Our Favorite Tips from the Learn. Teach. Repeat. Challenge | Part 1
Community
Sep 6, 2025
Sailing is a skill you never truly finish learning. You gain confidence through instruction, mistakes, peer advice, and years on the water.
We asked our sea people to share their favorite tips, trips, and experiences as part of the Learn. Teach. Repeat. Challenge with American Sailing and they delivered!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined. Keep paying it forward by sharing your skills and knowledge. Here are a few of our favorites:
Don't tie off your best rod and reel to the rod holder!
"Lesson learned, don't tie off your best rod and reel to the rod holder... Tuna will rip that off like if it were made out of twigs."
🧜♂️ @brockfromwa
How to ease into the gusts
"Mattie taught me how to ease into the gusts to prevent heeling over too far - crazy how different a monohull is to my catamaran!"
🧜♂️ @katiekinz
Pool noodle on the hatch
"Tried a new trick that worked pretty well. Put a pool noodle on the hatch to prevent the chute from getting snagged. Made for a smoother pre-sheet and hoist."
🧜♂️ @DungeonsNDivas
Keep a sharp lookout for lobster pots
"Sailing in Maine has taught us how to keep a sharp lookout for lobster pots! Having to constantly dodge them is definitely making us better sailors 🦞 ⛵"
🧜♂️ @FoxxyAbby
How we learnt to dock
"Docking and entry/exit into marinas was quite a daunting process when we first set out on Zen. On our previous monohull Katoura, we really didn’t do much docking. The way we really learnt, was booking an easy entry marina berth in 1770 and of course, YouTube, Rob’s dad and liveaboard yachties at the Marina. We then practiced and practiced in different wind, tide times/current. Emily got abandoned at the dock multiple times, there was definitely a time we couldn’t get back on the dock and had to anchor for a bit, and many many times we would completely miss the entry all together. It was great to understand when a reverse entry is better than a forward entry, with winds and currents. This was a game changer, and really helped with control of entry/exit. We eventually managed it though! And we no longer dread fuel and public wharfs and marinas!"
🧜♂️ @zenthereweretwo
Never tow the dinghy in open water
"Lessons learnt:
1. that somehow the IPhone weather is more accurate that wind designated apps 📱
2. Never tow the dinghy in open water 💦
3. How to make a call to coastguard to inform them there is an unmanned inflatable somewhere which is not a cause for concern if reported🛟
4. Learning more and more how to work together in spicy situations ❤️
5. The route from both directions to Crescent City 🤣"
🧜♂️ @2brits1box
ASA 101 - It’s Tiller Time
"Day 1 - learning basics with Captain Bob and Captain Lizzie aboard Inheritance - Catalina 25. Docking, points of sail, some gusty conditions to get used to.
Day 2 mission: round Cromwell island! About 30nm total for the two days."
🧜♂️ @austynvictoria
Teach an old sea dog some new tricks
"We didn’t have much wind so to kill the time I decided to teach an old sea dog some new tricks, now my sailing instructor knows how to do a flying bowline."
🧜♂️ @jillianwhite
How to cut hair
"Finally got over the fear of destroying the husband's and kiddo's heads and watched some YouTube videos on how to cut hair 💇♂️ ! They look so much better, and probably feel 10 pounds lighter lol 😂"
🧜♂️ @ParentWifey
