Dag Pike - Dag Pike’s Cruising Under Sail

Published by Adlard Coles Nautical
an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
www.adlardcoles.com

Copyright Dag Pike 2013
First published 2013

ePDF 978-1-4081-8191-1
eISBN: 978-1-4081-8190-4

All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library.

Photos on pages -117,
128-129, -161,
167 top, -187 from Jeanneau, with thanks.
Also thanks to Bavaria yachts and all others who
helped with photos.

Designed by CE Marketing
Page layouts by Susan McIntyre

Note: while all reasonable care has been taken in
the publication of this book, the publisher takes no
responsibility for the use of the methods or products
described in the book.

Cruising in a sailboat is so much more than just a journey undertaken without the constraints of a strict schedule for me, its all about enjoyment, visiting new and exciting places, and getting pleasure and satisfaction from making the passage itself.

Many people these days are attracted to cruising, but so often they do it on a large cruise ship, with perhaps 3,000 other people, and their main ambition seems to be taking a tour of the local sights on the days spent in port. Of course there can be pleasure in that but not for me. I love the idea of planning and plotting a cruise, with the pleasure shared equally between time spent at sea and time spent in harbour. When sailboat cruising, you are doing things entirely on your own terms, and at the same time utilising mainly natural resources to achieve your goals. Sailboat cruising is probably the greenest form of travel, harnessing natural resources to travel at your own pace and go where you want to go which some may see as a bonus and others as a challenge.

Whatever your level of experience you can find an option that meets your requirements maybe a gentle cruise in daylight in fine weather, or a more challenging overnight cruise in busy waters. In your early days of cruising you might want to start in familiar waters in daylight and fine conditions, and then graduate to more challenging cruises, such as going foreign or cruising at night. There are the easy options of cruising from marina to marina or the more challenging cruises using night anchorages and hidden harbours. The joy of sailboat cruising is that there are so many options and the choice is yours. When you are using the wind as your motive power, you are not limited in range like people cruising on powerboats except, of course, with your water and food supplies.

With this freedom comes a responsibility. On land, responsibility for your actions is vested in countless rules and regulations and your personal decision-making is limited. The International Maritime Organizations Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea (COLREGs, see ) guide your actions when another vessel gets close, and there are a few no-go areas where certain requirements usually military might restrict your actions, but in the main you are free to roam the seas at your own pace and in your own time. Of course, the winds will influence what you can or cannot do but then negotiating with the weather is part of the challenge.

the joy of sailboat cruising is that there are so many options.

The safety of your boat, its navigation, and your crew are among your responsibilities at sea. If you are organised about it, these need not be onerous; but you do need to consider how you will deal with the demands and responsibilities of a cruise. This is what this book is all about demonstrating how to embark on and execute a cruise in a seamanlike manner and how to get maximum fun and satisfaction from doing it.

For me, half the fun and excitement is in the planning. Get this right, and when you actually set off on your cruise, all the elements should fall into place. Careful and detailed planning can help pass the long winter nights and here you can explore not only all the options but also the permutations of weather and tides. One of the major aspects of taking responsibility for a cruise is establishing the level of risk involved and the level of certainty you want for your cruise; there will be more about this later. You could set off with no particular destination in mind or have every detail planned beforehand. Most people will choose a path somewhere between the two, and of course you can always mix and match. My choice has been to go for a good measure of flexibility so that you can adapt to changes in the weather; but such flexibility is not always possible if you plan to use marinas, where booking a berth beforehand is often necessary.

The weather will dictate much of what you can do and where you can go on your cruise, and weather is the one thing you cannot plan in advance. It can and will change in the short term, so a measure of flexibility in your plans is essential. At times the weather can cooperate and fit in perfectly with what you have planned, but you will only know that at the time. My approach is always to plan a cruise in advance but to build in some time margins so you can be flexible if things dont work out as planned. The weather is such a critical aspect of cruising that I have devoted a whole chapter of this book just to that subject and how you can fine-tune weather forecasts to get a much better idea of what is possible and practical. At times there may be a storm raging overhead and even if the seas are sheltered you will hesitate to go. In many respects, with sailboat cruising you are less interested in the sea conditions and much more interested in the wind strength and direction. The wind will dictate not only when you can go and how you can go but also the level of risk that might be involved a very important factor in planning and executing a cruise.

I love daydreaming about where Id like to go cruising and wish I could visit all the places on my list. It doesnt cost much to be an armchair sailor, and maybe that is a hobby to save for my old age! Turning such dreams into reality is part of the challenge of cruising and of course it requires a considerable degree of commitment if that reality is to be an enjoyable cruise. There is an army of cruising people who relish the challenge of a more difficult cruise, perhaps having to overcome adversity in a way that doesnt happen on shore. Many of the potential risks are under your control so you can decide the level of risk you want to experience.