Bull Sails. Sailmakers

One of the most frustrating parts of owning a yacht is finding and keeping a regular crew. It is not uncommon for skippers every week to be making numerous phone calls and sending emails out desperately searching for people to make up the numbers. It is an ongoing and very onerous task; remember we all sail for recreational purposes so who needs this hassle every week? There are two facets to this dilemma, firstly how do we find the crew we need and secondly how do we keep them? It is fairly well documented that a lot of sailors leave the sport in their late teens and tend to return again in the early to mid forties. Some of the reasons for this are obvious, as part of early adulthood most people are faced with quite a drastic lifestyle change, they are thrust out into the workplace or tertiary education takes over, for many of them they have their first pay packet in hand and have expendable income for partying and spending on themselves, not to mention the lure of the relationshi...

A Calm Head can help you get ahead. We all get the opportunity to watch a lot of sporting events. Whilst not one to sit for hours in front of a screen watching games, I do enjoy watching team sports when the scores or result is up for grabs. Regardless of the sport, a few things are almost guaranteed. The team that retains its composure and adheres to its structures will almost certainly prevail. Sailing is very much in this category. If you find yourself under pressure coming up to a finish, a mark, a start-line or just a cluster of boats, you begin to lapse into negative talk to yourself and as a group. Whether a single hander or a maxi. “Not again” “This always happens” “What if I make a mistake, it will be my fault, and I will let everyone down” “They (the other boat(s) are better than us” Pressure adds aggravation, the after guard want a quick solution and put unrealistic expectations on others. This is highlighted a lot in larger crews but not just for t...

Oops bad start! It has happened to all sailors, some on a more regular basis than others it must be said. That horror start where it just doesn’t seem to happen? It could come down to many factors, which may have been an error of judgement on your behalf, a malfunction or because of other boats actions (or sometimes inactions). But we have been there, back in the ruck watching the other boats sailing away from us. This is usually accompanied by feelings of disappointment and frustration. Address the issue It is so very important not to wallow in self-pity but to look at ways to overcome the problem. Whilst there is no doubt that a loss has been made. It is our immediate priority to minimise the loss and try and get back into the race. We can look at the factors that caused the bad start later and rectify them for the future, no point bawling out the crew for that override on the winch when you need to be in recovery mode. We can’t change the past but can learn from it. ...