Sitting at the helm

You can avoid a lot of awkwardness when sailing simply by sitting in the right position. When you are at the helm, you should be sitting just behind the wooden bar (thwart) with one hand on the tiller and the other on the main sheet.

The key to this position is that it allows the tiller to pass behind your body, so you can steer freely in either direction. A common mistake is to sit too far back where the tiller hits your body when you steer.