Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It's not just about preparing the boat, but the crew, too. A person who buys their first
cruising boat within a few months of departure of their big adventure risks being rushed
and distracted by the process of cutting their ties to land. Conversely, the sailor who buys
a boat a year or more ahead of time will get to know the vessel and can customize details
to accommodate their priorities, whether that includes up-to-date electronics and safety
gear, details like bunks for the kids, or just a place to stow a guitar. This well-prepared
owner can take the boat out (or work on it) on fifty critical weekends.
The advantage of learning aboard your own boat is that you're the boss, and you can care-
fully design trips to fill gaps in your knowledge. Once again, I'll stress that sailing is the
easy part. Before setting off into the sunset, make sure you can fix your boat, anchor con-
fidently, deal with shipping and night sailing, and learn to err on the side of caution when
interpreting weather reports. Use your pre-departure year to work your way up gradually.
From weekend day trips, you can move on to anchoring overnight. Eventually, you can try
night sailing by picking a fair weather window and a familiar stretch of water; then simply
head out and back. The prospect of night sailing frightens a lot of novices, but it can actu-
ally be very pleasant - and it's amazing how much you can learn in a single night. Early
on in our second extended cruise, we gained a valuable refresher in night sailing within
the space of a few hours by leaving Portland, Maine at sunset. Buoys were flashing every-
where, ships were coming in and out of port, and making sense of the big picture - even
in a familiar port - got us right back into the swing of things. A short overnighter like that
one to the Isle of Shoals gave us a manageable challenge before we knuckled down in
earnest for a three-year trip to Australia.
You'll learn more by doing overnighters or short passages on your own than you will by
taking any additional sailing courses on other boats. You'll get the feel of the boat and dis-
cover her ugly secrets. During this time, take the family out for a week or two-week cruise
and anchor every night so you'll learn how to manage power resources, how the dinghy
handles, and what types of meals are practical on board. This is especially important for
sailors dreaming of a Pacific crossing, since there are so few marinas along the way. If
you feel you still need guidance, think about hiring an instructor to join you on your own
boat instead of taking additional courses. The cost will likely be the same (or cheaper, if
you have to fly several people to the course location and pay multiple tuitions).
One caveat: as valuable as a preparation year can be, I wouldn't recommend extending it
too long. You can spend a lifetime inching up to the big league, but sooner or later, you
just have to take the leap and go. That's the other lesson we learned by looking at the
boats we left behind: for every sailor who succeeds in cutting their ties to land, there are a
dozen others still immersed in “getting ready” for a someday that never comes. Marinas
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