff and basic sailing, by the end of the day all my students sail well, mainly because I keep it simple. So in a day with any excellent instructor one can learn to sail. After this class one can build on their knowledge and base skills layer by layer until one is highly proficient. The fact you can motor your powerboat out and back to the dock with no or little skill is nothing to brag about, all boaters no matter a sailor and powerboater should all take classes. There are far more powerboat accidents than with sailboats, why because sailors have to be knowledgeable, they can't just turn the key on and go. Wayne says driving a boat is similar to a car in spite of having no brakes, etc. Really, like a car? No brakes, hull moving through the water, etc. is just like driving a car. Sorry that is quite a stretch.
2.The Weather has to be just right: Well he obviously does not understand weather. No, the weather does not have to be perfect as he states. Are you kidding, have you seen all the variable weather that sailors sail in. I think he is talking about no wind or little wind. My students have learned to say “there is always wind.” Now I am joking kind of, however the air is rarely not moving, if the air is moving, there is wind. The boats I sail can sail in a whisper of wind. None of my boats have motors. I have oars, paddles, or other human powered options. I grew up in Westport WA sailing on Grays and Willapa Harbors, and the Pacific Ocean and never used a motor, not once. Now I know I am the extreme example even with sailors. What I have learned is to watch the weather and tides/currents. New powerboaters and those who are not very educated would be wise to learn a lot more about the weather, as the weather can significantly impact ones boating. The weather can kills you! Does not matter if your a sailor or powerboater. Sailors are known to work well with weather, most powerboaters not so much.
3. Going Solo: He says its not easy to sail solo. Actually its so so easy to solo sail. If a sailor solos a lot he will own a sailboat that is easy to do that with. Heck I had a 33' racing catamaran with a 16' beam, 54' tall mast, and sailed it solo all the time. love to solo sail it. I still regularly solo sail. Sure it takes skill to sail solo, but once your an experienced sailor one can easily solo sail. I am solo sailing a small sailboat to Alaska in 2025. There are a lot of weekend warrior sailors, or martini sailors as they are called that simply do not take the time to learn to sail solo, they are the ones you see always motoring their sailboat, with the sails never up. That is fine if one wants to do that but do not judge the ease or not of solo sailing from them.
4. They Are Slow: Oh boy this guy has no clue on speed. Sure most keelboats and big house boat like catamarans are slow, however there are many sailboats that are much faster. I had my 33' cat up to 26 knots. I could regularly sail her at 15-18 knots. Under motor power it was easy to have her at 10 knots. So there is a lot of variability in sailboat designed related to speed. I should note all the around the world speed records on water are by sailboats, none by powerboats. If you watch SailGP racing, those foiling catamarans reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour.
5. More Work: "More work? More Preparation?" No matter a powerboater or sailor one should be prepared. Before I go sailing I supply a float plan to someone that will notice if I do not get back in a reasonable time (if you do not know what a float plan is, that is a big problem). When I go to sailing it does not take hardly any work, because my boat is always prepared for any trip. All I really need to do is check the weather and pull up my sails and off I go. Pretty simple. Rigging, if your boat is at a dock it takes little work to do and go. Sure you have to take the covers off the sails (extends the life of the sails), about a 5-15 minute process. If you trailer your boat, sure rigging takes more time, but again it depends on the sailboat. The rigging as he calls it is already set up, what is there to do really. My Hobie Wave literally takes about 15 minutes to rig and launch.If you are driving a powerboat are you really going to just tie to the dock and turn off the motor(s), and go. Really, your not going to do anything else with your motor? If your on salt water are you not going to clean out your system? Not going to lock up, check the boat, etc. He notes if it is hot putting the sails away is difficult? Boy I never knew sailing was so hard before listening to him. I have sailed for 57 years. Nope, not hard to me. I see all the work my friends have to put into their motors (repairs, etc.) and cost of gas and oil, etc., which always makes me thankful to be a sailor. I especially love when I sail by them when their motors die (as long as I know their ok I will sail by). I am being funny but Wayne may want to start exercising if he thinks such low effort requires so much work.
On the topic of hating power-boaters, the reason some sailors dislike power-boaters is simply what Wayne's attitude is. He says "I can take my boat out with no training and boat." This is the problem! Most power-boaters are uneducated. You take training to drive a car, yet they think no training is needed to drive a boat, and that is just not true and its also a dangerous way to think. Powerboaters are not suppose to create a wake within 100 feet of a sailboat, boats not moving or anchored, or other non motorized watercraft, yet they do it all the time, why because they have no clue. I could make a very long list of what I see powerboaters do wrong almost every time I boat, not so with sailors. The good news is at least safe boating certifications are now required in all but 4 states. Hopefully those 4 states will be on board soon. You might notice these certifications are for powerboats of 10-15 hp or more. No such requirement for sailors. Food for thought, hint its because 99.9% of all boating accidents are by powerboaters. I suggest all powerboaters take a sailing class also. When you get caught in a big wind storm, etc. you will be better able to handle it because you will be much more aware as a sailor, much more aware of their environment and how windage affects the boat, etc.
I am not trying to be negative but seriously this video did not really teach the truth about sailing because its from the perspective of a powerboater with no sailing experience. So I was not surprised he got almost all of it wrong. Hopefully some day someone can make a factual video about the skills needed for powerboats and sailboats, without the biases. I am going to do such a video, so stay tuned.
After a couple of challenging years, it's time to get our Inland NW Hobie Cat and Small Boat Sailor club going again. This is our first event of 2024 that will include a fun Saturday distance maze race through the sand islands of the Potholes Reservoir just below Moses Lake, WA. in Eastern WA. Prizes given! In the evening we will have a beach party.
Bring your kites. This area has amazing winds.
You can come for the day's events or stay longer and camp with us. We will camp for free on the northeast side of the reservoir.
Event takes place July 27, Saturday. Camping over the weekend.
Learn more about the Potholes Reservoir by Click Here!
Miles Moore of FunToSAIL will be applying to enter the Race 2 Alaska as Team FunToSAIL.com in 2025. This is a 750 m/1207 km race from Port Townsend WA USA to Victoria CAN (Vancouver Island), and onto Ketchikan Alaska. No gas or electric motors allowed, all muscle or sail power, or both.
Amazing Atlantic Ocean racing in the Transat. Great video. Just turn off the sound (keep the sound on the first time you watch so you know what's going on) and put it on your big screen TV and let it play over and over. Relaxing's to watch.
Planet Sail reports on the world of sailing, in the realm of pricy costings boats which is the opposite of FunToSAIL.com goal of bringing sailing to the averaged person without millions to spend on a boat, etc. Still Planet Sail does also report on racing and other interesting topic that can increase our sailing knowledge. We will post a monthly Planet Sail report.
Teen sailors. One holding the head of Wilson... "its October... Halloween."
Spent a beautiful day in October 2022 on Hayden Lake Idaho practicing overboard recovery of Wilson the volleyball. Three teenagers learning to sail and practice picking up Wilson and type 4 throwable. If you want to learn to sail to a dock but are concerned with hitting the dock under sail, I recommend practicing overboard recovery drills, as when you do so you're learning to stop and go, and those skills are transferable to safe docking.
The Malbec 18 sportboat is provening to be the ideal boat for my students to learn to sail on. Learn more about this boat at this link... Malbec18
This video brings great memories back of me as a kid sailing and surfing my Hobie 14 on Grays Harbor WA USA and over the bar on the Pacific Ocean. The Hobie 14 is fabulous in the surf! Hope you enjoy this video.
Also, my friends know I am a Cat lover, catamarans and actual Cats versus dogs. I need to find a cat like the one in the following video.
