10 mistakes of novice yachtsmen

Sailing does not forgive carelessness and mistakes. Novice captains who have just come to yachting often forget about important little things, which later can turn out to be a big problem. Let's look at the most popular mistakes and find out how to avoid them when sailing a yacht.

Carelessness with ropes
In a hurry, novice sailors forget to disassemble the ropes and untangle unnecessary knots before they start working with the sails. As a result, the cockpit space becomes like a multi-colored ball of snakes, and at the most inopportune moment you can step on it with your foot, get tangled up, risking injury.

Tip: Make it a rule to always keep the cockpit tidy, and just in case, go through the ropes every time before you start working on the sails. Replace damaged ropes with new ones.

Rope burns and injuries
For some reason, beginners who have barely finished their yachting training think they can do everything quickly and neglect basic safety rules. The most popular mistake is working with winches and ropes without gloves and trying to hold ropes with bare hands. All this - until the first sharp gust, when the yacht weighing several tons will definitely be stronger than the most muscular yachtsman.

Tip: work with rigging in yachting gloves, do not pull sharply the ropes and halyards, but use winches for this purpose. Watch the position of your fingers, perform the actions correctly to avoid damaging your hands.

Long dinghy rope
Even beginners understand: if the rope with which the rubber dinghy (also known as a tuzik) is tied to the yacht is too short, then when crossing the rubber boat will hit the stern of the vessel, from which the property will deteriorate and the crew will feel discomfort. But too long a rope runs the risk of winding up on the propeller, especially when anchoring in a cove where the dinghy will limit your maneuverability.

Tip: before anchoring, make sure that the rope connecting the dinghy to the sailboat is shortened. Or always hoist the rubber dinghy aboard before making long passages.

Improper anchoring
Beginning sailors believe that nothing is easier than anchoring in a wild cove. However, due to their lack of yachting experience, they make a number of mistakes. Firstly, it is the wrong depth chosen, which makes the anchor unable to catch the bottom. Secondly, insufficient chain length is given for overnighting, making the yacht more vulnerable. Thirdly, weather changes are not taken into account, for example, if the wind and waves increase, the anchorage will no longer be safe.

Tip: choose your anchorage carefully, taking all factors into account, and try to stay away from other yachts to avoid anchors getting tangled.

Abrupt lifting of the anchor
An anchor hole under the bowsprit is one of the most popular damages during a charter. The fact is that when raising the anchor before leaving the anchorage, the yachtsman does not even look at how fast the anchor rises and with what force it can hit the yacht with its sharp ends.

Tip: Raise the anchor gradually, at slow speed, with a few points in mind. Raise the anchor above the water, making sure it is clean and in position. Then carefully lay it back down to its original position without any sudden movements.

Lack of a plan of action
Typical newbie yachting behavior is making last-minute decisions and giving conflicting commands to the crew, which inevitably wreaks havoc during a sailing competition or mooring in the marina.

The solution: think through the sequence of your actions in advance. If necessary, write it down or talk it through with your crew. With experience, this will become automatic.

Ignoring the weather forecast
Beginning yachtsmen for some reason do not consider it necessary to specify what surprises of nature can wait for them at sea. But he who is warned is armed. Information about the weather and wind direction will help you choose a more comfortable anchorage for the night, avoid storms and take care of equipment in advance.

Tip: Download a weather forecast app for boaters and make it a habit to open it every time before you leave a safe anchorage or go camping for a few days.

Failed mooring in the marina
There is a reason why mooring is emphasized during yachting instruction, as it is one of the conditions for obtaining a license. However, many people lack practice. It is often possible to hit the moorings of nearby yachts with your keel, bump your stern on the pier or bump into other boats.

Tip: move in the marina at low speed, carefully watch the distance to other boats, take into account the wind direction, hang outboard and aft cranes in advance, if you are not sure of your strength or tired - call a mariner who will help you dock.

Lack of suitable equipment
It may be cool to stand barefoot and bare-chested at the helm of a yacht with the wind tangling in your hair. But not wearing headgear can lead to sunstroke, handling ropes with bare hands can lead to bloody palms, and slip-on or non-slip-off shoes can lead to injuries and fractures.

Tip: use shoes and gloves when working on the boat, do not be in direct sunshine without headgear.

Dehydration
When you are constantly on the water, you are somehow less thirsty, but your body loses much more moisture than on land. If you forget to drink water, you risk dehydration.

Tip: drink more water if you need to, set yourself a reminder or have someone else do this important mission. Purchase handy closed mugs or individual reusable water bottles.