Monday 1 June 2015

8 useful tips on coastal cruising

Have you bought yourself a Spinnaker sail boat and now you think that you are all ready for coastal cruising? Now, that’s a great idea since this will not only it let you explore your adventurous side but will also be an ideal weekend getaway.
But you should know how to navigate your boat in the right way. That’s kind of challenging for new sailors. Below are 8 handy tips—
•You should first lay out an itinerary and choose your sails accordingly. Take advice of experienced sailors if you don’t know which one to choose for which kind of weather.

• You should know how to operate various electronic navigation equipment like GPS, radar, depth sounder, HF and VHF radios.

• You should be familiar with the sound of various alarms and learn what they mean, and you should also know how to handle different types of cruising situations.

• Always look for the forecast of next five days before setting out.

• You should have the skill to carry out a few mechanical adjustment and other repairing work all by yourself. You should be able to detect any anomaly with your boat at the earliest instance.

• You’ll need to understand the water currents and cope up with any sudden change. It requires practice. Initially, always sail with an experienced crew member on board.

• Do keep enough food, drinkable water and medicine in stock. Even if you are out for two days, you’ll never know when an emergency would strike.

• It’s okay to be adventurous but don’t ever ignore safety measures. If you have children on board, then you’ll need to be more careful. Keep enough life jackets and wear PFDs.

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