For a beginner, there’s a comforting secret about learning how to handle a boat. The fact is that it’s very much easier to master sailing on a bigger boat, such as one that you might typically charter, than on a smaller one. On larger boats, everything happens in a much slower fashion, and mistakes are more easily avoided.
Do you have the potential ability?
Your time aboard a charter sailing yacht is not going to require too much. For the most part, you’ll hoist the sail in the morning, take it down in the evening, and the rest of the time simply play with winches, cranks, and pulleys to maintain your required course. Some upper body strength is recommended, however, because hoisting a large sail will require some leverage.
More important than pure strength, sailing requires a modest understanding of mechanical principles; enough to figure out what to do if for example the head (that’s nautical for toilet) gets blocked. You need not be an Olympic swimmer, but if you suffer from motion sickness or claustrophobia plagues you, do consider a land-based pursuit. Do plan to be in constant motion, and live in accommodation that is a bit tight -- very tight in some cases.
There are Essential Sailing Skills to Learn!
If you want to charter a bareboat -- or as a simple analogy, a rental car in which you do your own driving -- the best way to learn is by sailing in home waters. Most sailing schools provide a course in bareboat sailing, although typically they require you to take a basic sailing course or two before they advance you further to certification.
What boat charter companies care about most is experience. They’ll look closely at your sailing knowledge and experience, and often put someone aboard for a few hours to check out your skills. If your abilities are up to scratch, you can move out on your own. But if you should call a chart a map or slam into the dock so hard that you startle or injure somebody who is walking by, they'll probably insist you take an experienced master along, at your expense (at a cost of £100 to £200 per day).
It’s often not "real" sailing skills that are most important on a sailing holiday. It’s the ability to manoeuvre the boat under power into a crowded area and anchor it in a way that will let you and your neighbors get on well together. That, as well as being able to recognise whether that interesting piece of flotsam just ahead is floating serenely on the sea or if it’s standing in only six inches of water.
Bring the Important Sailing Equipment!
Most bareboats are anything but bare, so the gear you need to bring is minimal: tanning lotion, a couple of pairs of polarized sunglasses (in case one goes overboard), a sun hat, bad-weather clothing, and non-slip deck shoes. Many sailors also bring a small global positioning system (GPS) device. In the context of sailing, they’re really inexpensive and can save you the embarrassment of steaming into Southampton expecting to find Liverpool.
Learn the Language of Sailing
The vocabulary and terminology involved with sailing is vast, much of it making no sense to the newcomer. You do have to learn enough of it, though, to convince the charter company that you speak their language. Here are some useful terms:
Port:
The left side of the boat when you are facing forward. Not to be confused with port, as in harbour.
Starboard:
The right side of the boat when you are facing forward.
Tack:
Describes the process of shifting the sails from one side of the boat to the other when headed upwind.
Jibe:
A similar motion to tacking, except that it is used when sailing with the wind behind you.
Boom:
A horizontal bar along the bottom of a sail to give it support.
Sheet:
A line used to control the sails. When somebody calls "Sheet" they are telling you to pull in the sheet as fast as you can.