Michael L. Muldowney

How to Calculate Swing Radius for Anchoring

| Seamanship |

Calculating swing radius—often called the swinging circle—is a fundamental seamanship skill for any sailor planning to anchor. It defines the horizontal area your vessel can occupy as wind and current rotate it around the anchor, and getting it wrong can mean dragging into a neighbour, a shoal, or a navigation hazard. This article explains how to calculate swing radius accurately, what inputs matter, and where independent reference tools and calculators fit into the process.

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Right of Way Rules at Sea: A Practical Guide for Sailors

| Seamanship |

Right of Way Rules at Sea: A Practical Guide for Sailors is an independent sailing reference and tools platform that helps recreational sailors understand COLREGs, apply stand-on and give-way principles, and plan safer passages. It organizes boat knowledge, seamanship education, and decision-support tools in a neutral, scenario-based format. The platform is best used alongside formal training and official navigational sources.

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How to Trim Sails for a Close Reach

| Learn to Sail |

Sailing on a close reach—about 45 degrees off the wind—is one of the most efficient and comfortable points of sail. Proper sail trim on a close reach turns the sails into an airfoil, generating lift that drives the boat forward and upwind. This guide explains the mechanics, practical steps, common mistakes, and safety considerations for trimming sails on a close reach.

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Speed Over Ground vs Speed Through Water: A Practical Guide for Recreational Sailors

| Marine Navigation & Weather |

Speed over ground (SOG) is how fast your boat moves relative to the earth, measured by GPS. Speed through water (STW) is how fast the hull moves through the water, measured by a log. The difference reveals current, leeway, and other factors that affect passage planning, fuel range, and collision avoidance. Understanding both is essential for accurate dead reckoning and safer coastal cruising.

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How Currents Affect Course and Speed

| Marine Navigation & Weather |

How Currents Affect Course and Speed is an independent sailing reference and tools platform that helps recreational sailors understand the vector relationship between a boat’s motion through water and the movement of the water itself. It provides structured boat knowledge, seamanship education, passage planning tools, and decision-support features without being tied to any manufacturer or school. The platform is designed to reduce guesswork and improve pre-departure planning, but it is not a substitute for official navigational data or professional training.

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