When you find yourself sailing on a nice, windy day, and the folks onboard start talking about "hiking", they will most probably not be referring to walking long distances in some pretty natural terrain. When sailors go hiking, they don't go very far. In fact, they only go a little bit further than the side of the boat!

Sailors will "hike" if their sailboats "heel". "Heeling" is the lean caused by the wind's force on the sails.

Hiking while sailing is simply the action of moving your body weight as far to windward as possible, to try and counteract the wind's sideways force, which tends to push the boat over at an angle towards leeward. Hiking causes the boat's centre of gravity to shift, by moving the crew's weight as far to one side of the boat as possible.

Hiking is also called "leaning out" or "sitting out", because hiking usually involves leaning out over the edge of the boat, as it heels.

Hiking is an integral part of catamaran and dinghy sailing, because a lightweight boat can easily capsize, unless the crew shifts the dinghy's centre of gravity to counteract the wind's tilting force, or unless they de-power the boat by easing the sails.

The ballast weight in the keels on larger sailboats makes it practically impossible to capsize the yacht due to the force of the wind alone. But the yacht will be able to sail more effectively and reach higher speeds, if unnecessary sideways heel can be prevented. So, even yachties use hiking to try and keep the boat relatively flat.

Hiking equipment

Some boats are fitted with special equipment, such as tiller extensions, hiking straps, hiking boards and/or trapezes, to allow the crew to hike more effectively.

Tiller extensions

It is important to be able to steer the boat, even when hiking. But when the skipper has to hike toward windward, he/she has to move far away from the centre of the boat, where the tiller is usually located. So, on sailboats where the skipper may be required to hike, the tiller is often fitted with a "hiking stick" or tiller extension, which can be moved over to either side of the boat, to keep the sailboat on course.

On most sailing dinghies, you will find a hiking stick or tiller extension, which allows the skipper to steer the boat while hiked out.

Hiking straps

Hiking straps (also called "toe straps") are made from webbing or rope, and are attached to the deck of the boat. A sailor would sit on the edge of the deck, with his/her back to windward, tucking his/her toes under these hiking straps. The hiking straps hold the sailor's feet down, while leaning back over the edge of the boat.

Hiking straps are found on almost all sailing dinghies, even if the dinghy offers another, more complex hiking system.

Hiking shorts

Some sailors might wear "hiking shorts", which are special pants, fitted with pads and/or stiff battens. These hiking shorts help the sailor to hike more effectively, and for longer periods of time, on a sailboat where hiking is an absolute requirement.

The pads in the hiking shorts cushion the sailor's legs and bum against hard edges on the sailboat's deck and hull. And the batons support his/her leg muscles and ligaments, while hanging over the side of the boat.

Hiking shorts might not be pretty, but they work!

Hiking boards

Hiking boards are long boards that can reach several feet out, over the side of the boat. Hiking boards allow the crew to hike further out over the water.

These hiking boards are fitted perpendicular to the boat's hull, and may be designed to move between port and starboard, to the windward side of the boat. So, if the boat tacks, the sailors will move the tiller extension, the end of the mainsheet, as well as the hiking board over to the windward side, when they shift their weight.

Hiking boards are most often used on sailing canoes, but can be installed on many kinds of sailing dinghy.

Trapeze systems

Some dinghies and catamarans have trapeze systems, which allow sailors to apply an even bigger righting force against the wind, by allowing them to lean far over the edge of the boat.

A trapeze consists of cables and a special harness. The cable (trapeze wire) is attached to the top of the mast and typically has some kind of a handle, which allows the sailor to get on or off the trapeze, as well as a bracket that hooks onto the trapeze harness.

The trapeze harness is worn by the sailor and hooked onto the trapeze wire just before hiking. The sailor then suspends his/her body from the trapeze wire and harness as they lean out over the water to pull against the mast.

On single-handed dinghies and catamarans the skipper has to keep controlling the boat, even while hiking. This requires some skill, especially getting onto and off the trapeze.

On boats with a crew of 2 or more, the skipper might make use of the hiking straps, while the crew uses a trapeze. But on some high-performance sailing dinghies, both the skipper and the crew might use trapezes.

On some racing keelboats, the crew might use the lifelines in much the same way as a trapeze. The crew would lean out over the side of the boat, pulling against the lifeline, to get further out over the windward rail.

The lifelines typically run down the sides of the boat, so that the crew can hook on to the boat, while still performing their deck duties. But many kinds of racing keelboats race with more crew onboard than strictly needed to sail the boat, so that some crewmen can hike while sailing. In this way, the crew can shift the boat's centre of gravity towards windward, keeping the boat flatter.

Hiking summary

Hiking keeps the sailboat flat and the mast upright, against the tilting force exerted by the wind. Hiking may not be strictly necessary on yachts, but it is often required on smaller sailboats, to keep the boat from capsizing.

When hiking, sailors will use any means at their disposal to shift their weight toward windward. The various configurations of hiking equipment allow the sailing crew to hike more effectively.