Thinking about heading out over the horizon for one of those exotic landfalls you have read about in one of the sailing magazines and wondering if you and your boat are ready!  Wondering what skills you need to hone and what upgrades and equipment additions are needed to make the dream possible.

Over the next few blog posts I am going to address these issues under the title of Essential Skills and Essential Equipment, starting with the skills you need to hone and then addressing what your boat might need.  All the skills I am going to talk about are really quite basic sailing skills but ones that new cruisers have told me they wished they had practiced and been more proficient in before they headed off cruising full time.

All of us started out in sailing the same way, a first boat that was small, eventually moving up in size to our dream vessel, day sailing, weekend cruises, vacation cruises but only if the weather was good, if it was a rainy day or weekend or if there was just a bit more wind than we liked we’d find something else to do.  Well that option ends when you head out cruising full time.  Now you are going to have to learn to sail, to reef, to anchor and stand watch at night in conditions you would never have gone sailing in before you set off cruising.

Reefing; A very basic skill that believe it or not a lot of people have never done! Most of you have probably put in at least the first reef fairly frequently but how often have you put in the second or third reef?  The fact is a lot of people don’t go sailing when the winds dictate a second or third reef be used.  I see a lot of boats where these reef points haven’t even been rigged for use! 

It is important that you practice putting in all reefs in a variety of conditions so that you can discover and correct any problems you find. On each reef look to see that the out haul line runs free and isn’t chafing on anything, particularly around places like the out haul car as in the photo above or on the edges of the sheave box at the aft end of the boom.

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If you reef standing at the mast make sure that the clew cringle or rings reach the reefing hooks, if not, install longer dog bones with rings or have a sailmaker install a jackline to release the slides from the luff allowing the reef cringles to reach the reefing hook.

If your reef lines and halyards all lead to the cockpit do they all lead fair from the point of origin thru the blocks at the base of the mast then onto the turning blocks on deck to the cockpit?  Are they arranged in such a fashion you can put your hands on the lines you need in the dark?  Are they all long enough?  If, when the mainsail is at full hoist do any of the control lines from the boom and mast have a tail in the cockpit that is over 5’ long?  If so, cut them off leaving no more than 5′ or 6′ and whip the end, this way you don’t have more line in the cockpit than you need, At times it is going to be a big enough rats nest as it is, don’t add to it!  Learn the most ergonomic place to stand to grind winches on the cabin top while reefing.  With reef lines and halyards all in the cockpit you are going to do a lot of grinding so find the best place to stand and do so, otherwise you are inviting back and shoulder problems.

If you reef standing at the mast find your support and balance points so on a pitching deck you know what to lean against, hold on to and what is available to clip your tether into.  Practice reefing and shaking out reefs so you know what line does what especially if you tie in the reef points along each reef.  Failure to cast one off when shaking out a reef can result in a very large tear in the middle of your main!  If this is your practice then color code your reef lines to make it easy to see if you haven’t forgotten one.

Practice at night without any lights, yes you can turn on deck lights or wear a head lamp but lights fail and I find it a rare night when there isn’t enough ambient light to work on deck by star and moon light.

If you want to get an uninterrupted off watch sleep period teach all members of the crew to reef, you’ll be glad you did!  Be patient with crew that are learning to reef, there are several steps involved and they need to learn them by themselves!  Guide them, keep your voice and manner calm, let them make mistakes, they will get it right.  The first time you wake up to hear them discussing the need for a reef or to shake one out without waking you up you will find the effort to have been well worth it!

People ask all the time, where did I learn what I know and how did I become proficient at it.  Time on the Water is my answer, get out sailing, push your experience envelope, it is the only way to learn.  Do it now before you head out the learning curve will be just as long but not as stressful for you or your crew.  By the way when I say get out sailing I don’t mean just you, take the whole crew so they can learn too!