A Quick Guide to Tacking a Cruising Sailboat

Tacking is the act of turning the boat through the wind and heading on a different course without severely impacting speed and momentum. This seems easy but for novice sailors this simple maneuver takes unnecessary time to learn without knowing the basics.

The obvious scenario of tacking back and forth to get to a destination directly upwind is one of the first things all people need to understand when learning to sail. Sometimes tacking from reach tacks to reach tacks are done but mostly tacking involves going from a close-hauled course to the opposite close-hauled course. This is especially true in racing.

Here are the steps:

1. The helmsman lets the crew know he's ready by declaring "prepare to tack". Different skippers use different tack calling but you get the picture. The crew on the unloaded winch (winch that presently has no tension) prepares the winch by wrapping a couple of wraps of the sheet and pulling out all the slack. A good practice is to have this winch ready way before but regardless, the first step is to make sure the winch is ready. The other crew should then uncleat the tensioned (or working cleat) but hold it from slipping any on the winch and thus loosening the sail.

2. The crew should then return the "ready" call to let the helmsman know they are ready. The helmsman then calls "helms over" and puts the helm to leeward. As the boat turns into the wind and the sail starts to luff, the crew on the working winch should ease then release the sheet but take care to not let the line foul.

3. The opposite crew then pulls in the new sheet and before a full load gets on the sail, should get another wrap on the winch. The sheet should then be finished off with the winch handle inserted and the proper tension applied to trim the sail appropriately.

By following a few simple steps and consistently using them, tacking will become second nature to you and your crew. When racing, make sure everyone's on the same page BEFORE the race as to what the helmsman will expect. All sailing maneuvers done properly mitigate accidents and equipment damage so practice good and consistent tacking and jibing and your time on the water will be much more enjoyable and rewarding.

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