When to take friends sailing

[chris_gee]

I would wait until you are confident about being able to do everything, because you have done it sufficient times. You will also find it is easiest to do everything yourself, unless you have friends who are experienced. The reason being that the terms you use are likely not to be understood and often the timing is important.
The point no one has mentioned yet is that the friends are likely to be a distraction, asking questions etc and may distract you from paying proper attention eg the blind spot under the sail, and in entertaining them you can be tempted into going where you otherwise might not. I am thinking of a crowded channel against wind and tide, even in and out of the marina requires you to be focussed.
I would also be unhappy about having people partying on the boat. Okay at anchor for the night but when a squall comes up you would likely have your hands full without having the complications of half drunk people.
There is a pleasure in taking people out in light conditions - it gives them a chance to steer etc without stress for them and you.

[OtterGreen]

i second the above. more than once i have been distracted by playing host rather than skipper, nothing serious, but things like running aground once or twice have happened. no biggie, haul up the keel and give her a push but still something that should not have happened. make sure everyone knows how to swim, people look at you stupid when you say that but a few times i have gotten a no response, make sure people know how to use a vhf if you go over, and what to do if it happens. and again as stated above, be prepared to do ALL the work yourself, the first time i took the gf out she wanted to learn how to sail, GREAT i thought! wrong.. her idea of learning to sail was suntanning on the foredeck, then complaining when the jib blocked her sun.. oh and while your down there, can you get me a beer? and one for candice too!! .. women.

[WDS123]

Having non sailors on board requires more experience than just sailing with sailors. Non sailors often require a lot of attention.


Here is what I do whenever I take people who don't really know how to sail:

1) sit down in the cockpit at the dock, giving a brief talk on where we will go and what we intend to do.

2) Assign roles every one gets a role - even the most bewildered lubber is told "when I ask you to you will pull on this red rope/line". If they are kids, rotate them in each role, they love it. during the actual sailing, while on an easy reach give everyone have a turn at the helm.

3) dry run through roles which on the dock - it sounds stupid, but generally it helps an enormous amount to break the ice and get everyone comfortable .

4) Finally - explain how and what will happen to cast off.

[DRFerron]

Good list, WD. I also let anyone new to our boat know where the life jackets are stored and that they need to don them when asked.

Some boaters I know number their life jackets and have guests try them on and make adjustments prior to departure so that when the need arises, each person can put on the life jacket with the number that they've already adjusted with minimum fussing.

Minimum amount of scrambling around in an emergency is particularly helpful to new sailors.

[arknoah]

I just had an experience that tested how ready I was to take passengers/ guests out for a sail. My wife, son and two of his friends -- all 16 -- went out for a sail on the Patuxent River.

We went out about 2:45 pm, with everyone in a pfd and ready to hit the river. While my objective was the bay, it quickly became clear that the wind just wasn’t going to make it easy, so going back and forth across the water, Solomons to West Basin would be our sailing universe for the day.

The first thing I noticed other than the fact that I don’t think our boat will ever go out with more than 6 adult sized people, is the fact that with five people on the boat instead of the usual one or two, we had an additional 600 pounds on the boat. This is why I felt we weren’t going very quickly at all as we left the dock. It also explains why today, where somebody sat was really important.

We were sailing in about 8 knot winds, with 1 to 1 ½ foot swells, and because of all these factors, and my level of experience, this was a challenge. Not a bad challenge, but a challenge nonetheless.

One of the boys steered most of the time when I needed to put up sails or adjust something with the engine. The other two boys were more interested in eating than sailing, but they all seemed to enjoy the experience. The swells did impact us, and we had to fight more than we wanted to to finally get the main down. It occurred to me afterwards that I should have opened the jib again, then heaved to in order to lower the main with less wind whipping the main around. As my wife said, it is a learning experience. I just wish I could actually learn and retain some of this stuff rather than having to learn it again five or six weeks later.

Even with a somewhat strong current, leaving and docking were very easy. Whatever I asked the boys to do going in and out, they were able and willing to do. It was tough while underway, because no one had any instincts about what to do. For example, I said we were going to change direction, and to be ready to change sides (on the boat). Unless I specifically told them to go to a certain side, they seemed to have no way of figuring it out for themselves, and as I said, with this much weight, where you sit really matters. This meant that I had to do almost as much with five people on board as I do when I singlehand, yet I also had to watch out for four other people as the skipper. I don’t regret going out with the group, though I can say it was a little harder than I thought it would be, both because of the responsibility and because of the sailing conditions.

[chris_gee]

Exactly except with more experience you will see the conditions as benign in fact perfect for newbies.