Day Skipper Practical - useful bits of kit

[colind3782]

Yep, your comment about legality is interesting - both my safety knife and the blade on my leatherman tool are locking, in the sense that there's a catch to press to enable the blade to be retracted, which would mean I'd fall foul of the rules as I understand them.

I'll have to take them very quickly from the boot of my car on-board!

A friend (late 50s and not exactly a "hoodie"!) was arrested for having a locking knife in his car which he had just bought from Aldi to cut the rubber mounts when changing his exhaust. Eventually released without charge. It's a stupid rule and really annoys me.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Righty-ho, I've got a gill personal safety knife, and a headtorch with red LED option, which are pretty much the only items I hadn't already got (biscuits and wine will be bought nearer the time, to avoid temptation!) I might also bring leatherman multitool, and will bring a handful of notebooks with pens and pencils. I've also bought a chart of the South-West Wales area (forget if my earlier posts mention that we're going out in the Pembroke area) which I'll have a go through to get some familiarity with the area.

I'll also look into getting some waterproof clothes, given I'm an odd size and I don't fancy relying on poorly fitting clothing if the Welsh weather plays its usual games, is there a good place to look for these? We've checked out a few chandlerys (chandleries?) and no-brand seem to go for about £100 with the branded gear about £200 for a set. I appreciate it's akin to asking how long a piece of string is, but is is worth a bit of extra outlay for increased comfort? I'm not one for fashion, but I also dislike investing in cheap options that don't last or don't really do the job. Also, are garden wellies OK - given we both already own a pair - or should we get some sailing boots?

I've not looked at the day skipper theory for about a fortnight, I've got just under a month so a good time to ramp up the reading! The flash cards for lights, bouys etc are an excellent idea, I'll look to make some of those as a form of revision.

All advice greatly appreciated.

If you are definitely committed to pursuing this pastime then the outlay for proper clothing is absolutely worthwhile and that includes the footwear. Black garden wellies are going to put dirty black marks all over the boat and will not be appreciated. Also they will not have a good grip on wet surfaces.
You can get rubber/plastic sailing wellies relatively cheaply, but leather ones, while vastly more expensive will be much more comfortable.
There is an interesting article in the current YM regarding the effectiveness (or not) of breathable weather wear.

 

[Major_Clanger]

Only thing I'd add to all the good advice is this: Make sure you look after your 'crew' and make sure they're happy. The examiner will like this and lots of people doing their practical understandably forget. Also, when you're about to perform a manoeuvre, explain it to your 'crew' first of all so that they're all briefed on what to do. Again, it just shows the examiner you're confident, in command and helpful.

As an ex-lock, make sure they don't put you on the winches all the time! Good luck....

 

[Heckler]

Righty-ho, I've got a gill personal safety knife, and a headtorch with red LED option, which are pretty much the only items I hadn't already got (biscuits and wine will be bought nearer the time, to avoid temptation!) I might also bring leatherman multitool, and will bring a handful of notebooks with pens and pencils. I've also bought a chart of the South-West Wales area (forget if my earlier posts mention that we're going out in the Pembroke area) which I'll have a go through to get some familiarity with the area.

I'll also look into getting some waterproof clothes, given I'm an odd size and I don't fancy relying on poorly fitting clothing if the Welsh weather plays its usual games, is there a good place to look for these? We've checked out a few chandlerys (chandleries?) and no-brand seem to go for about £100 with the branded gear about £200 for a set. I appreciate it's akin to asking how long a piece of string is, but is is worth a bit of extra outlay for increased comfort? I'm not one for fashion, but I also dislike investing in cheap options that don't last or don't really do the job. Also, are garden wellies OK - given we both already own a pair - or should we get some sailing boots?

I've not looked at the day skipper theory for about a fortnight, I've got just under a month so a good time to ramp up the reading! The flash cards for lights, bouys etc are an excellent idea, I'll look to make some of those as a form of revision.

All advice greatly appreciated.

Get your sailing clothes here, as good as and half the price! https://www.decathlon.co.uk
Stu

 

[colind3782]

Get your sailing clothes here, as good as and half the price! https://www.decathlon.co.uk
Stu

+1 :encouragement:

 

[Daverw]

You will use your wet g at more than you think in the future, not just for rain but more comfortable in cloudy and windy days. They do need to fit right as you may be wearing them for extended periods. Normal wellies allowed on my boat for visitors Who are most likely not going to be doing much but others may have an issue with the sole marking the boat.

 

[tahiti girl]

A towel to stop drips down your neck and either boots or a full change of footwear - cold wet feet are miserable

 

[ghostlymoron]

School yachts will have sufficient tools and torches for you not to have to bother lugging your own around.

Plus, of course, head torches are spawn of the devil.

Agreed. The letter from the sailing school will tell you what you need to bring including soft bag - no suit case Carruthers!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Agreed. The letter from the sailing school will tell you what you need to bring including soft bag - no suit case Carruthers!

A cast iron stove and the guns should be OK, pick the stove up from the Army and Navy stores.

 

[Daydream believer]

Combined shackle key and marlin spike.

Why do you want a marlin spike which will only poke a hole through your gear
& why do people say you need a knife?
Surely a pair of pliers would be better. I have always carried a knife on a boat but have to admit that apart from bits of splicing & rope work I have never really needed it other than for cooking, cutting packages etc.
As for head torch I reckon that would be a nuisance stuck on ones head . Would a couple of small LED torches that can be kept in the pocket be better? That is what I have always used. As for red lights I find them of no use & need white ones but my eyes are old.
At night a woolly hat is more use than a peaked hat

Add a packet of baby wet wipes to the list of bits to take. But do not flush down the heads.

 

[laika]

why do people say you need a knife?

You've clearly never gone on a lengthy sailing course with random members of the public before...

 

[Daydream believer]

You've clearly never gone on a lengthy sailing course with random members of the public before...

surely you can just give them a push overboard when the instructor is not looking !!!!

 

[lw395]

My top list of things to take to sail on other people's boats:
Clean tea towel
Teabags you like- finding out your friends only drink weird stuff just as you leave port is a pain!
Instant coffee that's drinkable (if you believe their is such a thing)
A cake.
Other snacks/chocolate.
Insulating tape.
Pencils. Notebook.
Suitable kit, torch, small tools, multimeter
I find a small, low power LED torch good for chart reading. I don't get on with red.
I have a small but powerful diving torch. Spare AA's a good idea for that.

 

[jac]

Just around the wet weather gear.

No substitute for trying on different brands for comfort and fit. The styles / brands are slightly different cuts so really need to see what fits you. There is no doubt a premium for the Henri-Lloyd / Musto brands. SOme of the details of those do indicate better quality but I wouldn't pay the extra for those unless you're certain that this is the pastime for you AND they fit better than the cheaoer alternatives.

Breathables are usually worth it, especially if you sail in the English summer where it may be warmish then drizzly then raining and where lots of winching etc may be needed leading to you getting sweaty yet it still being damp on the outside.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

You've clearly never gone on a lengthy sailing course with random members of the public before...

Seriously, the knife might be necessary to cut yourself free, while trapped by a stray rope, under water, in some catastrophic incident, or more mundanely, cutting slices of chorizo!

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

A towel to stop drips down your neck and either boots or a full change of footwear - cold wet feet are miserable

+ spare underwear and socks.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Why do you want a marlin spike which will only poke a hole through your gear
& why do people say you need a knife?
Surely a pair of pliers would be better. I have always carried a knife on a boat but have to admit that apart from bits of splicing & rope work I have never really needed it other than for cooking, cutting packages etc.
As for head torch I reckon that would be a nuisance stuck on ones head . Would a couple of small LED torches that can be kept in the pocket be better? That is what I have always used. As for red lights I find them of no use & need white ones but my eyes are old.
At night a woolly hat is more use than a peaked hat

Add a packet of baby wet wipes to the list of bits to take. But do not flush down the heads.

A head torch can be useful when you are doing something that demands two hands while you are using one hand to hold on. Users of head torches should beware of blinding the helmsman by looking directly at him or even walking around the saloon with a lit one. (Similarly, bright phone screens in the cockpit can damage night vision).
A wooly/Thinsulate hat is better at night, but spectacle wearers might need a peaked hat to keep rain off the lenses. My cosy solution is to wear the the wooly article on top of the baseball cap

 

[Balbas]

No one likes a gear monster. It sounds as though you're a chap who is reasonably 'outdoorsy' anyway, so take your walking type clothes and be prepared to layer up, rent (or buy) some foulies that fit you and take a pair of sailing gloves and a torch (if only for finding the heads in the middle of the night). Taking masses of stuff will be a colossal PITA in terms of storage, you won't use most of it and you'll probably regret buying it and be hated by the remainder of the crew.

If your other half is anything like mine, she'll take enough stuff for the rest of the boat put together anyway...

 

[Catherinen]

I always pack underwear into a plastic bag before putting it in the main bag. Then, towards the end of the week you won't be hunting through your bag in the dark trying to find that last pair of socks that is now mixed in with everything else.
A bin bags for the dirty washing also helps keep things organised.

 

[Seashoreman]

Good idea.

I used to like the Hamlet adverts. Pity we don't see them anymore.

I attempted to re-enact that advert in the German Bight a few years ago, in fairly rough conditions, with my last Hamlet cigar.
No sooner had I lit up than a bow wave deluged the boat and of coarse my cigar.
What do you do then? Burst into tears? Or just looked very peed off.