Cruise with Confidence: Lessons Learned from Coaching New Cruisers

Over the past 20 years, we have been deeply involved in preparing and mentoring sailors for the cruising lifestyle.  This often starts with a phone call, “We have a dream to go cruising – but don’t really know where to start,” or “We have been weekend sailors and charterers for many years, but as we approach retirement, we want to sell up, move aboard, and do extensive cruising.”  Although different in scope, both scenarios often result in our giving overlapping training and advice to prepare these cruisers for the “cruising lifestyle.” 

We are cruisers, passagemakers, American Sailing Master Instructors and textbook authors, and we’d like to share some tips we’ve learned for becoming happy and successful cruisers.  If any of these resonate with you, we invite you to join us at our ASA seminar in Annapolis for some in-depth discussion.

Discover your “Why.”  What’s your deep-down motivation to this lifestyle?

Discover your partner’s “Why.”  Are your “whys” compatible and seaworthy?

Time: As we know too well, time is finite. Cruising has to fit with many other priorities (e.g. retirement, children, grandchildren, pets). There might never be the perfect time, but if you leave it too long, you may never depart the dock.

Money: Like time, money is another finite resource. Cruising is possible on a limited budget using scale and economy.

Have the Right Boat: We’d all like the best and biggest cruising yacht, but that won’t necessarily make cruising more fun – especially if you have a $1 million mortgage! Select the boat that meets your cruising plans, budget, and capabilities.

Training / Experience: Only by doing will you learn if this is right for you. We’ve known sailors who discover while on a training passage that cruising can be physically and mentally demanding.  Cruising has many rewards, but that comes after hard work and challenges. Be prepared.

Focused learning: You can’t become an expert at everything!  If you are a couple, focus on what you enjoy and want to learn;  divide and conquer.  Boat systems, communications, medical and weather are important and diverse topics.

Have a plan: Work on a departure date, have a list of tasks and a calendar of events. There is much to do, so break it down into measurable components.

Reduce stress: Boat is now home, new lifestyle, unfamiliar environment, timelines – each can be a stress factor.  We’ll share techniques to address and reduce stress.

Safety:  Establish and follow safety rules that make sense for you and your boat.

Prepare as best you can:  You will probably never be 100%, as there’s always another project to do. Focus on making you and your boat safe to cruise, and go! 

Practice Docking:  While cruising, you’ll encounter widely varied docking scenarios. Learn the principles, and practice with your boat’s maneuvering characteristics.

Go Sailing: Finally, during all this readiness planning, don’t forget to sail!   Sail in varied conditions, find out what works or doesn’t, and optimize the sail inventory that you have.

We’d love to meet you at our ASA seminar in Annapolis, or virtually during our online classes.  Contact us at info@kineticsail.com.