A Sailing Secret From An Ancient Sailor
Thursday, September 1, 2011
By Trevir Lowe
Do you know the number one thing to guarantee your sailing trip is a safe adventure? A young sailor from centuries back made an easy statement that sums up what it means to make sure you and your crew have an enjoyable and secure time at sea.
A few thousand years ago a man by the name of Xenophon (an accomplished historian) was strolling down by the wharves in traditional Greece. It was then that he came across a young Phoenician seaman who was out on the deck of his little fishing boat with all the sailing gear and rigging spread all over the place.
Xenophon asked the young sailor what he was doing. The young man replied" I'm looking to determine whether anything is out of order. There will be no time to have a look for what is missing or out of place when a typhoon comes up at sea."
You see it doesn't have to be a typhoon that catches you out!
Instead it could be something like
- an anchor that drags at night that means you want a second anchor. If you do not have one then you have a problem.
- an engine that fails as you are attempting to dock. If so are your sails prepared for instant hoisting?
- your mainsail that wanted to be checked a while gone that can have some broken stitching. All of a sudden it rips as you're sailing down a channel in a powerful wind!
- your electronic chart plotter that stops working when you're threading your way through a tricky lagoon. Are your nautical charts pre plotted with courses that take into consideration known risks?
So how can we best prepare ourselves especialy if we are taking a bareboat charter in Scotland?
A good start is to make sure these are at the very top of your check list
1. Check every part of your ground tackle from end to end.
2. Take a look at your engine and its most important parts.
3. Test your engine in neutral, forward, and reverse gear.
4. Conduct a standing and running rigging inspection.
5. Reeve all tack and clew reef-point lines (1st, 2nd, 3rd reef points).
6. Strap on a knife with a lanyard at your waist for instant use.
7. Expose the mainsail, bend on the halyard, loosen all sail ties.
8. Plot courses onto nautical charts. Highlight hazards
9. Kn ow the predicted weather forecast for the following 24 hours.
10. Figure out how wind and current will have an effect on your undocking.
Knowing you've checked these things prior to going out will give you the reassurance and confidence to actually enjoy your sailing experience.
A few thousand years ago a man by the name of Xenophon (an accomplished historian) was strolling down by the wharves in traditional Greece. It was then that he came across a young Phoenician seaman who was out on the deck of his little fishing boat with all the sailing gear and rigging spread all over the place.
Xenophon asked the young sailor what he was doing. The young man replied" I'm looking to determine whether anything is out of order. There will be no time to have a look for what is missing or out of place when a typhoon comes up at sea."
You see it doesn't have to be a typhoon that catches you out!
Instead it could be something like
- an anchor that drags at night that means you want a second anchor. If you do not have one then you have a problem.
- an engine that fails as you are attempting to dock. If so are your sails prepared for instant hoisting?
- your mainsail that wanted to be checked a while gone that can have some broken stitching. All of a sudden it rips as you're sailing down a channel in a powerful wind!
- your electronic chart plotter that stops working when you're threading your way through a tricky lagoon. Are your nautical charts pre plotted with courses that take into consideration known risks?
So how can we best prepare ourselves especialy if we are taking a bareboat charter in Scotland?
A good start is to make sure these are at the very top of your check list
1. Check every part of your ground tackle from end to end.
2. Take a look at your engine and its most important parts.
3. Test your engine in neutral, forward, and reverse gear.
4. Conduct a standing and running rigging inspection.
5. Reeve all tack and clew reef-point lines (1st, 2nd, 3rd reef points).
6. Strap on a knife with a lanyard at your waist for instant use.
7. Expose the mainsail, bend on the halyard, loosen all sail ties.
8. Plot courses onto nautical charts. Highlight hazards
9. Kn ow the predicted weather forecast for the following 24 hours.
10. Figure out how wind and current will have an effect on your undocking.
Knowing you've checked these things prior to going out will give you the reassurance and confidence to actually enjoy your sailing experience.
About the Author:
Trevor Lowe is a keen sailor and has experience in owning and chartering yachts. Sharing his experience about the ScotlandYacht Charter scene has been invaluable for many new to chartering in this part of the Earth for the first time. His new Yacht Charter Guide The Correct Way To Avoid Common Mistakes When Chartering A luxury Yacht is an indispensable resource if you want additional data about chartering a yacht in Scotland.
Posted byBertie at 2:49 AM
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