Harnesses and Grog Offshore

Over the years and many tens of thousands of miles offshore, I have sailed with a wide variety of skippers and more often than not been the skipper myself. Not every skipper runs his or her boat the same way. Some want a very tight ship on which the rules are many and clear and obeying them is enforced. Some skippers are just the opposite and prefer to keep things aboard very casual with free form watch systems, no galley routine and plenty of beer at sundown. But, most competent and experienced skippers fall somewhere in between and will set up a sensible watch system, have a clear galley routine, and dole out specific jobs to the crew most suited for them. In this scenario, there are always a couple of dos and don’ts that come up. One is whether or not the crew on watch have to wear their PFDs while on deck? Most of us now have inflatable PFDs with built-in harnesses which are fairly comfortable to wear in cool weather but can be bulky, hot and uncomfortable in warm weather. Aboard my boats, we tend to leave the PFDs off in calm, warm weather during daylight hours and don them at night and when the weather turns sour. The other question has to do with grog. I’ve sailed on dry ships and wet ones and have found over the years that crew who drink steadily at sea are unsafe and unreliable shipmates. But, a sundowner on a calm evening is for many skippers a civilized part of shipboard routine that keeps the crew happy and gives everyone a social hour together. On my boats, it all depends on the weather. If the afternoon is calm and the prospects for the night good, then a beer before dinner is okay. But if the weather is blustery and the forecast more of the same, then we’ll save the sundowner for another day. How do you like to run your offshore shipboard routine?  You can email your thoughts to: george@bwsailing.com