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Navigating Through Rough Waters: Tips for Handling Adverse Weather Conditions in a Sailboat

by Safe Skipper | Boat Handling, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Yacht ownership

Navigating through rough waters in a sailboat requires skill, preparation, and a good understanding of both your vessel and the environment. Here are some tips for handling adverse weather conditions: Preparation Before You Sail Check Weather Conditions: Monitor...

Top Tips For Learning: ColRegs Boating Rules Of The Road

by Safe Skipper | Boat Handling, Crewing skills, Navigation, Preparation

Colregs Boating Rules Of The Road The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) are a set of rules designed to prevent collisions between vessels. They are essentially the “rules of the road” for boats. Some key concepts within...

Pre-start engine checks

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

According to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) almost one third of emergency call outs at sea are caused by mechanical failure. Many engine breakdowns are avoidable. The best way to avoid a breakdown is to carry out pre-start checks before heading out to...

Understanding tide tables and tidal curves

by Simon Jollands | Communications, Crewing skills, Navigation, Preparation

No two coastal places have exactly the same tidal pattern. There are many factors that influence this, from the shape of the coastline, the funnelling effect of channels and estuaries, the depth of the sea and the proximity of oceans. The times and heights of tides...

Care of boat batteries

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Boat batteries need to be kept properly charged, which means never allowing the batteries to discharge below 50 per cent of their total charge. As well as the batteries themselves, keeping a boat’s charging systems in good shape will also help to keep batteries...

Sailing at the touch of a button

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Crewing skills, Yacht ownership

As yachts get bigger, the loads on halyards and sheets increase, meaning the strength needed to manage the sails also increases. Every sailor knows that grinding winches can be hard work, especially when sailing short-handed. It is important to keep winches serviced...

Tidal heights and the rule of twelfths

by Simon Jollands | Communications, Crewing skills, Navigation, Preparation

In our previous article we looked at tidal curves and how we can use them to find the time of a specific height of tide. Following on from this we now take a look at how we calculate a height of tide for a specific time. This is not a complex calculation but it helps...

Distress flares – which flare, how & when to use?

by Safe Skipper | Emergencies, Preparation

How to use distress flares at sea To effectively use distress flares at sea, you need to understand the different types, their purpose, and the correct deployment procedures. Distress flares should only be used when you are in a situation of grave and imminent danger...

Competent crew skills: arriving and leaving a berth

by Simon Jollands | Crewing skills

Skilled boat handling is needed when entering or leaving harbour. Crew tasks include preparing the mooring lines and fenders before docking and tying the boat safely alongside. The crew also prepare the boat for leaving harbour. In order to help avoid any mishap, they...

Dripless shaft seals

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

As their name implies, dripless shaft seals are designed to completely stop water from entering a boat’s hull via the stern tube. There are two main types of dripless seals known as face seals and lip seals which many boat manufacturers now fit to production...