Catch of the day
Crossing tips? Have a party once a week when conditions are suitable. Have a siesta when off watch – you’ll be fresher after a rest from each other’s company. Shorten the watches if conditions get bad; self-steering can let you down in heavy weather.
Jobs for the girls
Laurel Cooper Why can’t more women get professional racing gigs?
Mixed crews are the answer. We are an amateur team of six women and three men. We are at, or near, the top of our fleet most races and won our last race.
Our women perform every bit as well as the men and the attitude issues that I’ve seen on many all-male teams is simply not there. Win, lose or draw we I’m good for eight hours. Works every time. Just a note about your online video on fishing (see yachtingworld.com/fishing). In the tropics, dorado is the fish you are most likely to catch far away from land.
If you have more than one line in the water, you are more likely to hook up more than one fish at a time. I deal with one at a time, keeping the boat slow ahead (if you stop the boat it’s easy for the fish to throw the hook).
Big dorado can be a pain to deal with as they tend to go mad as hell once the shock of the gaff has passed (a few seconds). It is very dangerous if you are fishing with double-hooked lures.
My preferred method for dorado is to stick my thumb through the skin and into the fish just below/behind the pectoral fin. That allows you to get a proper hold of the fish while you subdue it.
Paul Smithson
Gillie Hutchinson
I am always seasick no matter the weather. Seasickness tablets work for me because they send me to sleep within the hour for the entire day. It just doesn’t help my boyfriend as he has to stay awake all day for a cross Channel!
Faye Jones
There is only one ‘cure’ for seasickness: lie down under a shady tree. However, should you find yourself without the necessary equipment then I recommend the occasional ginger snap, eaten very slowly, and sips of fresh water.
Courtney Hazelton
Half a pint of rum followed by two beers. Add one beer every ten minutes after that. Repeat until you no longer feel the symptoms.
Jack Von Stiffler
Mix some sardines, onions, a soupspoon of red wine, two garlic, put everything in a blender and drink that one shot. You never get seasick after that! Guaranteed.
Pierre M de Ruelle