Over the Fourth of July weekend two radio calls were overheard to the USCG where vessels lost engine power and were drifting in traffic channels. The people were in panic mode not knowing what to do.
Fortunately for us, Tradewinds teaches to prepare the boats for sailing even if we are planning to just motor for the day. This means taking the mainsail cover off, hooking up the halyard and preparing the mainsheet for use.
You may see non-Tradewinds boats going out with sail covers on and in the mind of the skipper, there may be a legitimate reason.
Even with pro-active maintenance, engine failure on a boat is not as rare as you might imagine.
Lets keep doing it right and completely get the boat ready for a fun day on the water.
If you watch the experienced skippers at Tradewinds, you will notice they never leave the slip without checking:
- The main is hooked up and ready to deploy
- The jib is available and ready to deploy
- They have checked that the anchor is ready to deploy and the bitter end is secured to the boat
If you ask one of them why, they’ll most likely have a story to tell you about the one time they didn’t. That’s how they became experienced, after all!
Submitted by Tradewinds Instructor Bill Yawn
I have a friend who has a favorite saying: “Experience is that thing you get right after you need it.” Thanks for all the great tips, Skipper Bill.