10 Health Benefits Of Sailing
Sailing as an activity has a wide range of excellent health benefits. Not only does sailing involve physical activity, but it’s a lifestyle with many incredible benefits to your mental health.
It has changed me for the better and brought me an incredible amount of joy that I wish for everyone also to experience.
Once you become confident in the art of sailing, you’ll feel a sensation of being in control of yourself in relation to nature – a very powerful thing. – Robin Iversen
1. Sailing is a great way to boost cardiovascular fitness
Engaging in sailing is more than just a leisurely activity; it’s a full-body workout that improves cardiovascular health. When you sail, you’re not just sitting and enjoying the sea view. You are hoisting sails, pulling and winching lines, while at the same time trying to keep your balance.
This exercises your lungs and heart, helping to reduce the risk of hypertension and other heart-related illnesses. And believe me, when you feel the wind in the sails heeling the boat over for the first time, your heart rate will increase, and your blood will circulate efficiently throughout your body.
2. You will benefit from physical tasks onboard
Sailing is also excellent for strengthening your muscles when pulling lines and hoisting sails, which helps to develop muscle strength in your shoulders, back, thighs, and legs. As you move around the boat, you will be challenged with constant movement, which will build up the balance muscles in your entire body.
Probably at the cost of a few bruises, but that’s part of the game! Eventually, you’ll benefit from better balance and agility, which leads us to the next benefit.
3. Improved agility and flexibility come naturally on a sailboat
Through sailing, you will improve your flexibility and agility. A task as simple as crawling from the cockpit to the galley to make a pot of tea or coffee can be an extravagant adventure and a big challenge.
Sometimes, you’ll have cups flying everywhere, and you have to brace yourself in awkward positions to save those precious warm drops that you just managed to make by some miracle on a rocking stove.
A sailboat always moves around under sail, and your balance will improve as you increase your agility. Besides, once the frustration goes away, it is pretty fun!
4. Sea air is a surprising health benefit of sailing
Breathing in the fresh sea air while sailing has numerous positive effects on your respiratory system. Studies have shown that sea air enriched with salt improves lung function and leads to better oxygen circulation throughout your body which improves respiratory health. If you’ve ever left a city with polluted air and set sail at sea, you know what I am talking about!
Not only is it super sweet to breathe in fresh salty sea air, but it is also good for your body to absorb clean oxygen. Some even claim that salty air is good for your skin. Although, bed sheets and clothes do get pretty sticky after a while… Also part of the game on longer voyages.
5. Mental well-being and reduction in stress levels are one of the most important benefits of sailing
Being on the open water provides a sense of peace and relaxation, allowing you to escape the stresses of daily life. The sound of the wind in the sails and the waves lapping against the boat is nothing less than therapeutic. This is one of the reasons why I love sailing, and it was probably the strongest feeling I experienced during my first sailing trip.
I and many others encounter an increased sense of well-being when experiencing the magical sense of harnessing wind power to travel over the water.
The charged ions in the air also help improve your alertness and concentration, allowing better communication with your crew and friends onboard. Lower stress levels strengthen the body’s defense against disease, which is another reason why sailing is good for you.
The salt in the air allows the body to absorb more oxygen, balancing serotonin levels and improving mood. This helps even more when you are a boat owner and boat things break, which they do. Luckily, sailing has additional health benefits that help you focus and stay sharp to avoid expensive mishaps.
6. Sailing enhances concentration and focus
Sailing can help to sharpen your focus and concentration skills, allowing you to think clearly and act decisively. I always tell my crew that sailing is 20% skills and 80% decision-making.
Sailing a yacht requires using multiple dexterities, such as spatial awareness, communication skills, and multitasking, in combination with motor skills. Once you become more confident in these skills, you’ll get better at navigating the boat and staying alert to maintain safety onboard for yourself and your crew.
This will also improve your awareness of your surroundings, allowing you to make wise decisions quickly and accurately. The combination of physical and mental exercise improves overall cognitive function and further enhances your concentration and focus.
So, as you can see, sailing is a good circle of benefits that only increases the more you do it. Sailing is an excellent way to stay active while developing mental and physical abilities.
7. Cruising with others boosts teamwork and social skills
Working together to sail a boat is great for building strong relationships, honing communication and social skills, and boosting teamwork. During the past several years, this is probably the factor that I have grown the most in as a person.
Sailing provides an adventure like no other. You can bring people to places they would never have gone alone and to spots only accessible by boat, like when we sailed through Guna Yala territory in Panama just recently.
It was a hazardous area to navigate, with uncharted reefs and difficult navigation. Teamwork between the lookout on the bow and me at the helm was essential not to run aground, which would have been disastrous in the middle of nowhere!
Cruising on a boat also brings people together in a way few other activities can, providing a unique opportunity to foster relationships. Everyone has to work together on a sailboat. When you share a sailing adventure, you and your crew will learn to trust each other and build strong relationships in a very special way.
And when you stop in a marina or an anchorage, you’ll meet many like-minded souls who share your passion for sailing. It is guaranteed that you will make new friends. You’ll probably also hear many interesting and exaggerated stories associated with sailing, which makes it even more interesting!
8. Working with natural elements promotes spatial awareness
Sailing brings you a heightened sense of spatial awareness that benefits many aspects of life. You’ll start to notice even small changes in the wind and sea. You’ll learn to appreciate your proximity to the natural elements around you.
Being at the mercy of nature requires this of you, especially when you are sailing a boat out at sea. In a sudden wind change, you’ll have to read the wind and make adjustments accordingly, and probably even reef and re-trim your sails. This will in turn sharpen hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
This doesn’t only happen when you are sailing but also when you finally anchor up after a nice voyage. The contrast between a moving yacht at sail and a still boat at anchor feels like entering a new universe suddenly.
You’ll notice the calm water around you, enjoy a beautiful sunset, and feel a sense of achievement as you crawl into your bunk for the night. This is indescribable. You have to go and experience it for yourself!
9. You get a sense of accomplishment and confidence when mastering a boat
As you know, sailing requires many skills. You will gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence by mastering these skills, especially if you sail solo. Everything from the technical and theoretical part of sailing to the physical part is woven together and forms an art.
Once you become confident in the art of sailing, you’ll feel a sensation of being in control of yourself in relation to nature, and this is a very powerful thing.
If you are sailing as a captain with a crew member, you’ll also increase your leadership skills, further fueling your confidence, reducing your stress levels, and improving your physical and mental health.
10. You’ll connect with nature and experience mindfulness
The connection to nature that sailing offers is a fantastic experience. As you glide through the sea, you can enjoy the fresh air and the calming sounds of the ocean. Sailing provides a sense of freedom and adventure while helping you to relax and find inner peace.
Unless you are prone to seasickness, the gentle rocking motions can improve your mood and mental well-being. I have spent a lot of time on boats over the past decade, and there is nowhere I sleep as well as I do when I’m at sea.
When you are on a sailing yacht, you’ll experience a sense of calm and feel in balance with the natural elements around you. You’ll be visited by sea birds, fish, and maybe even dolphins and whales.
There are few things as majestic as having dolphins playing around your bow while cruising gently through the water to the sound of waves without any engine noise to disturb the tranquility.
Your mindset is always focused on the elements, so you’ll notice even the slightest changes in your body, which helps to soothe your mind. This is great for the mood, and I think it is safe to say that this mindfulness helps improve the quality of life for those of us who are involved in sailing.
If you are considering to move into a sailboat boat, you should read this article:
Final words
I hope I managed to convince you to try sailing with this article. It has been a life changer for me, and I genuinely wish everyone to experience these sensations for themselves. There is no doubt that there are many health benefits of sailing, which is why sailing is good for you and everyone around you.
If you want to get into sailing, an excellent place to start is to read up on some terms and sailing basics. Luckily for you, that is one of my specialties, and this blog is packed with this content!
- Start with some basics and learn about the different parts of a sailboat.
- Learn to speak like a sailor in my guide to nautical terms.
- Head out and start sailing!
Drop a comment below if you discover some additional health benefits; I would love to add more to this list.
FAQ – Why Sailing Is Good for You
What are the benefits of sailing for the body?
Sailing has many benefits for your body, and here are some of the most important ones to notice:
- Sailing is a great way to boost cardiovascular fitness through physical activity.
- Sailors benefit from physical tasks onboard, which strengthens your body.
- Improved agility and flexibility come naturally on a sailboat when everything constantly moves around.
- Studies have shown that sea air enriched with salt improves lung function and leads to better oxygen circulation throughout your body, improving respiratory health.
Does sailing help mental health?
Sailing has many benefits for your mental health, and you should take notice of these ones:
- Mental well-being and reduced stress levels are among the most important benefits of sailing.
- Sailing enhances concentration and focus.
- Cruising with others boosts teamwork and social skills.
- Working with natural elements promotes spatial awareness.
- You get a sense of accomplishment and confidence when mastering a boat.
- You’ll connect with nature and experience mindfulness.
What does sailing teach you about life?
Sailing teaches you a lot about many aspects of life. First, you’ll realize how small you are in this world compared to the majesty of Mother Nature. Then, you’ll learn how powerful it feels to be one with nature and harness the wind to travel over the water.
The natural surroundings will play a crucial part in your life as you’re at the complete mercy of all the elements. Once you become more confident, you’ll realize that sailing is about working with your surroundings and not against them – And this can be adapted to every aspect of life.
Does sailing make you strong?
Sailing makes you strong in more than one way. Your physical health will improve as your muscles grow from operating the boat and its sails while keeping your balance at the same time. But most importantly, your mental health will improve massively once you get confident in living and sailing by using the strongest forces on the planet – Mother Nature.