Sailing Beginner- How to Raise the Mainsail

In my previous article, I described some basic sailing terms and techniques on how to go about raising the mast and boom into place on a sailing boat. This article of sailing beginner features on how to raise the mainsail. First, I am assuming that the sailing boat is still at the dock. Now in preparation for sailing, I have to get out in open water by using my kicker. Here's how I do it.

Sailing Tip: I lock the tiller in a straight position by a piece of rope that I have named- the tiller rope, which is a sailing term that is nothing more than a rope tied between two cleats on the each side of the stern of my sailing boat.

I tie the tiller rope just long enough to allows me to wrap it once around the tiller handle, then I'm able to secure the rudder in place by pulling the tiller rope taut by sliding it one way or the other along the tiller handle. Once the tiller rope is tight, it will set the rudder in whatever direction I want. I start the outboard to warm it up, as my 4hp Mariner can be a little cold blooded at times, making sure that it's in neutral, then I untie the boat from the dock. Jumping aboard I put the outboard in reverse and back away from the dock until I am plenty clear of it. Selecting the lever on the outboard in the forward position, I head out away from shore, so that I can raise the mainsail without worrying about running aground or hitting another boat.

Then depending on the current wind direction, I nose the bow into the wind, stop the outboard, and lock the tiller in a straight position keeping the sailboat heading into the wind using the tiller rope. I put the outboard in neutral just in case I need to start it up again to position the bow back into the wind. Tip: Having another person with you is even easier, because one person can keep the sailboat heading into the wind by navigating with the kicker, while the other can focus on rigging up the mainsail.

I attach the head of the mainsail to the halyard or the sailing term for mast rope with a shackle secured to the end of it. I feed the mainsail's boltrope into the groove of the mast. The boltrope is the sailing term for the attaching point located on the luff edge of the sail. Then I carefully feed the sail while raising it and making sure that it doesn't get caught in either one of the backstays until it's all the way to the top of the mast. Tip: Keep in mind this all sounds easy enough, but if the wind is really blowing, it's not all that simple. I like to sail with winds of at least 10mph, and it can be difficult at times to raise the sail single-handed. However with a little practice you will come up with your own technique that will work for you.

Next, I tie the halyard onto the mast cleat. Now I am ready to attach the foot of the mainsail to the boom. First, I take the foot section of the mainsail boltrope and feed it into the boom until it's about half way in the boom. I take the line or rope attached to the clew which is a sailing term for the longest part of the mainsail that faces towards the back of the boat, and I pull the rest of the sail completely through the boom and tie the line to the boom cleat.

I then attach the end of the boom using a shackle to a set of blocks located at the stern of the boat. This allows me to angle the boom from the centerline either port or starboard side. Some sailboats have a track system as well that is more sophisticated, but for now I will stick to the basic block set up. Now the mainsail is ready for sailing, question is are you?


I hope you are enjoying my sailing beginner blog, however, if you’re really pressed for time, I have also put together an audio and e book for a nominal price, so that you can learn how to sail while commuting to work or anytime you can listen to your favorite audio playing device. So now there is no excuse for you to daydream any longer about sailing! Get started today, you will be glad you did. Just click this link: www.sailingbeginner.com for more information in getting your hands on a copy of my audio and e book. Until then- Happy Sailing!