12 skills beyond yachtmaster The skills every good sailor should master
Rupert Holmes outlines the skills that mark out the good sailors from the great ones, with experience and reflective learning at the top of the list
The RYA’S Yachtmaster scheme does of superb job of accelerating learning and understanding where a candidate’s remaining weaknesses lie. However, while anyone who takes a Yachtmaster course invariably learns a great deal, there are some aspects that can’t be absorbed in such a short time. Maybe this explains why we’ve all met qualified Yachtmasters who haven’t yet mastered every aspect of skippering a yacht.
In any case, what really counts in producing a strong candidate is a combination of experience and reflective learning. Early in my skippering days, one of the most useful pieces of advice I received was from John Chittenden when he was cruising secretary of the RYA and before he went on to skipper yachts in two round-the- world races: ‘A good sailor is someone who looks back at what they have just done and works out how to do it better.’
In other words, experience alone is not enough – you must also learn from that experience. This concept applies to everyone who goes afloat, whether a competent crew or an aspiring Olympian. It’s also the route that delivers the satisfaction you get when achieving mastery of a complex discipline.
The minimum requirements for taking the Yachtmaster (Offshore) are relatively modest at 2,500 miles and 50 days at sea, although historically most successful candidates have an average closer to 7,500 miles. Those who employ Yachtmasters, including charter companies and delivery agencies, understand those who are newly qualified will be less knowledgeable and capable than a candidate with several years’ experience. This is particularly true for those with the Yachtmaster (Coastal) qualification, which has a less strict experience requirement.
Put simply, the Yachtmaster can’t cover everything, especially as yacht design and technology has changed so much in the last 50 years. However, some things remain true – an uncontrolled gybe is still dangerous, for instance.
1 Sail any boat with confidence
Yachtmaster candidates are expected to demonstrate their prowess at closequarters boat handling, even if they are taking the exam on a boat that’s very different to their own. By the end of a preparation course you should have got the measure of the boat in which the exam is taken, even if it’s only a week’s refresher.
Nevertheless, successfully manoeuvring a whole gamut of boats of differing styles in a tight space requires knowledge that can’t be imparted as easily. Granted, you can expect to get lots of expert pointers for assessing the relative influences of wind and tide to which all boats are subjected, but the only way to be able to successfully predict how boats of very different styles will respond is through direct experience of each one.
Practice: Go sailing on as many different boats as possible, whether through racing, chartering, or going along with other cruisers from your club. Ask for a turn on the helm when mooring. It’ll keep you on your toes, and sharpen your skills for your own boat.
2 fine-tune your Sail-handling Sense
It’s easy to dismiss racing as the dark side – rowdy, pushy and impolite – and that it’s of no relevance to cruising. However, the noisy boats are usually found towards the back of the fleet and, as with cruising, the best sailors know a calm and measured approach is the key to good outcomes.
Cruisers rarely have time pressure and so can get on with sail handling and other deck work at their own pace, but that can lead to gross inefficiencies that make the task unnecessarily time consuming. More seriously, this can also make it harder to dig yourself out of unexpected problems.
A successful race team analyses every action in detail, often down to the timing of individual hand movements, and has a plan for when things go wrong. Applying similar principles to sail handling when cruising can reduce effort and minimise snags.
Practice: Go through each manoeuvre on board – setting sail, tacking, gybing, trimming – and work out the precise order required for maximum efficiency with your crew to minimise dancing around each other and reducing rope tangles. It’s also worth spending an afternoon playing with sail settings such as jib car and traveller position and halyard and outhaul tension, with an eye on your boat speed to get it moving properly.
3 anchor with assurance (and know when not to)
While the RYA syllabus includes anchoring, candidates are unlikely to get enough of it to become accustomed to getting a solid night of stress-free slumber. The only way to achieve this is experience and good ground tackle that’s well dug in, ideally with plenty of engine revs in reverse.
To start with, choose a well-sheltered bay with good holding, plenty of space and a calm night or light offshore wind. It may take a few nights before you sleep soundly, but the effort is time well spent – there are few things better than waking up in a stunning anchorage on a bright morning. Another factor that helps a good night’s sleep is knowing when to worry. Other boats anchored too close, iffy holdings and dodgy or changing weather are all worthy concerns that may warrant changing your plans.
Practice: Next time you’re out cruising, commit to spending at least one night at anchor, rather than heading for the nearest marina. You’ll save some money and soon build confidence. Make sure your anchor is properly set and check with a transit, before setting your boat’s anchor depth and position alarms for peace of mind.