Happy New Year! As I was going through my usual reading of sailing magazines, websites, blog and vlogs, I came across an article by British sailor and author Nikki Henderson that pricked my interest. Her subject is seamanship and all that it involves.
I have sailed with hundreds of sailors and in the company of hundreds of other cruising boats and have to admit that we’ve seen every level of seamanship from superb to awful.
The awful end of things often involves bareboat charter crews who don’t have the knowledge or the experience to know better. They anchor too close and fail to pay out enough scope. They don’t know the rules of the road so they endanger those who do. They come into the dock too fast while shouting at each other and haven’t got a clue about spring lines and mooring techniques.
On the superb end of the spectrum, you find skippers and crew who have seen it all and learned much along the way. They anticipate situations well in advance so they are rarely surprised or out of control. They know how to hand reef and steer like pros and seldom if ever have to raise their voices. A really competent crew will work together seamlessly like a well-oiled machine, whether that be just two in couple or twelve on a racing boat.
Nikki Henderson’s article delves even deeper into the subject and explores the role character plays in the making of a sailor possessing a high level of seamanship. And, it is a two-way street since becoming an expert sailor and boat handler builds character while character helps build seamanship and hopefully improves character in the sailors around them.
