At a sail trim discussion last night, a young couple approached me before the presentation and asked me if I could explain how to “get out of irons”. They said they were too embarrassed to ask during the presentation and said they were so new to sailing they only sail with the main and not the jib. I felt bad that they were embarrassed and told them that more sailors than they could imagine don’t know how to get out of irons either. Even America Cup boats get caught in irons sometimes and have a devil of a time getting out. I’ve seen a lot of racers stuck in irons at the start line and it is interesting watching them get out the situation they got themselves into. I’ve also seen them get stuck while tacking. This happens when they don’t have enough speed to get through the tack. . Maybe there are some sailors out there that are like the young couple I met and would like to know how I answered their question. If you are an experienced sailor and know how to get out of irons then just delete this message. It is directed to the beginner to intermediate sailors as is all my stuff. There are a couple of ways to get out of irons. Assume your sailing with only the mainsail. What you should do is physically push the main boom out about half way until it fills with air. The boat will soon start sailing backwards but don’t let that worry you. The process is called “backing the main” and all you have to do is steer in reverse. Turn the rudder in the opposite direction you want the stern to go. Shortly, the wind will come over the side of the boat and you’ll start moving forward. Now trim the mainsheet, but not too much. If you trim in too much you’ll go back into irons again. Assume you have your main and jib flying and get into irons. Simply “back the jib” by physically holding the clew out to one side. Again, you’ll start to sail backwards but shortly the jib will push the bow over and you can start sailing forward again. Trim the jib and then the main to pick up forward speed. Actually, if you can back both the main and jib at the same time you’ll get out much quicker. Another method is to do nothing. Eventually the boat will start sailing backwards by itself and you can use your rudder to get going forward. The last time I got stuck in irons, I could not use the “do nothing” approach or I’d have sailed backwards into a breakwater. I had to move quickly to get out of a dangerous situation. Next time your out sailing, put yourself in iron on purpose and practice how to get “out of irons”. Some day you might be glad you know how.