Weather and tides
Wind Against Tide: Why the Sea Gets Steeper
Learn why wind against a tidal stream can produce short, steep waves, where the effect becomes most important, and how to plan around it.
3 min readCompass field notes
Sailing Knowledge & Practical Guides
Source-reviewed explanations of seamanship, navigation, weather, buoyage, COLREGs, and life on board from Compass Revision.
Editorial library
Start with the decision in front of you
Course decisions
Day Skipper Theory vs Practical
Understand what shorebased Day Skipper theory teaches, what practical training develops on the boat, and how independent revision supports both.
3 min readStart sailing
Sailing Crew Commands: Ease, Trim, Hold and Ask
Understand common sailing instructions and how to confirm a task before handling lines on an unfamiliar boat.
3 min readStart sailing
Your First Sailing Day: What to Ask and What to Expect
A simple preparation guide for your first day on a sailing yacht, from the boat briefing to choosing one useful crew task.
3 min readProgression
How to Build Sailing Experience Between Courses
Turn club sailing, crewing and supported practice into a deliberate progression plan instead of collecting disconnected days afloat.
3 min readSeamanship
How to Choose an Anchorage: Five Checks Before You Commit
Compare shelter, depth, swing room, holding, seabed sensitivity and escape options before treating an anchorage as suitable.
3 min readProgression
How to Log Sailing Experience So It Is Actually Useful
Record miles, days, night hours, vessel, route, role, conditions and decisions in a log that supports honest progression planning.
3 min readTraining decisions
Questions to Ask Before Booking a Practical Sailing Course
A practical checklist for comparing course format, boat, teaching time, inclusions, prerequisites, weather policy and total cost.
3 min readPilotage
Safe Clearing Bearings: Build a Boundary, Not a Guess
Understand what a clearing bearing protects, how to plot its safe side, and how to use it with depth, position fixes and an abort plan.
3 min readWeather
Beaufort Scale: Force 7, Gale Force and What 56 Knots Means
A sailor's guide to Beaufort Force 7, gale force, 56-knot winds, and the passage-planning factors that matter beyond a forecast number.
3 min readPilotage
Sector Lights in Navigation: Red, White and Green Explained
How navigation sector lights display different colours by bearing, how charted sectors guide pilotage, and why colour alone never proves safe water.
3 min read