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25 Gold Tips

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Vacation time is undoubtedly an important part of our lives.

Just because most of us get this opportunity only a few weeks every year, one could say holidays are sacred and nothing should go wrong as we should be careful:

  • To not find ourselves in danger.
  • To avoid injuries.
  • And to not lose our security deposit for the yacht charter.

 For these reasons, we have prepared 25 GOLD TIPS, presented below for carefree sailing vacations!

WEATHER CONDITIONS

  1. Have installed an application on phone (for free or at a minimal cost), which informs us of the weather, eg Windy (download here: Windy for iPhone, Windy for Android)
  2. Always reef our sails when the wind gets stronger so that the sail pressure remains within reasonable limits.

 SAILING

  1. Have a navigation application installed on phone, such as Navionics.
  2. Keep an eye on any crew member moving around the deck when waves are strong.
  3. During the trip, especially when using the autopilot, ALL crew members continuously check the horizon for other vessels, or floating objects.
  4. The crew avoids the consumption of alcohol while the skipper does so altogether. Alcotests are carried out at sea, with severe consequences.

 INJURY

  1. Before sailing out, Check the location of the pharmacy box on board and make sure it is properly stocked.
  2. Do not walk barefoot around the deck.
  3. Keep a safe distance from the anchor chain when handling the control.

 FIRE

  1. Before sailing out check the position of our fire extinguishers on board.
  2. Always turn off the gas supply when not in use.

 ANCHORS

  1. Make sure you are informed about the morphology of the seafloor when approaching the shores.
  2. Anchor at depths less than 20m, with an extended chain at least 4 times the depth.
  3. When anchored on a rocky bottom, make sure to tie an anchor retriever to the anchor chain.
  4. During overnight stays, the masthead light is on.
  5. Using an app that monitors and alerts you about the movement of your anchored boat: Anchor alarm for Android- Anchor alarm for IOS.

 SUN PROTECTION

  1. Always wear a hat and sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF). Excessive exposure to the sun may cause sun burns and even skin cancer. The lighter the skin tone, the greater the risk.

 PROPELLER

  1. Plastic bags that float on your way may stop our propeller or worse, shut off the water supply to the engine.This will cause the engine temperature to rise sharply, so you must shut it off immediately!
  2. Before turning on the engine, make sure that there are no ropes in the water with the risk of getting caught in your propeller.

EQUIPMENT DAMAGE

  1. Before departure, make sure that all items inside the boat are secured and that the dinghy is tightly attached to the deck (do not drag it behind while you are sailing). You wouldn’t want to break a laptop, or the boat flashlight, or destroy the drawer with the cutlery as soon as the boat suddenly gets a steep tilt.
  2. While the engine is set on reverse ('going astern') you should always hold the wheel, in order to avoid the wheel spinning in the wrong direction and cause the boat to hit something you did not wish to hit.
  3. Do not throw toilet paper in the WC basin, but rather in a small bag or bin next to it.
  4. Keep the gangway at a safe distance from the dock when the boat is tied. During the voyage, make sure that it will not come loose, but will remain secured in an upright position.

 HANDLING OF EQUIPMENT

  1. Close all the hatches during the trip, regardless of the weather conditions, so they are not destroyed by the jib sail, and no water gets into the cabins.
  2. Do not leave exterior cushions or towels spread out when you are not on board. They are very likely to get blown away by the wind.