7 tips for yachtsmen

"Give me five minutes to chop down a tree," says the woodcutter, "and I'll spend the first three sharpening the axe." This philosophy is also true for yachting, but the proportions here are more unbalanced.

emergency drills 

Remember that yachting is about safe leisure. Therefore, it is extremely important to practice skills and special teams on the water. It is necessary to bring the “man overboard” commands to automatism. This is necessary so that in the event of an emergency, the crew (and more importantly, the skipper) do not fall into a stupor. It is better to have this knowledge and skills and never use them than to panic and try to do something.

Also, do not forget that the performance of all emergency systems on your yacht is important. The life raft must inflate properly, the same applies to life jackets. With the crew, before going out even in coastal navigation, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive briefing on how to behave and not to behave in a given situation.

Steering failure

Steering failure is an unfortunate but not uncommon occurrence. Often these events do not depend directly on the skipper, so it is extremely important to know what to do in such a situation. ARC Series riders share their advice on steering issues.

Wolfgang Hass, skipper of the Jeanneau 54DS Gian, reminds me that it is very important to have a working and reliable emergency tiller. “Most emergency tillers are very short and you don't have much leverage,” he explained. “I welded extra lugs to my tiller so I could attach cables to it and steer it from the winch.”

Richard Foulkes, owner of a Swedish 390 Raven, replaces rudder bearings and steering cables before leaving for a long cruise. During the journey, Richard regularly inspected the steering gear. Knowing your steering gear, having spare parts available and knowing how to install them is a necessary skill for any boater.

Spare parts are everything

The repair kit and spare parts are really extremely important. It happens that a long transition can pass without a single breakdown. And on a day cruise, things can go wrong. And vice versa. Therefore, it is important to know your boat, how it works, what features it has and what parts it may need. You need to know those weak points that can bring some difficulties.

Effective offshore repairs with limited resources also require a good set of tools. Take care of them too. Well, do not forget about the good saying: "Patience and work will grind everything." If you have studied your boat well, prepared for possible breakdowns, then the only thing left for you in the event of a real breakdown is to collect your thoughts and fix the problem.

Deck Inspection Shortlist

What you need to check during your daily walk around the deck when sailing on the high seas:

• Standing rigging at deck level
• All rigging for wear and tear
• All deck blocks
• Staples and bows of chains
• Posts, shrouds and the state of the mainsail
• Safety lines and staysail sheets

It is also important to check and verify the correctness of the route. Route planning is one of those things that cannot be done completely right, except in hindsight. 

Electrical systems and their condition

As yachts become more technologically advanced, the specter of electrical faults is haunting us more than ever. These days, almost everything on board relies on electricity in one form or another: autopilot, refrigerator, water heater, navigation instruments, even heads and water systems on some yachts.

Before sailing, it is important to install a good charging system and check the condition of the batteries. Replace any batteries that show signs of wear. Power consumption and control on a yacht is a top priority. With six crew members each charging an iPhone or iPad, you could easily end up using far more electricity than planned.

Careful control of the state of charge and the availability of several charging methods are very important. Most of the boats were equipped with wind turbines and solar panels. Wind turbines have had mixed results on the move, but they work well when the yacht is at anchor.

Solar panels are reported to be a good companion during the day. But since it's 12 hours dark in the tropics, some yachts performed better during the long daylight hours in Scotland last summer than en route to the Caribbean.

Hydrogenerators appeared quite recently. Those who have installed them have been impressed with their power. Alas, their weak spot is garbage in the water. For those who use electric winches and air conditioners, diesel generators were often the only thing capable of keeping up with demand. There is no universal solution. If your power consumption is not very modest, then most likely you will need a hybrid solution.

The main points for checking electrical equipment

What to look for when checking electrical equipment:

• Take the time to understand your boat's electrical system and invest in training if you don't understand the subject.
• Wiring diagrams are very useful and worth creating if they don't already exist.
• Identify fuses for all critical systems and bring spares with you.

• Complete the DC troubleshooting training to have basic multimeter skills.
• Carry spare inverters and voltage reducers with you if you have navigation systems that depend on them.

How to keep your yacht in good condition

And a few more tips for keeping the yacht in good condition:

• Create a cooking and cleaning schedule to distribute this work among all crew members.
  Find a storage space for each item.
• Do not overfill cabinets as they may spill their contents when opened. Underfilling should also be avoided as things will rumble.
• If possible, carry out routine work, such as emptying holds, as it arises. Do not postpone it in the hope of completing the task in more favorable conditions.

We hope that our advice will be useful and you, if possible, will avoid all possible difficulties.

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06.08.2022