‘Tis the season

by John Curnow on 21 Nov 2016 So yes, ho, ho, ho. May everyone have a jolly old time, and come to think of it, a safe one too. It was on that last point that this collection of miscellaneous ramblings got founded. No doubt entirely due to some material I was preparing on various safety aspects, but also and very much equally, because of musings from SV Taipan in Holland and Ta-b in far warmer climes.

Soon, depending on where you are on the blue and green ball, you’ll be on a boat that may not have been used for a while or was stored miles and miles from your other terrestrial home. Boats are funny things. There is no such thing as a five-minute job, they’re called she for a reason, they have the capacity to bring you such happy times, and can also make it all come unstuck so very, very smartly.

So if you have not been on board for one reason or another in some time, maybe now is a good time to stop and consider all the things you should do before taking off on a holiday jaunt. After all, you would not go on a road trip without getting the car serviced, topped the fluids up, checked battery, tyres and so forth.

Now if you’re a list kind of person then along with all the cleaning and preparation jobs you’ll want to do, maybe add inspection of seacocks, keel bolts, batteries, and tanks. What’s the state of the flares and the grab bag? Do the sails need to go to the sail maker to be repaired? Has the UV light decayed stitching, the clears on the dodger, or rendered the life ring useless?

These are but a few of the things on anyone’s list, but if you’re going to something that has been dormant for a good while, whether just a few miles form home or a few thousand, wouldn’t you want to know? Your safety and that of your guests is at stake, and if you’re heading up the coast or off to the islands, it would be good to know the spare fan belts have not perished and the genset is going to chug away happily to make all that AC power you need.

When you distil it right down, it is meant to be all about happy times, and that means people and then objects (in that order) returning as they started out, minus the odd bit of wear and tear. New experiences come out of new skills. Some are born from problem solving on the job, as it were. Now why is it that every time I think of learning on the fly the taste of Diesel comes back to my mouth. I mean really, bleeding the cast iron topsail does save your bacon, but can’t we remember something more pleasant? Honestly?

Then of course there are things you can learn before hand, like a top up on your nav, general seamanship and safety skills. Correct and up to date charts, a read of the local Pilot or cruising guide and some down and dirty research are also nice things to have a tick beside on your list.

Now at any rate this is about getting set for passage making, new guests, maybe some new anchorages and of course, new and wonderful memories. Otherwise, why the hell do it at all…

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