Making the New Years resolutions that matter most—World Cruising news

by David Schmidt, Sail-World Cruising Editor on 4 Jan 2016 The changing of the year provides a wonderful time for reflection, quiet contemplation about things that went well and things that could be improved upon, and making big-picture plans that help shape and define the New Year. While it’s always good to consider resolutions such volunteering your time with an environmental non-profit or a soup kitchen, it’s also wise to resolve to take better care of yourself in the coming year. But instead of fad diets, restricting cherished vices, or improving one’s posture, we’re talking about something far deeper in the soul: Sailing.

Once you’ve been bitten by the cruising bug, it’s hard to have so much as a warm and mundane cup of coffee in your hand on the hard and not envision yourself standing in the cockpit, your world shrouded by morning fog, listening to a quiet sounds of the harbor and water lapping against the hull. The affliction only intensifies when one sees a fresh breeze stir the forest canopy or when one watches cat paws race across even a decidedly modest body of water, and it may occupy far more of your subconscious mind than you fully understand.

If this describes your situation-and trust us, we know its symptoms well-there’s only one New Years resolution that will do, namely logging more cruising miles with your family and friends in 2016 than you managed in 2015.

While this might sound easier said than done with hectic work and family schedules, ultimately this is a resolution that boils down to setting defined priorities and properly equipping your boat so that it’s easy to pop away for a quick one-night or weekend escape, sans a huge amount of provisioning and packing…the humdrum tedium that can sap motivation and lead to more time wasted in the garden (or worse, doing real house work).

The great news here is that the international marine industry has reached a point of maturity and product development that was unfathomable even 20 years ago. Take, for example, modern electronics, including electronic cartography, AIS, and GPS. Stir in a radar, and the modern cruising sailor has a powerful set of navigation and collision-avoidance tools at her disposal that was the stuff of dreams even a decade ago. Factor in the new auto-routing features that are found on some cartography kits, and these tools also make casual cruising a lot easier.

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Read enough old sailing literature and you will quickly come upon accounts of sailors riding storm-tossed seas belowdecks, re-stitching torn or shredded canvas, and it quickly becomes apparent that a cruising sailboat is no better than a bird with a broken wing, should a critical sail blow out. Modern sails use materials that are far stronger than the textiles that were available a quarter century ago and are designed to take the repeated reefing, flaking, hoisting and trimming cycles that so many cruising sails experience over their working lives.

Here, however, it’s important to remember that all equipment has defined lifespans (think brakes on your car), and while it’s possible to press this envelope occasionally, nothing ruins a cruise faster than spending a night hobbling along at 2 knots while the crew is belowdecks, re-stitching a broken sail. As the veteran of many, many small puncture wounds from sailmaker’s needles, I can personally attest to the fact that it’s better to buy a new sail than it is to test the limits of a friendship (or a marriage) with a sailmaker’s palm and a lumpy seaway.

Another critical piece of equipment for easily sneaking away for a couple of nights with your significant other is an anchor windlass. Given the fact that just two people operate most cruising boats, a windlass is a necessity, especially if anchor-hauling duties would otherwise fall to your first mate. Add in a small saltwater hose (or just a bucket and a lanyard) to the windlass kit, and your crew can now effortlessly raise the anchor and free it of any harbor muck before pulling it aboard, saving headaches and hassles.

In addition to provisioning great victuals and libations, a final piece of commonly overlooked cruising gear than can simplify life aboard for all crewmembers is a loudhailer system with radio mics, so that a crewmember on the bow can be heard over a breeze. Not only can this equipment significantly reduce instances of miscommunication, but it can also ameliorate the chances of hurt feelings or wounded egos when shouting usurps calmly talking.

Ultimately, the resolution to get out cruising more often in the New Year is a personal one, but-provided that your yacht is properly equipped for a weekend (or multi-week) escape-one that can also be immensely rewarding for all on board.

As for helping out at the soup kitchen or working with local environmental non-profits, odds are excellent that you will have more energy for these far more humanitarian efforts if you make sure to also nurture your own soul with plenty of perfect beam reaches and quiet anchorages throughout the year.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, salty, and successful 2016 from your friends at Sail-World.com!

May the four winds blow you safely home,