One of the common questions from new sailors when they learn to sail goes something like this "How do you stop the sailboat?" This one ability will place you in the top percentage of sailboat cruising skippers that understand how to stop their sailboat--without an engine!

Learn to sail your boat through a crowded mooring field to pick up a mooring. Use the secrets of close reaching and back-winding for positive, smooth control every time.

Multi-time circumnavigator and sailor-supreme Hal Roth once stated "An engine does not substitute for seamanship under sail..."

After all, just how were those unwieldy sailing ships from long ago able to thread their way through deadly shoals, approach an anchorage, or maneuver in battle--under sail alone?

Our modern sailing craft are much more maneuverable than those old square riggers.

If you want to become the master and commander of your small sailboat, practice these three maneuvers under sail alone.

1. Use the "Gears" of Close Reaching

No point of sail offers more control than the close reach in tight quarters maneuvering to approach a mooring buoy in a crowded harbor, sail over to a pier smooth and easy, pick up a fender that fell over the side, sail up to that perfect anchoring spot you've picked out for the night.

Get onto a close reach with the bow pointed at the objective. Use just the mainsheet and mainsail. Follow the table below for perfect control!

Close Reaching Gear-Shift Control
Desired Action	Action Step
speed up	pull in on the mainsheet
slow down	ease off on the mainsheet
stop the boat	slack the mainsheet to luff the mainsail

2. When in Doubt, Let It Out

We've all experienced those out-of-the-blue situations where we run out of ideas. Now what, skipper? Steal a secret from the dinghy sailing crowd. In an emergency, let it fly!

Ease the mainsheet out all the way. Take the jib or Genoa sheets off the winches and let them go. This spills all of the sailing wind from your sails and your boat will pivot her bow into the wind faster than you can blink an eye.

3. Push the Boom against the Wind

Have you ever watched small sailing dinghies approach a dock. Maybe the dinghy skipper needs to slow down right away. So he or she grabs the sailing boom and pushes it out against the wind. This technique--called "back-winding"--will stop a boat on a dime.

Back-wind your mainsail if you approach a dock with a bit too much speed. Grab the boom and push it out hard against the wind. It will stop your boat just like stomping on the brakes!

Captain John's Sailing Tip Use the back-wind method to anchor under sail, too. Stop the boat as described, lower the anchor, and back-wind the mainsail. This will dig your anchor deep into the seabed.

Put these three easy learn to sail techniques into play today. Pump up your sailing skipper-skills to new highs when you become the true master and commander over your small cruising or racing sailboat.

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