No two days area exactly alike. And of course there are “stay” days when you don’t travel, but just hang out in a port or anchorage, sightseeing, hiking, or taking care of maintenance, laundry, boat cleaning, etc. The following is an example of a “go” day when we’re atually sailng from place to place.
The day actually starts the night before when we look at nautical charts, tide charts and weather reports to plan the passage. The goal is to try to get the stars to align between :
- Safe weather
- Favorable winds
- Favorable tides & currents
- Timing for daylight arrival
- Taking scheduled business meetings (virtual)
Of course, it’s not always possible to align all of these, but we try to cover as many as possible. The only non-negotiable one is safe weather. Forecasts aren’t perfect and one always has to hope for the best while planning for the wost, but forecast models have come a long way in their accuracy. We usually check multiple sources. Unless there’s a requirement to do so, we avoid winds over 25 knots, waves over 4 feet, thunderstorms, and similar.
Next, we plot a course. This used to be done with paper charts and special plotting tools. Now, with GPS and sophisticated electronics, we do computer-aided plotting. We use an iPad with a chartplotter application called Navionics Boating. Based on the characteristics of the boat, it automatically traces an optimized route. Some sailors use more sophistated tools such as PredictWind that take into account wind to further optimize the course. Although it’s supposed to avoid shallow water and other hazards, we don’t completely trust it, so we manually review the plot, waypoint by waypoint to make sure we agree. We then upload the plot to Fregata’s main chartplotter using a standard format for sharing navigational data. We continue to use both the main plotter and the iPad for redundancy in case one fails.
The day before also includes checking fuel, water, and battery charge. In the engine room, we check the oil and clean the raw water strainer. Diesel engines are cooled by exchanging the heat of the enghine with circulating cool seawater. The seawater passes through a strainer to catch seaweed or other debris.
If we’ve been using the dinghy, we hoist it onto the davits and secure it for travel.
We take a general look around to make sure everything else looks copacetic.
The morning of, we’re usually up at first light. For longer passages, we sometimes depart well before dawn. It’s easier to exit a known anchorage or port in the dark, than it is to arrive at an unknown one.
After a strong shot of coffee, we do a final weather check. We secure the cabin, locking cabinet doors and drawers, putting away anything loose, and closing hatches. We turn on the navigation equipment, which includes the chart plotter, VHF radio, wind and depth instruments, radar, and autopilot. We start the engine, and put on two-way headsets. To arrive or leave a mooring, dock, or anchorage, one person drives the boat from the helm, while the other positions himself or herself on the deck. It’s very hard to hear each other, so we use headsets to avoid shouting. Some cruising couples call them, “marriage savers”.
Leaving takes careful coordination and it’s different depending if you’re anchored, on a mooring or tied up to a dock.
Because of shifting tidal currents, the anchor chain may not lie in a straight line between the boat and the anchor. To avoid straining the windlass, the person at the bow observes the direction of the chain as it comes up and instructs the person at the helm to go forward or reverse, attempting to keep the chain directly below the bow, and not taut. The preson at the bow progressively raisees the anchor using a remote controlled windlass (a winchlike device specialized for anchor chain). There’s a spraydown pump at the bow that is used to wash mud off of the chain and anchor as they come up. Once the anchor is safely on board, the helmsperson is told to drive away and start following the course.
Leaving a mooring is simple. It’s just a matter of taking the pennant (rope connecting the boat to the mooring chain) off of the bow cleat and dropping it in the water.
Leaving a dock can be simple on still days, but if the wind is blowing parallel to or toward the dock, it takes careful planning in terms of which lines can be untied first. The most crtical lines are untied last. In the case of a leeward dock, a spring line is used in concert with the engine and bow thruster to point the boat away from the dock before untying the last line.
There’s often help available. That’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s helpful as we like to be onboard when the last lines are untied. On the other hand, some “help” is either inexperienced passers-by, or know-it-alls that want to do it their way, foiling the carefully planned maneuver. We sometimes have to be forceful, while being grateful.
Once we’re underway, we adopt a 2-hour watch schedule. During a watch, the designated skipper drives the boat, keeping it on course, and is responsible for keeping a watch for other vessels or hazards. The skipper also maintains radio watch, meaning listening to the VHF radio for important information, and responding to calls specifically to our vessel. When it’s foggy, the skipper also watches the radar for other vessels or obstructions. The off-duty other crew member remains available to assist with maneuvers under the skipper’s command, but otherwise is free to rest, read, work, etc. Whoever is not on watch also takes care of preparing coffee and meals.
They say sailing is 90% “boredom” and 10% “panic”. This refers to the fact that most of the active work happens for a brief moment at departure, on arrival, or during maneuvers. In between, there’s often not much work required. When the weather is stable and the wind is constant, we can pretty much leave the sails alone (“set it and forget it”), and delegate steering to the autopilot. There are exceptions to this, such as sailing upwind, with constant tacking maneuvers. The main activity of the skipper is to keep the boat on course and to keep the vessel and crew safe. In Maine, it also includes avoiding lobster traps!
Even during those conditions when the boat mostly sails itself, the skipper must stay constanty vigilant. It only takes the time of reading a text message to sneak up on a lobster trap, or for another vessel to appear.
Before arrival, there is work to be done. An arrival plan is made, again depending if its an anchorage, morring or dock.
When ancboring, again, a crew person is stationed at the bow to deploy the anchor. The helmsperson drives the boat slowly in reverse to make sure the anchor chain lays nicely. Once enough chain is deployed, we test it by marking the spot on the chart plotter, and driving harder in reverse to make we stay in the same place. We set an anchor alert, which is a simple smartphone applicatin that alerts you to dragging the anchor or moving more than a maximum allowed distance.
Mooring requires driving the boat slowly toward the mooring, and having a crew member pick up the tenant with a boat hook. This requires careful coordination. A boat can’t steer when it’s going too slow, but it needs to be at a full stop when over the mooring ball.
Docking is the most complex. First, it requires inflating and deploying fenders on the side of the boat. It requires setting up docking lines for the particular situation: alongside, bow in, stern in, or Mediterranean mooring (typical in Europe). As with departure, a plan is made as to which lines to tie up first and last. And, as with departure, help onshore needs to be managed with a blend of forceful instructions, and gratefulness. Often dockhands are students working for the summer. They appreciate a tip so we keep a reserve of cash onboard for that purpose.
Once secure, we enter arrival information in the ship’s log, turn off the instruments and engine, put away life jackets. If we’re at anchor or on a mooring, and plan to go ashore, we deploy the dinghy.
That’s it in a nutshell. In the evening, we make dinner, relax with a book or a movie, and start all over again!
