Learning the Ropes
It’s been many years since I’ve sailed a blue-water boat. My WestSail 28, while small and slow by today’s standards, could go pretty much anywhere assuming you could cram enough food, water, and fuel aboard for the trip. Boat technology has changed a lot since those days. A certain number of technical skills are needed to take a boat across oceans to remote anchorages. When you might be hundreds, or thousands, of miles away from land you need to be self-sufficient and capable of dealing with whatever emergency might come up. It could be something as simple as repairing a broken line (rope) to dealing with a major crisis such as a hole in the boat or physical injury. Boats have all the systems that a small house has, and more, and the forces of nature are working hard to break everything all the time.
Some people don’t mind jumping in and learning as they go, but I’m more of a planner, especially when my life might be at stake. I prefer to be as prepared as possible. I decided to compile a list of skills that I would like to tackle, from small to complex.
Here’s what I came up with:
SAILING SKILLS
· BASIC SAIL TRIM / POINTS OF SAIL
· SAFETY AT SEA
· NIGHT SAILING / WATCH KEEPING
· REEFING / HEAVY WEATHER TACTICS
· SAIL CHANGES
· SPINNAKER USE
· HEAVING TO FROM PORT & STARBOARD TACKS
· MAN-OVERBOARD DRILLS FROM VARIOUS POINTS OF SAIL
· ANCHORING
· MOORING
· MANEUVERING UNDER POWER – DOCKING
· DINGHY USE (LAUNCH, RECOVER, BEACH LANDINGS, DOCK LANDINGS)
· EMERGENCIES – BOAT DAMAGE REPAIR, ABANDON SHIP PROCEDURES
· FIRST AID, MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, GENERAL HEALTH & FITNESS
· PERSONAL GEAR – CLOTHING REQUIRED
NAVIGATION
· COASTAL NAVIGATION CLASS – NAUTIC ED
· NAVIGATION – LEARN HOW TO USE CHART SOFTWARE, AID, RADAR
· ROUTE PLANNING – COASTAL & OPEN WATER OCEAN PASSAGES
· PREDICTWIND/LUCKGRIB WEATHER FORECASTING/PASSAGE PLANNING
· ANCHOR ALARMS
· KEEPING A SHIP’S LOG
BOAT & SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE
· DIESEL ENGINE MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS
· SMALL GAS ENGINE (2-STROKE & 4-STROKE ENGINES)
· ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (DC: 12V/24V AC: 120V/220V) WIRING
· BATTERIES (LITHIUM & STANDARD)
· PLUMBING (SINKS, HEAD, BILGE, OTHER)
· TANKAGE (WATER, FUEL, HOLDING)
· STEERING MECHANICS
· AUTO-PILOT / WINDVANE SELF-STEERING
· REFRIGERATION & HEATING
· WATER MAKER SERVICE & REPAIR
· ELECTRONICS (WIND, SPEED, DEPTH, CHART PLOTTERS, VHS, AIS, RADAR, SENSORS)
· SOLAR & OTHER POWER GENERATION
· SAFETY EQUIPMENT USAGE (FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, FLARES, PFDs, EPIRB, LIFE RAFT)
· THRU-HULL FITTINGS, MAINTENANCE & REPAIR
· TEAK/WOOD REPAIR & MAINTENANCE
· FIBERGLASS – REPAIR, CLEANING & POLISHING
· HULL/KEEL – CLEANING & PAINTING/ANTI-FOULING
· CANVAS REPAIR & SEWING
RIGGING & SAILS
· STANDING RIGGING / TUNING / CHAIN PLATES / CONNECTION POINTS
· RUNNING RIGGING / LINE WORK / KNOTS / SPLICING
· TACKLE
· SAIL MAINTENANCE & REPAIR
· ESSENTIAL SPARES
VOYAGE PLANNING & PROVISIONING
· VOYAGE PLANNING & SEASONAL TIMING
· MEAL PLANNING, FOOD PROVISIONING, CANNING/PRESERVING FOODS
· DRY GOODS & MISC OTHER PERSONAL SUPPLIES
· CUSTOMS, VISAS & OTHER INTERNATIONAL PAPERWORK
· BOAT INSURANCE
· HEALTH INSURANCE
· FINANCES – BUDGETING & RECORD KEEPING
· BOOKS, CHARTS, WEB RESOURCES & OTHER REFERENCE
OTHER SKILLS
· FISHING
· LANGUAGE ESSENTIALS (SPANISH, FRENCH, TAHITIAN, AND MORE)
· SCUBA (RENEW MY PADI CERTIFICATION) / SNORKELING
· PERSONAL FITNESS (EXERCISE ON A BOAT IS A CHALLENGE!)
· WRITING, FILMING, EDITING (TO SHARE THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUTUBE)
Obviously, learning all these things would take years. If I waited until I was an expert at everything, I’d never leave the dock. And that does happen. People get overwhelmed by the process; their boat is never prepared enough, they never have enough money saved, it’s never a good time to stop working, etc. The dream of cruising can easily die on the dock.
My rule for success is simple: set a date to leave and keep moving forward. I fully recognize that many of the skills I will need will have to be learned along the way. The good news is that there are tremendously helpful books, websites, cruising blogs, and YouTube videos on nearly every subject imaginable. There are also on-line classes, both free and paid, that offer more in-depth education, so it’s possible to take a deep dive into some of the more critical areas, like marine electronics, diesel engine maintenance, fiberglass repair, sail repair, navigation, etc.
So it’s back to school for me, and honestly I’m really enjoying it. There’s something exciting and rewarding about learning a new skill, or in this case, dozens of new skills. I hope that whatever your passion is, it brings you a lifetime of learning and joy.
