In the SailQuiz app · 12 modules · 580+ questions
Quiz-based sailing theory for U.S. beginners. Learn the fundamentals of sailing a small keelboat — points of sail, sail trim, right-of-way, docking, knots, weather, safety, and basic navigation — through practical explanations and real-world scenarios.
Free to download · No account needed · Works offline
Your practice companion
Pick a module, take a short quiz, then read the explanations and review the questions you missed.
Quiz scores help you choose what to study next. They do not certify competence or predict an exam result.
Start with one free quiz and three Daily Challenge rounds a day. More about the app.
Beginners preparing for a first sailing class, ASA 101-style basic keelboat courses, or a US Sailing basic keelboat program.
Written for US sailors: IALA Region B buoyage, USCG-approved safety equipment, US navigation rules.
Try these before you download. Pick an answer, then reveal the explanation — every one of the 580+ questions in the app is explained the same way.
Answer: B. The powerboat, because it is overtaking
An overtaking vessel must keep clear of the vessel being overtaken — and that rule beats the usual power-gives-way-to-sail rule. It applies to every vessel, sail or power.
Answer: B. Starboard tack
Your tack is named after the side the wind blows over. Wind over the starboard side means starboard tack — which also matters for right-of-way between sailboats.
Answer: B. Starboard (right)
In IALA Region B (the Americas), the memory aid is "red, right, returning": keep red marks to starboard when returning from sea toward the harbor.
Interactive quizzes and trainers on the topics this course covers — no sign-up, every answer explained.
Prefer to read first? These guides explain the same theory the course examines — free, no app needed.
Sailing terminology
New to sailing? Learn the essential terms for your first lesson: bow, stern, port, starboard, halyard, sheet, tack, jibe and more, with diagrams and a free quiz.
16 min read
Sailing skills
Tacking turns the bow through the wind; jibing turns the stern through it. Diagrams of both, the commands crew expect, why the boom swings hard in a jibe, how to control it, and a short knowledge check.
8 min read
Sailing skills
The points of sail from close-hauled to a run, the no-sail zone, and the difference between true and apparent wind — with an interactive explorer and the vector picture that explains why your tacking angle is wider than you expect.
9 min read
Sailing skills
Telltales are airflow gauges, not magic. What attached and separated flow look like, what each telltale pattern means, when to trim and when to steer, and how leech telltales reveal twist — with an interactive trainer.
10 min read
Sailing skills
Sheet, traveller, vang, outhaul, halyard and Cunningham, jib cars and backstay — what you move, what changes in the sail, what the boat feels like, and when you would use each. Fundamentals first, racing detail later.
11 min read
Sailing skills
There is no universal reef-at-X-knots rule, and no training body publishes one. What overpowered actually looks and feels like, why sailors reef early, the usual order of sail reductions, and how rig and crew change the answer.
9 min read
Browse all sailing skills guides, seamanship guides and knots guides.
Page copy and samples checked on . SailQuiz’s questions are independently authored, not official exam questions. A complete mapping to a certifying body’s syllabus has not been established.
580+ questions with explanations, smart review, and offline study — free to download.
SailQuiz is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, accredited by, or otherwise connected to the ASA, US Sailing, the RYA, the USCG, or any other certifying body, and it is not a substitute for their official training or examinations.
