⛵ Sailing Regatta 3D

Real sailing, made friendly

Sailing Regatta 3D is a free sailing game that you play in your browser. There is no engine and no gas pedal: your boat moves only because the wind fills its sail. That makes sailing a puzzle as well as a race. Which way is the wind blowing? Which way should the boat point? When should you turn? Answer those questions well and you will leave the rival yachts behind.

The game teaches you the real basics of sailing, step by step. The first regatta has no rivals at all: just three buoys to sail around and a line to finish through. By the end you are racing five rival yachts in a strong, shifty wind, rounding marks, riding gusts and flying the spinnaker downwind, just like a real sailing race.

Points of sail

A sailboat is fastest when the wind comes from the side, a little slower when the wind is behind it, and it cannot sail straight into the wind at all. Point the boat too close to the wind and the sail flaps, the boat slows down and stops: that is called being in irons. To go upwind, sailors zig-zag: they sail at about 45 degrees to the wind on one side, then turn through the wind (a tack) and sail at 45 degrees on the other side. The wind arrow on screen always shows you where the wind is coming from.

Trimming the sail

In Easy sailing mode, Auto Trim sets the sail for you and guide lines show you when to tack towards the next mark, so you can concentrate on steering. In Racing mode you trim the sail yourself: W pulls it in and S lets it out. The right trim depends on your course, and the indicator shows when the sail is set just right. Get it wrong and the sail flaps or stalls, and the boat slows down.

The spinnaker

When the wind is behind you, press the space bar to hoist the spinnaker, a huge, colourful balloon of a sail at the front of the boat. It gives you a big boost downwind. Take it down again before you turn back towards the wind.

Starts, marks, gusts and shifts

Every race begins with a countdown before a start line between two buoys. Cross the line too early in Racing mode and you must go back and start again. The course is set by marks: buoys that you must sail all the way around. Dark patches on the water are gusts, where the wind is stronger, so steer through them for extra speed. In some regattas the wind also changes direction, and a good sailor tacks when the wind shifts against them.

Eight regattas

Learn to Sail has no rivals: round three buoys and come back through the line. The Harbour Cup is your first race: up to the windward mark and back. The Island Triangle adds a fast reach across the wind. Gusty Afternoon is full of gusts to use. Shifty Breeze has a wind that keeps turning. The Two-Lap Classic goes up and down the course twice, with the spinnaker on the way down. The Sunset Series is a long race in a fading breeze. And the Championship has strong wind, gusts and shifts all at once.

Three boats

You start in the Dinghy, a small, quick little boat that turns easily. The Cruising Sloop unlocks at 6 stars and the Racing Yacht at 14. Win stars by finishing on the podium: three for first, two for second and one for third.

Tips

Tack less and tack well: every turn costs speed, so make your zig-zags long. Build up speed before you tack. Aim to cross the start line just as the countdown ends, at full speed. Round each mark tightly but smoothly. And watch the rivals: if they are all sailing one way, the wind may be better over there.

Play anywhere

Sailing Regatta 3D runs in any modern browser on computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones, with no download and no account. Use the keyboard or the on-screen buttons on a touchscreen. Your stars and boats are saved only in your own browser. See the Parents & Safety page for more.

More games like this

For something with an engine, race powerboats in Speed Boat Racing 3D, or explore the islands in Island Hopper Boat Adventure 3D. Sail a pirate ship with the wind in Pirate Ship Battles 3D, and find every boat game on our Boat Games page.

Frequently asked questions