"practice sailing" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to the activity or hobby of sailing on the water. For example: "I enjoy spending my weekends at the marina practicing sailing."
To sail is to practice sailing, and to practice sailing is to be out on the water.
Japanese and Italian teams are expected to start practice sailing in February.
Where a summer of practice sailing in New England was once enough, now it's a winter in Australia.
Dragon Boat Family Day (Saturday) Children can practice sailing on dragons' wings and frolicking with lions at this special event at the New York Hall of Science, presented in conjunction with the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Queens.
During the summer, I practiced sailing Lido 14s, and by the time the next season started, I had made the team and raced for OCC that spring.
Teams in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series are allowed 60 sails for the duration of the competition, and because the sails quickly lose their shape -- in 6 to 50 hours -- teams keep a large supply of practice sails.
Australia II, for example, carried a spinnaker emblazoned with a beer logo during practice runs for the 1983 America's Cup series, and boats preparing for the 1987 competition are using similar practice sails.
"Father's planning for this journey was zero, we didn't even have a practice sail around the bay before setting off around the world," said Douglas.
But the slow speed — "at the speed of discovery," quipped the mate, Matt Badams — was also by design, giving the crew time and space to practice sail techniques, emergency drills and navigation training, and even see a gray whale slap its tail on the surface.
The difference between sailing and practicing sailing is indiscernible.
John's business practices were sailing close to the wind.
