Outbound Sailing

09/22/2026

⛵️ Lost Your Halyard at the Top of the Mast? 😬

There’s a saying I borrow from firefighters: “Two is one, and one is none.”

It’s a good rule to remember when attaching your main halyard. Before raising the sail, have someone else inspect your work. Make sure the shackle is secure and the halyard is running clear of the shrouds, spreaders, and anything else that could cause a problem on the way up. 🔍⛵️

Sailing solo? Take a moment and inspect your own work before you start hoisting.

I learned this one the hard way. The one time I skipped the inspection, the shackle failed near the top of the mast, the sail came down, and the halyard stayed up. Guess who got to climb the mast? 🤦‍♂️😂

Unless you love the view from up there, check your work before you hoist!

👉 Follow Outbound Sailing for more practical sailing and seamanship tips!

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ABOUT US:
Outbound Sailing is an ASA Sailing School for those that want to build the experience and confidence to sail independently. Whether you’re looking to get into sailboat racing, or build the experience and confidence to go sailing, cruising, or bareboat charter safely on your own, we’re here to help. We teach on full-sized cruising yachts at our home base in Austin, TX on Lake Travis and destinations worldwide. Your adventure starts here, but the memories and friendships we’ll make along the way will last a lifetime.

09/22/2026

09/12/2026

⛵️ Congrats Matthew, Tim & Becky! 🎉

Congratulations on completing your ASA 101 certification and welcome to the OS Alumni!

We had a great time working through our ASA 101 skills, including tacking ↔️, jibing 🔄, heaving-to ⚓️, MOB drills 🛟, and plenty more throughout the class. Great work building those fundamental sailing skills and putting them into practice on the water! 💪⛵️

Looking forward to sailing with you all again soon aboard an upcoming OS Alumni Community Sail! 🌊✨

⸻

ABOUT US:
Outbound Sailing is an ASA Sailing School for those that want to build the experience and confidence to sail independently. Whether you’re looking to get into sailboat racing, or build the experience and confidence to go sailing, cruising, or bareboat charter safely on your own, we’re here to help. We teach on full-sized cruising yachts at our home base in Austin, TX on Lake Travis and destinations worldwide. Your adventure starts here, but the memories and friendships we’ll make along the way will last a lifetime.

09/10/2026

⛵️ There’s No Such Thing as “Right of Way” on the Water 🚫

We hear the phrase “right of way” all the time, but on the water, we think in terms of obligations. You’re either the stand-on vessel or the give-way vessel.

As the stand-on vessel, you’re generally required to maintain your course and speed so the give-way vessel can predict your movement and safely maneuver around you. That can actually leave you feeling more constrained with fewer options. Sometimes, I’d rather be the give-way vessel! ⛵️↔️⛵️

And remember, being the stand-on vessel doesn’t mean you get to blindly hold your course into a collision. Every skipper still has an obligation to avoid a collision. ⚠️

Understanding the rules is important. Understanding the responsibility behind them is what makes you a better skipper. 🧭

👉 Follow Outbound Sailing for more practical sailing and seamanship tips!

⸻

ABOUT US:
Outbound Sailing is an ASA Sailing School for those that want to build the experience and confidence to sail independently. Whether you’re looking to get into sailboat racing, or build the experience and confidence to go sailing, cruising, or bareboat charter safely on your own, we’re here to help. We teach on full-sized cruising yachts at our home base in Austin, TX on Lake Travis and destinations worldwide. Your adventure starts here, but the memories and friendships we’ll make along the way will last a lifetime.

09/08/2026

⚠️ Your lifelines may not save your life. ⛵️

Despite the name, the lifelines on a sailboat are not handrails and are not something you want to get into the habit of grabbing for support.

One of the first things we teach our students is to use secure handholds when moving around the boat. Grab the handrails, shrouds, or another solid point attached to the boat, not the lifelines or stanchions. ✋⚓️

Think of your lifelines primarily as a visual and spatial barrier that helps you stay aware of the edge of the boat as you move around the deck.

Small habits like this are an important part of developing good seamanship and staying safe on the water. 🌊

👉 Follow Outbound Sailing for more practical sailing and seamanship tips!

⸻

ABOUT US:
Outbound Sailing is an ASA Sailing School for those that want to build the experience and confidence to sail independently. Whether you’re looking to get into sailboat racing, or build the experience and confidence to go sailing, cruising, or bareboat charter safely on your own, we’re here to help. We teach on full-sized cruising yachts at our home base in Austin, TX on Lake Travis and destinations worldwide. Your adventure starts here, but the memories and friendships we’ll make along the way will last a lifetime.

08/15/2026

⛵️ Congrats Sarah & Jeff! 🎉

Congratulations on completing your ASA 101 certification and welcome to the Outbound Sailing Alumni!

We had so much fun out on the water learning and practicing tacking ↔️, gybing 🔄, heaving-to ⚓️, and all the other skills that go into building a strong sailing foundation. Great work throughout the class! 💪⛵️

Looking forward to sailing with you both again soon on an upcoming OS Alumni Community Sail! 🌊✨

⸻

ABOUT US:
Outbound Sailing is an ASA Sailing School for those that want to build the experience and confidence to sail independently. Whether you’re looking to get into sailboat racing, or build the experience and confidence to go sailing, cruising, or bareboat charter safely on your own, we’re here to help. We teach on full-sized cruising yachts at our home base in Austin, TX on Lake Travis and destinations worldwide. Your adventure starts here, but the memories and friendships we’ll make along the way will last a lifetime.

08/06/2026

Come join the Outbound Sailing Alukni crew at the sundancer grill this evening to meet other local sailors and talk sailing!

08/01/2026

⛵️ Congrats Marshall, Kaitlyn & Lance! 🎉

Congratulations on completing your ASA 101 certification and welcome to the Outbound Sailing Alumni!

We had another fantastic weekend on Lake Travis practicing tacking ↔️, jibing 🔄, heaving-to ⚓️, Crew Overboard (MOB) drills 🛟, and many other essential sailing skills. You all did a great job building confidence and growing as sailors throughout the weekend! 💪⛵️

Looking forward to sailing with you all again soon on an upcoming OS Alumni Community Sail! 🌊✨

⸻

ABOUT US:
Outbound Sailing is an ASA Sailing School for those that want to build the experience and confidence to sail independently. Whether you’re looking to get into sailboat racing, or build the experience and confidence to go sailing, cruising, or bareboat charter safely on your own, we’re here to help. We teach on full-sized cruising yachts at our home base in Austin, TX on Lake Travis and destinations worldwide. Your adventure starts here, but the memories and friendships we’ll make along the way will last a lifetime.

07/11/2026

Special Alumni Community Sail tonight - I crossed 5,000 nautical miles under sail on sailboats larger than 28’! Looking forward to the next 5,000 miles with current and future Alumni!

07/10/2026

Headed up the mast to repair the windex which was getting caught up in the VHF antenna. Looks good now!