Sailboaters and nautical enthusiasts love t shirts and other items that display their favorite type of sailboat, sailing event or nautical slogan. There are endless designs to choose from, varying from simple text only slogans to designs that depict several sailboat designs. Simple line art logos depicting common sailing vessels are also popular on t-shirts for sailors. In addition to t-shirts, online sailing gift shops offer golf shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, raglan jerseys, tank tops, sleeveless tees and other gifts. There are many types of sailboats, some types carry a single person and others carry more than one person. Sailboats are mostly classified by their sail configuration, type of hull, keel and masts. Sailboats, which are classified by sail configuration are as follows:

Sloop designs are the most common variety of sailboat, The term sloop originates from the Dutch word slope. This design utilizes a mainsail and foresail with one mast. Sloops usually bend only one headsail, though this distinction is not definitive. Unlike cutters, sloops usually have only one headsail, though some sloops such as the Friendship Sloop have more than one sail. Sloops are popular with sport sailors, yachtsmen and as racing craft. Cutters are very similar to a sloop with a single mast and a mainsail. The cutter generally carries the mast further aft to allow for the use of two headsails attached towing forestays, the head stay and the inner stay carry the jib and staysail respectively. This is rarely considered a racing configuration; however, it gives much versatility to cruising boats, especially when there are high wind conditions.

Catboats today are used as a pleasure craft for day sailing. 19th century catboats were also used for racing. Ketch designs are sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. Ketch boats are very popular among long distance cruisers. The additional sail allows for a better balance. Another popular sailboat configuration is the schooner. A schooner can have two or more masts. The second mast is at least as tall as the first mast. Sailboats are also classified by hull type. Most sailboats are built with a mono or a single hull. However, some boats are built as multi hull boats. These include catamaran and tri-maran vessels. When comparing a mono hull boat to multi-hull boat acceleration is much different. In a multi-hull boat acceleration to a top speed is very quick and almost instantaneous.

Sailing requires a high level of experience and skill. Crew must be able to quickly change rigs, rudder and dagger to change the speed and direction of the boat in a variety of sea conditions. In addition to steering the boat and managing the sails, crew must also have at least basic knowledge of some of the skills that are normally the responsibility of the captain. These can include weather forecasting, navigation, emergency repairs, marine electronics, first aid and others.

When it comes to sailing, there are all kinds of things to learn how to do. How you go about learning will depend on your particular style. Here are examples of ways you can acquire the skills you feel you need:

Take courses. Community colleges, marine chandleries, Coast Guard Auxiliary, boat shows, and a number of other enterprises offer seminars, workshops, and courses on a variety of topics related to cruising. If you learn best in a classroom or group environment, check out resources in your area.

Get one-on-one instruction. Hire a sailing instructor. Look over the shoulder of a diesel mechanic. Talk to a sail maker. If you learn best through individual instruction and consultation, there should be any number of experts available that you can hire, exchange services with, or otherwise remunerate in return for instruction on a particular topic. Read everything you can get your hands on. Some people learn best through the written word. There are scads of books out there about every topic pertinent to cruising, so if you enjoy learning by reading, there is plenty of resource material available.

Learn on the water. There are those who learn best by doing. Boat handling skills in particular are probably best mastered in situations. Which leads me to the next ‘preparing to prepare’ topic.

Getting Out on the Water Find ways to get yourself and your partner onto the water, either separately or together. No matter how much you learn from books and courses, on-the-water experience is a great way to really solidify your skills. This will also help you decide if being on the water is worthy trying as a lifestyle.

Go with friends. If you have friends with boats, go out with them. If you don’t have a boat yourself, this will give you time on the water. If you do have a boat, this will expose you to different boat characteristics and equipment.

Charter a boat in your home waters. If you are within easy reach of a body of water, charter a boat of the type or types that you are considering cruising. Vary the amount of time, the kind of boat, and the nature of the weather that you go out in. Charter a boat in faraway waters. Consider taking boating vacations in other parts of the world. Besides exposing you to different types of boats, this will put you into different environments and weather patterns.

Participate on a racing crew. If you live in an area with an active racing community, either or both of you can join a crew. Many coastal cities and town have ‘Beer Can’ races during the season that are a little bit more laid back and convivial than the mainstream racing events; these are best to participate in if you don’t want to be a blood-n-guts racing competitor.