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FREE Basic Sail Trim Online Sailing Course
Get Started with the Basic Sail Trim course
This free online course shows you how to read wind, set sail shape, and keep the boat in balance with calm, predictable control. Created by NauticEd’s top instructors, the course uses interactive HTML5 animations so you can adjust trim controls and see airflow, lift, and stall response in real time.
✓ Perfect for new sailors, experienced cruisers, returning sailors, and serious crew
✓ Practical, real-world techniques—not just textbook theory
✓ Recognition on your free online resume upon successful completion
✓ Lifetime access, including free course updates
Learn at your own pace—online or via the free NauticEd app. Register today!
Estimated Time: 2 hours
Price: FREE (normally $10.50)
Bonus: All NauticEd sailing students will also receive the Nav Rules course for free, free eLogbook and Boating Resume, and special discounts from our industry partners. What's Included >
What Students Say
✨AI generated from student reviewsStudents describe this course as clear, practical, and unexpectedly deep. They consistently praise the interactive animations, 3D/VR visuals, and “widgets” that make wind, lift, twist, and telltales instantly understandable. Beginners say it finally clicked; experienced sailors—even racers, engineers, and pilots—report learning new techniques and “tricks,” from traveler vs. sheet use to fairlead placement, depowering in gusts, and recovering from luffing/backwinding. Learners like the concise structure, logical flow, and quizzes that cement concepts, plus the ability to move at their own pace and revisit sections. Many call it the best online sailing learning experience they’ve used—engaging, intuitive, and confidence-building—with the optional wing-sail segment singled out as a memorable bonus.
Why Take the Basic Sail Trim Course?
Mastering sail trim is the fastest way to make your boat sail smoother, faster, and with more control. In this free, beginner-friendly course you’ll learn the fundamentals: how sheet, halyard, outhaul, traveler, vang, and telltales shape your sails; how trim changes by point of sail; and how to reduce heel, weather helm, and slatting. Better trim means better performance, comfort, and safety for you and your crew.
Whether you cruise, race, or plan to bareboat charter, solid sail-trim skills are the foundation of confident skippering. Learn how to read the wind, set efficient sail shape, and respond to changing conditions so every outing feels calmer and more predictable. Start the Basic Sail Trim Course to improve sailboat performance today—free, online, and designed to build your competence fast.
This Course is perfect for you if...
- You’re new to sailing or an experienced cruiser who wants a consistent trim routine.
- You want a lighter helm and calmer motion without sacrificing speed or comfort.
- You’re returning to sailing and want a modern refresher on telltales, angle of attack, twist, and lead placement.
- You prefer evidence-based instruction and concise “if-this-then-that” trim rules over vague tips.
We guarantee both your satisfaction AND Lifetime access to any sailing course you buy from us
What You'll Learn in the Basic Sail Trim Course
The Basic Sail Trim online course turns wind cues into clear, cockpit-ready actions. Build baseline trim settings for main and headsail, map traveler and lead ranges, and use quick diagnostic checks to correct stall, backwinding, and weather helm. Short visual lessons and two-minute drills help you standardize your approach by point of sail and wind strength—so the boat tracks straighter, heels less, and makes better progress with fewer corrections.
View the Course Topics
Foundations: Wind & Lift
- True vs. apparent wind and why it drives every trim choice
- How airflow creates lift (and what causes stall/turbulence)
- Airflow over main and headsail; best angles to the wind
- Essential terms you’ll actually use on board
- Boat heading vs. sail set—how force vectors act on the rig (NED made simple)
- Luffing and backwinding: early signs and quick corrections
- Lifts and knocks and how to respond without chasing the compass
- Telltales: what they’re saying and the trimmer’s job to keep them streaming
- Holding a steady heading while making trim changes
- A step-by-step routine for basic telltale control (main and headsail)
- Draft depth and position through sheet/traveler coordination
- Fairlead control to balance leech and foot tension for clean flow
- What “twist” is, when to add it, when to take it out
- Practical depower sequences for high wind and gusts
- Using apparent wind shifts to maintain power without fighting the helm
- America’s Cup–style winged sail vector diagrams to reinforce lift/drag concepts
Everything You Get with This Course
- Learn the core skills of effective sail trim—true vs. apparent wind, draft/angle of attack, telltales, traveler vs. sheet, fairleads, and twist—so the boat stays balanced and responsive.
- Available immediately online: start learning today at your own pace.
- Duration: Approximately 2 hours, self-paced—learn at your own speed.
- Unlimited Access: Lifetime access lets you review course materials anytime. Course updates are free.
- Free Stuff: You also receive the free Navigation Rules online course, a free eLogbook and Boating Resume, and special discounts from our industry partners.
- Recognition: Upon successful completion, you receive immediate recognition on your sailing resume that verifies for charter and insurance companies that you've completed the course.
- Pathway: Pairs naturally with Advanced Sail Trim, Skipper Small and Large Keelboat, and Maneuvering Under Power.
- Convenient Formats: Take it on desktop or laptop—or on tablet/phone via the free NauticEd App.
- View an excerpt from the Basic Sail Trim course
Price Today: FREE
Watch this video on the Catamaran Sailing Confidence Online Course
Foreword by the Author, Grant Headifen
It's the 21st-century way of learning to sail. You'll fully grasp the concepts here using e-learning technology, then we encourage you to get out on the water with one of our professional affiliated sailing schools and practice with a proper understanding...
Read the Foreward
...You'll then save time with the sailing instructor on these basics and be able to concentrate on the more advanced sailing techniques.
Using the interactive controls and animations, you'll be blown away (sorry for the pun) by your new understanding of this sail trim material and you'll no longer get frustrated when trying to explain the concept to others. If a picture is worth 1000 words then an interactive animation is worth infinity.
And finally, if you skipper your own sailboat, you're probably pretty versed with the material here and ready for the most advanced NauticEd sailing school courses. But we suggest, at the very least, sending your crew here to take this FREE Sailing Course. Then next time you go sailing, watch them make your sailboat go a knot or two faster. There is no other sailing course in the world that explains sail trim using such hi-tech e-learning methods.
So grab a cappuccino sit back and watch sail trim unfold in front of your eyes. Then, once you've figured out that we're the best at explaining this stuff you might try some of our other sailing courses and start to build your globally recognized sailing resume and certifications.
About NauticEd
NauticEd is the leading provider of modern sailing education, combining online sailing courses with accredited on-water instruction. With over 300,000 students worldwide, NauticEd is the only U.S. sailing body recognized for meeting U.S. Coast Guard and NASBLA standards under the American National Standards for boating education.
Our online courses pair with on-water training, and your free eLogbook and sailing resume track each milestone. Whether you’re starting out or working toward higher endorsements, NauticEd gives you a clear, standards-aligned way to grow real skills.
By Grant Headifen
NauticEd Global Director of Education
View Basic Sail Trim Course excerpt
Student Reviews
Sam H.
2025, 04 Dec. 14:56
Great graphics, great hands on materials for user to practice.
David T.
2025, 04 Dec. 06:59
Excellent and memorable examples and explanations
Vince R.
2025, 19 Nov. 01:25
Very good explanations and examples of point sof sail and sail trim using tell tales, including vang tension.
James B.
2025, 11 Nov. 00:57
Very informative. Lots of info. Definitely technical! Makes you pay attention to every word in every question.
Daniel S.
2025, 20 Oct. 17:23
Sail twist FINALLY EXPLAINED
Nico S.
2025, 15 Oct. 20:00
Wysiwyg! It is a basic but thorough course on the important subject of sail trim. Mind you, sail trim is not just about speed and winning races. It is also and maybe even more about sailing safely and comfortably on a family trip.
Anthony C.
2025, 12 Oct. 20:37
Comprehensive cover of basic sail trimming.
Joseph S.
2025, 08 Oct. 22:08
Very good at explaining and the animation is very helpful.
Paul G.
2025, 03 Oct. 15:46
It showed how the course system is set up
Clifton Chad W.
2025, 16 Sep. 19:57
Super informative.
WILLIAM P.
2025, 11 Sep. 12:31
Excellent course! Well paced and not too easy or too hard. Good information!
David S.
2025, 11 Sep. 00:26
Step by step instruction.
List Price: $10.50 Price: $0.00 You Save: $10.50 (100%)
Excerpt from the course
Expand Excerpt from the course1.2 True Wind Vs Apparent Wind
We've created an interactive animation here so that you'll instantly "get" what everyone tries to explain laboriously on a blackboard without much success.
Click and drag on the slider bar. As the car speeds up, the wind increases in velocity and the direction of origin feels like it moves forward. That's apparent wind - it's what your hand feels out of the window and on a boat it's what the sails feel. If you stop the car, the apparent wind goes back to be the same as the true wind. The true wind stays the same regardless of your speed. That's it! Now you understand true versus apparent wind.
Figure 1.2-1 Animation of a Car Moving in Wind
Sea talk testimonials
I am a retired Superintendent of Schools and currently provide online professional development for the principals in the province of Ontario. Consequently, the NauticEd program has been of considerable interest on a variety of levels. Your platform is exceptional.