Thursday, March 28, 2024


Effortless sailing: Boating tips for a relaxing ride

There’s nothing compared to sailing away for days with your family and friends, feeling the light and calm winds while…

By Wiechmann , in Travel , at May 27, 2019 Tags: ,

There’s nothing compared to sailing away for days with your family and friends, feeling the light and calm winds while relaxing on the deck with a cold drink, exploring the island’s ancient paths and spotting dolphins and sea birds. Picture yourself in your chosen destination and dreaming about the sights and sounds that await you and you will know why boating and sailing have become one of the popular activities over the past few years.

Though there are lots of myths and rumors about sailing the high seas, in reality, it all comes down to the practice of sailing and nothing else. If you are new to sailing, then you should start from scratch and try to learn the basics and practice them in calm and uncrowded waters. One of the most important beginners sailing tips is to practice in ideal conditions of light winds and low traffic. Choose a small boat to master all the ins and outs of sailing before taking a yacht to your midsea adventures.

Tips for sailing for the first time

  • Rely on the expertise of your skipper and charter company to learn to plan boating trips based on their knowledge of the islands, the weather, and prevailing winds. You should always inform them if you have particular wishes in mind, activities you want to take part in or visiting certain islands.
  • You should know the basic differences between various boats, for which you can visit boat sales and boat detailing in Perth and understand the difference from the experts. For example, sailboats travel at an average speed of 6-9 knots while the average speed of a cruise ship is about 20-30 knots.
  • You should also keep in mind that the average sailing time per day is 4-6 hours.
  • Learn not to over plan your boating trips, rather try to be flexible as weather conditions around large water bodies can be very unpredictable. Sailboats rely primarily on the wind for propulsion and if the weather is rough on that day, avoid sailing and try to look out for alternate activities.

Some extra tips to consider before planning your boating trip

  • Pack light

For obvious space reasons, it’s best to leave certain things at homes such as bulky suitcases, ten pairs of shoes and wardrobe stuff. Always pack light on a boating trip. Pack a small rucksack with the basic essentials, some sunscreen, your favorite book and a drink bottle that will need each day on your sailing adventures. You can include certain lightweight fishing and boating accessories if saving some fun activities during your stay on the water.

  • Clothes

See if your trip is planned during the summer season, then you won’t need much cloth packing. A swimsuit, a beach towel, some t-shirts, shorts, and some casuals will just do fine. Don’t forget to equip your bag with a sunglass, a sun hat, and sunscreen. During autumn or winter, you will need long trousers and sweaters for evenings as sometimes it can be a lot chilly than expected. You can also include a light windproof jacket in case of stronger winds.

  • Activities

A boat trip with your family and friends can be even more exciting if you plan certain water activities or water sports along the way such as swimming, fishing, sea diving or even water gliding. But for these types of sports adventures or activities, you will have to onboard certain fishing and boating accessories.

  • Toiletries and medications

Always remember to equip your sailboats with basic first aid kits. It is a very good idea to carry some extra medications that may include travel sickness pills, antiseptic creams, insect repellent, antihistamine gel for insect bites and any other personal medicines. Most people are comfortable spending their nights amid the rocking nature and sound of the seas while some face problems. If that’s something you are concerned about, carry a pair of silicone earplugs for a sound sleep.