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Free introduction · no account needed

Before your first sail

Know where to stand, what the skipper means and which questions to ask. Five short lessons help you arrive for your first sailing day with useful ideas to practice.

About 15 minutes · read at your own pace · optional checks

Your first five lessons

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Lesson 1 of 5 · about 3 minutes

Find your way around

Give directions that stay clear when everybody turns around.

Start with the whole boat

The bow is the front; the stern is the back. Forward means towards the bow, and aft means towards the stern. The cockpit is the working area where many sailing yachts are steered. Ask which areas you can use before moving around.

Left and right belong to the boat

Face the bow: port is the boat’s left side and starboard is its right side. Turn to face aft and those names stay fixed. “The port side” is clearer than “over there” when people face different ways.

Find the parts that move

The mast supports the sails. The boom runs along the foot of the mainsail and can swing across the boat. Find the boom, sheets, winches and the skipper’s safe place for you before departure.

Port and starboard never swap when you turn around.

Explore the boat diagram

Optional quick check

Section 1 of 1

You turn to face the stern. Has the boat’s port side changed?

Choose one answer

Already know the basics?

Try eight crew situations and find the lessons worth revisiting.

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Sources and teaching scope

An independent Compass introduction for new sailing crew. Read with the skipper’s instructions for your actual boat and conditions. It does not award a qualification or assess practical competence. Source check: 3 September 2026.

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