Scotty_Tradewind
Well-Known Member
Not true... imho
Newbie to Cruising : Where to start, What do I need ?
- Thread starter hopern1
- Start date
Not true... imho
Uricanejack
Well-Known Member
Its good advice.
Just he did ask two specific questions. 1 for a list the other where to find a boat.
onesea
Well-Known Member
+1 Some of the opinions on here are interesting, only highlights the need to go sailing with as many people as you can in as many places as you can (seriously most of us get to stuck in a routine in home waters).
Then you can decide what gear you need...
If you want a list...
1) A boat seaworthy and equipped for proposed passage,
2) Crew with sufficient time, knowledge and experience for proposed passage,
No 1 even if you have millions of pounds is always a compromise,
No 2 the only way your going to get it is to do it, or have crew with more experience (but you can never have to much o that),
At the moment you have it hard each and every way, short on experience/ knowledge, short on cash...
Welcome to sailing...
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Whilst experienced sailors can sometimes look at another boat and determine by eye whether its bearing is drawing right or left it isn't that easy for a newcomer to sailing. Therefore I strongly disagree with the suggestion that a hand-bearing compass is superfluous in the Solent. In addition to collision avoidance, its useful to find out where you are. If you haven't been in the area before its quite easy NOT to know where you are exactly in relation to the main channels and getting a hand bearing compass out and drawing a line or two on the chart tells you very quickly. (Investing in a handheld plotter at this stage in a sailing career might mean that you become reliant on it inappropriately?)
With respect, suggesting or implying that someone doesn't really need a lifejacket on board is plain wrong. I might not wear one when its calm in the Solent either, but I would feel VERY uncomfortable not having them on board ready to use; especially as they usually have a harness built in to them nowadays. Its a very quick way to get your name in the paper for being stupid and irresponsible if you are ever rescued.
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john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
I have thought about this a little more and decided to list the things I would feel uncomfortable not having if I went to sea on a small boat. By small boat, I mean small cruiser... I hope it helps the OP and their question.
A chart/charts of the area.
An almanac (should include pilotage information and all other data you need)
A means of telling the time
A plotting device (Breton Plotter?) plus pencils and a pair of dividers.
A steering compass (which might double as a hand held compass?)
A lifejacket with harness for everyone on board.
A VHF (Could be handheld?) plus spare batteries.
A torch and some spare batteries
Some flares (We could discuss the minimum?)
A bilge pump and/or a bucket on a lanyard
Fire extinguisher(s)
Some basic First aid kit.
Some man over board kit (Danbouy-life ring etc)
Boat hook
Sharp knife
Binoculars
An anchor and appropriate cable.
A radio to listen to the shipping forecast would be a very cheap addition, although I appreciate that you can get the forecast by listening to the Coast Guard on the VHF. (But be aware that hand held VHF's eat batteries if you are not careful...)
PS I will grit my teeth and admit that you could sail without it, but one of the first things I would be adding to the above list would be an echo sounder.
I am also assuming that the boat has an engine, some places for crew to hook on to if wearing a harness and it has nav lights. If the boat has an outboard then you ought to have a kill cord for it and a spare one on board!
Beyond the most basic of day sailing, and even if you continue to sail only by day, some warm clothing and a means of making hot food becomes very important.
A chart/charts of the area.
An almanac (should include pilotage information and all other data you need)
A means of telling the time
A plotting device (Breton Plotter?) plus pencils and a pair of dividers.
A steering compass (which might double as a hand held compass?)
A lifejacket with harness for everyone on board.
A VHF (Could be handheld?) plus spare batteries.
A torch and some spare batteries
Some flares (We could discuss the minimum?)
A bilge pump and/or a bucket on a lanyard
Fire extinguisher(s)
Some basic First aid kit.
Some man over board kit (Danbouy-life ring etc)
Boat hook
Sharp knife
Binoculars
An anchor and appropriate cable.
A radio to listen to the shipping forecast would be a very cheap addition, although I appreciate that you can get the forecast by listening to the Coast Guard on the VHF. (But be aware that hand held VHF's eat batteries if you are not careful...)
PS I will grit my teeth and admit that you could sail without it, but one of the first things I would be adding to the above list would be an echo sounder.
I am also assuming that the boat has an engine, some places for crew to hook on to if wearing a harness and it has nav lights. If the boat has an outboard then you ought to have a kill cord for it and a spare one on board!
Beyond the most basic of day sailing, and even if you continue to sail only by day, some warm clothing and a means of making hot food becomes very important.
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Iliade
Well-Known Member
My list for a pocket cruiser operating in the Solent would be, not in any particular order:
- Reeds almanack (2013 version should be very cheap now. always buy late unless you sail through winter. Tides in the Solent are very powerful)
- reliable motor. Preferably inboard diesel. There's a little thing with an inboard volvo on ebay now. Inboard diesels are far better at propelling a boat than equivalent inboard, esp. in a chop. Also much more economical & less teeth chattering..
- Tools, in watertight plastic box. Esp. lump hammer and big adjustable spanner!
- A sweep (a very big oar)
- danforth anchor
- chart plotter of some description. garmin GPS60CS upwards. Do not rely on android phone with Navionics as battery life and waterproofing usually poor. Can make do with laminated chart and cheap 'numbers only' gps, but used plotters cheap nowadays...( I have a very basic one (garmin streetpilot) for sale for £50 o.n.o in need of a chart card. Can upload chart to your blank card. Can loan card until one comes up on e-bay!)
- good LED torch. I carry halfords bike headlight. cost ~£25 but effectively doesn't use batteries, they just go off slowly
Red one good for inside too.
- lifejacket or buoyancy aid. little boats can be quite tippy...
- safety harness. Little boats can be quite tippy and wet...
- something strong to clip harness to. ideally strongpoint in cockpit & jack line(s) to bow
- roller furling headsail
- slab reefing mainsail
- Android phone to get great weather forecasts from t'internet. google RASP, windfinder(superforecast), meteoblue(air), GRIB and many others.
- hand held compass (for collision avoidance)
- good knife
- marine band radio (plus spare AA battery case if handheld. Also tie it to the boat if handheld)
- spare fuel in can(s) (lots if you have a petrol motor) Can also be sold to (not) passing fuel-challenged vessels :0)
- spare thick fleece top.
- sunglasses (to stop salt spray in eyes)
- sun hat
- Waterproof waterproofs. (Even yellow oilies work if you are desperate) Cheap cag-in-a-bag ones will last s season if that. However, my Musto's, currently starting to fail at 25 years old are still more expensive p.a., but far nicer to be in.
- Flares. (debatable nowadays) There are many who are desperate to rid themselves of out of date ones, which would largely work fine if only just out of date. (not from the batch which blew up a few years ago when still in date!) (Allegedly the French get upset if you have old ones aboard so people do shed them)
- Spare bottles of water.
- lots of rope. say four mooring lines each of 10m and ideally a couple of longer ones for rafting up etc. Anchor line can be used.
- Some fenders. At least four, each at least 20" ones. Can be deflated if rarely used.
- waterproof bag for sleeping bag & another for clothes
- first aid kit
- bucket (strong with good secure handle. most builders bucket handles unhook & fall off) I have canvas one which is ideal, though not so easy to clean.
- sponge (decorators sponge is best)
- gaffer tape
- milliput epoxy putty
- string
- welding torch flint lighter (less of a problem if wetted) or several cheap lighters in poly box.
- boat hook (with plastic end so you can push away wayward boats)
- dinghy of some description. Even large kids inflatable if you are careful where you use it.
- Common sense
- sense of adventure
- sense of humour
- Independence
- Resourcefulness
- fog horn, one you blow.
Nice to have:
- echo sounder.
- binoculars
- wildlife id book
- deck scrubbing brush
- membership of club of like-minded souls
Beware of:
tides
QHM
Various shingle bars and overfalls
Bembridge ledge, an underwater cliff waiting to break your keel.
Sands off Ryde, Pompey, Chichester etc
submarine barriers
racing yachts
motor yachts (wake)
shipping
ferries
hovercraft
dangerous idiots
Don't bother with:
- sextant. I haven't used mine for years
- RDF. would be useful if satellites ever stop working
- Reeds almanack (2013 version should be very cheap now. always buy late unless you sail through winter. Tides in the Solent are very powerful)
- reliable motor. Preferably inboard diesel. There's a little thing with an inboard volvo on ebay now. Inboard diesels are far better at propelling a boat than equivalent inboard, esp. in a chop. Also much more economical & less teeth chattering..
- Tools, in watertight plastic box. Esp. lump hammer and big adjustable spanner!
- A sweep (a very big oar)
- danforth anchor
- chart plotter of some description. garmin GPS60CS upwards. Do not rely on android phone with Navionics as battery life and waterproofing usually poor. Can make do with laminated chart and cheap 'numbers only' gps, but used plotters cheap nowadays...( I have a very basic one (garmin streetpilot) for sale for £50 o.n.o in need of a chart card. Can upload chart to your blank card. Can loan card until one comes up on e-bay!)
- good LED torch. I carry halfords bike headlight. cost ~£25 but effectively doesn't use batteries, they just go off slowly
Red one good for inside too.- lifejacket or buoyancy aid. little boats can be quite tippy...
- safety harness. Little boats can be quite tippy and wet...
- something strong to clip harness to. ideally strongpoint in cockpit & jack line(s) to bow
- roller furling headsail
- slab reefing mainsail
- Android phone to get great weather forecasts from t'internet. google RASP, windfinder(superforecast), meteoblue(air), GRIB and many others.
- hand held compass (for collision avoidance)
- good knife
- marine band radio (plus spare AA battery case if handheld. Also tie it to the boat if handheld)
- spare fuel in can(s) (lots if you have a petrol motor) Can also be sold to (not) passing fuel-challenged vessels :0)
- spare thick fleece top.
- sunglasses (to stop salt spray in eyes)
- sun hat
- Waterproof waterproofs. (Even yellow oilies work if you are desperate) Cheap cag-in-a-bag ones will last s season if that. However, my Musto's, currently starting to fail at 25 years old are still more expensive p.a., but far nicer to be in.
- Flares. (debatable nowadays) There are many who are desperate to rid themselves of out of date ones, which would largely work fine if only just out of date. (not from the batch which blew up a few years ago when still in date!) (Allegedly the French get upset if you have old ones aboard so people do shed them)
- Spare bottles of water.
- lots of rope. say four mooring lines each of 10m and ideally a couple of longer ones for rafting up etc. Anchor line can be used.
- Some fenders. At least four, each at least 20" ones. Can be deflated if rarely used.
- waterproof bag for sleeping bag & another for clothes
- first aid kit
- bucket (strong with good secure handle. most builders bucket handles unhook & fall off) I have canvas one which is ideal, though not so easy to clean.
- sponge (decorators sponge is best)
- gaffer tape
- milliput epoxy putty
- string
- welding torch flint lighter (less of a problem if wetted) or several cheap lighters in poly box.
- boat hook (with plastic end so you can push away wayward boats)
- dinghy of some description. Even large kids inflatable if you are careful where you use it.
- Common sense
- sense of adventure
- sense of humour
- Independence
- Resourcefulness
- fog horn, one you blow.
Nice to have:
- echo sounder.
- binoculars
- wildlife id book
- deck scrubbing brush
- membership of club of like-minded souls
Beware of:
tides
QHM
Various shingle bars and overfalls
Bembridge ledge, an underwater cliff waiting to break your keel.
Sands off Ryde, Pompey, Chichester etc
submarine barriers
racing yachts
motor yachts (wake)
shipping
ferries
hovercraft
dangerous idiots
Don't bother with:
- sextant. I haven't used mine for years
- RDF. would be useful if satellites ever stop working
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Obviously not a Solent sailor. By the time you've mucked about with a hand bearing compass to determine that vessel A is going to hit you, vessel B will have already hit you. Even if they hadn't, when you take avoiding action from vessel A, you'll then need to start checking vessel C which you have turned on to a collision course with. In the Solent, therefore, the best course of action is to learn the rules and be less precise about it. Even in large fully crewed vessels I don't use a compass to decide if I'll hit something in the Solent as this technique applies more to passage making where the collision risk is several miles off - for instance crossing a shipping lane mid channel.
Regarding lifejackets, with respect please don't tell me I'm wrong just because my opinion is not your own. I never wear a lifejacket on a calm day, and I know the majority or people I see at sea don't either. Yes there are some that always wear a lifejacket and I respect their choice. As I said, if the OP buys a very small boat then they may only ever go out in flat conditions within the harbour and therefore may not see a need for an LJ therefore it is not an essential item.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Add to this list an autotiller. If you don't buy an autotiller you can cross off the dividers, breton plotter, charts, pencils etc because single handed on a small boat they will be impossible to use without one.
MOB kit will be a waste of money for single handing.
The radio for shipping forecast is a waste of money when daysailing, especially if you have a smartphone which allows you to read it at your leisure. All marinas I've visited also post this information on a board.
A boat hook is unnecessary when the freeboard is only 0.5m. I just reach down and grab things.
The minimum for flares is zero - they are not a requirement at all on a small boat in the Solent.
An anchor is also optional, although could be useful if you can deploy it quickly in an emergency.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
I can't decide whether you are deliberately trying to be provocative or whether you really believe what you say to be true.
By the way, I have sailed in the Solent many times , but I am not going to get into a willy waving competition about how much. I was last sailing there just after Easter and again three weeks before that.
There's no question of me suggesting you are wrong because you disagree with me. I hope I am open to suggestions, but there are well thought out and logical reasons for much of the kit people have on their boats. I nearly excluded binoculars from the essentials list but realised that for some situations, even in familiar and local waters, you really need them.
oldbilbo
...
The Original Poster will have gathered by now that there are lots of 'opinions', and lots of posters just bursting to air them. Every club and every marina has its share of opinion-wavers. That doesn't mean that each opinion voiced is as useful to you as every other - far from it. Some stuff will be like gold dust to you - lots more just like dust. One of the more important skills, which every newbie needs, is the ability to sort the wheat from the chaff ( and unmix metaphors 
)
There are folk on 'ere who have many years' accumulated experience to inform their views. There are also folk on 'ere with one year's experience, repeated many years, to inform theirs.....
It is very valuable to sail on as many boats as possible as guest-crew. There are many ways to do things, and one man's preference is another's anathema. Certainly, one of the most useful items of kit I would thoroughly recommend is a notebook/pen ( in a plastic bag ), in which I suggest you note down every interesting item you see and ways of using it, every technique you see used and why ( if you can find out ). Photograph bits of others' onboard gear. Note the good ideas and practice and the 'otherwise'..... especially the 'otherwise'.... during/after every trip. Then think about them.
This will quickly become a personal and private resource of considerable value to you. There will be many techniques and items of kit used by others you will not fully understand for a while. Review of your notebook's contents a few months, even years, down the line will be illuminating.
Here's a short list of items I've used, and continue to use...
A couple of waterproof roll-neck dry bags to keep my stuff in. ( Aldi do them cheaper than chandlers )
A large waterproof crewbag ( mine is made by Guy Cotton )
A hollow-fibre sleeping bag with a compression-spider bag, in its own waterproof dry bag
A head torch and spare batteries
Reeds Skippers Handbook by Pearson ( I carry this in my bag, for I forget some stuff every year - and so do others! )
A small notebook and pen
By all means enjoy.....
)There are folk on 'ere who have many years' accumulated experience to inform their views. There are also folk on 'ere with one year's experience, repeated many years, to inform theirs.....
It is very valuable to sail on as many boats as possible as guest-crew. There are many ways to do things, and one man's preference is another's anathema. Certainly, one of the most useful items of kit I would thoroughly recommend is a notebook/pen ( in a plastic bag ), in which I suggest you note down every interesting item you see and ways of using it, every technique you see used and why ( if you can find out ). Photograph bits of others' onboard gear. Note the good ideas and practice and the 'otherwise'..... especially the 'otherwise'.... during/after every trip. Then think about them.
This will quickly become a personal and private resource of considerable value to you. There will be many techniques and items of kit used by others you will not fully understand for a while. Review of your notebook's contents a few months, even years, down the line will be illuminating.
Here's a short list of items I've used, and continue to use...
A couple of waterproof roll-neck dry bags to keep my stuff in. ( Aldi do them cheaper than chandlers )
A large waterproof crewbag ( mine is made by Guy Cotton )
A hollow-fibre sleeping bag with a compression-spider bag, in its own waterproof dry bag
A head torch and spare batteries
Reeds Skippers Handbook by Pearson ( I carry this in my bag, for I forget some stuff every year - and so do others! )
A small notebook and pen
By all means enjoy.....
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
The Original Poster will have gathered by now that there are lots of 'opinions', and lots of posters just bursting to air them. Every club and every marina has its share of opinion-wavers. That doesn't mean that each opinion voiced is as useful to you as every other - far from it. Some stuff will be like gold dust to you - lots more just like dust. One of the more important skills, which every newbie needs, is the ability to sort the wheat from the chaff ( and unmix metaphors
There are folk on 'ere who have many years' accumulated experience to inform their views. There are also folk on 'ere with one year's experience, repeated many years, to inform theirs.....
It is very valuable to sail on as many boats as possible as guest-crew. There are many ways to do things, and one man's preference is another's anathema. Certainly, one of the most useful items of kit I would thoroughly recommend is a notebook/pen ( in a plastic bag ), in which I suggest you note down every interesting item you see and ways of using it, every technique you see used and why ( if you can find out ). Photograph bits of others' onboard gear. Note the good ideas and practice and the 'otherwise'..... especially the 'otherwise'.... during/after every trip. Then think about them.
This will quickly become a personal and private resource of considerable value to you. There will be many techniques and items of kit used by others you will not fully understand for a while. Review of your notebook's contents a few months, even years, down the line will be illuminating.
Here's a short list of items I've used, and continue to use...
A couple of waterproof roll-neck dry bags to keep my stuff in. ( Aldi do them cheaper than chandlers )
A large waterproof crewbag ( mine is made by Guy Cotton )
A hollow-fibre sleeping bag with a compression-spider bag, in its own waterproof dry bag
A head torch and spare batteries
Reeds Skippers Handbook by Pearson ( I carry this in my bag, for I forget some stuff every year - and so do others! )
A small notebook and pen
By all means enjoy.....
Sensible words, Wil!
lustyd
Well-Known Member
I would suggest that the same can easily be achieved by lining up a stanchion, shroud or other fixed object on a boat. Perhaps you've forgotten this but you'd do well to practice in case you ever lose or break your precious compass.
Lifejackets are useless unless you're wearing them. Since you said yourself that you often choose not to then I assume your attitude is similar to mine and that we are in agreement that if never sailing in those conditions where you would put it on then it's pointless having on board. A lifejacket will not save your life if it's in a locker and more than if it's still in the shop.
No, I'm not trying to be provocative, just acting as balance to the over cautious posts which warn the OP not to set sail without every safety device under the sun. He has a swinging mooring in Gosport and can safely explore Portsmouth Harbour with nothing more than his boat if he chooses. Anything else is an optional extra depending upon his personal risk assessment. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just pointing out that you're not right either.
Yes all of that is possible, but then why do the paperwork if you can see your destination? Charts are great on a long voyage, and can be a fun pastime in and of themselves but a small yacht on a short trip doesn't need all the hassle.
Who said there was crew? I was just pointing out that when single handed you don't need these things. The majority of boaters these days are solo, and on the recent forum trip I think there were 2 boats out of 11 with crew other than the skipper/owner. Again I'm not arguing just stating the obvious.
I think the majority would argue that in 2013 it's a bad habit to rely on a battery powered radio which will only give you the forecast up to 4 times a day (if you can find one with LW) which you need to note down as they read it. Given the plethora of other options open to the modern yachtie, a radio is fast becoming the last resort while a smartphone with either a weather app or the Met website is easier and more convenient, and will be available anywhere a small boat is likely to end up. Realistically therefore, on a tight budget, the radio will be cut unless doing serious offshore multi day passages.
Perhaps, yes, but that makes it a nice to have item rather than an essential must have before you go sailing item.
I never said people don't use flares, all I said was they are not necessary for boating. Yes, you might be easier to spot when you let one off, but equally you'd stick out if you hoise your trousers up the mast, and in the Solent there is rarely an occasion where someone will not spot you.
No, you wouldn't look stupid you would simply change the tactics used by the CG. Many boats don't have anchors, and worse still many more only have a CQR!
Actually, you used the word wrong in your reply so you didn't suggest it, you outright said it!
prv
Well-Known Member
I'd think someone was a bit of a weirdo if they went around writing down "every interesting thing they see" in a little book though
Pete
Pete
Bru
Well-Known Member
Oi! What's wrong with a CQR? Ours has never let us down yet - chuck it off the sharp end on the end of some string and we stop moving, no bother
On the subject of lifejackets though, whilst I understand where you're coming from I do very strongly incline to the view that they should be on board (at least) and on Brigantia a lifejacket is absolutely compulsory if going on deck under way or at anchor 'cos it would be dead easy to trip and go overboard given how little deck we've got (and I, for one, don't fancy my chances of staying afloat long enough in full clobber till I'm picked up). It's a matter of personal choice (at least it is at present in the UK, rather surprisingly) but for what it;s worth my opinion is that lifejackets sufficient for everybody on board are at the very top of the equipment list
jimbaerselman
Well-Known Member
Assumes the helm is keeping a straight course, and the viewer's head remains in the same place.
A compass - or very distant reference point - removes both uncertainties.
Anyway, at this stage this argument is pretty abstruse. Our novice first has to pick up some more simple skills, and each learning episode will only cope with some small scope of:
.
1. Learning how to move, function and live on an unfamiliar platform which tilts and bucks. Rodeo riders have an advantage . . .
2. Discovering the hundreds of mini-skills needed to use flexible tension devices productively; knots, cleats, stoppers, pulleys, winches, fairleads
3. Discovering the more hundreds of mini-skills needed to correct the errors you make in handling these bits of string or chain incorrectly . . . recovering halyard ends, riding turns
4. Erasing the car bred idea that vehicles don't necessarily go where they point
5 Or that changing the angle of a steering device = changing the rate of turn . . .
6 Or relating the concept of "steering" to watching a disc or strip of numbers rocking backwards and forwards on a dial
And we still haven't got around to what the sail does, or how to start (or stop) the engine, nipping in and out of gear, lighting the gas, saving electricity.
So all those lovely long lists of equipment items are a little like trying to interpret Chinese heiroglyphs to your real novice. Especially when a completely new vocabulary is being used. Heads, sheets, leeward, knots, washboard, tabernacle . . .
Go have trip on a boat first. That'll expose the true enormity of the task ahead; that wonderful challenge of a lifetime of activity during which you'll never discover all the answers, you'll keep learning new things.
Scotty_Tradewind
Well-Known Member
Collision course. - Hand bearing compass.
if you have no land behind the target then a hand bearing compass can be the way to go.
However, in the Solent you usually have some backcloth to the target and the simplest and most immediate way to assess if you are on a collision course is this.....
If the target (lets suggest is coming from 30deg off the bow and you are both going in a forwards direction) is stationary with the backcloth of land etc. behind it, then you are on a collision course with the target.
If the backcloth/land at the bows of the target is being 'eaten up' by the target then it will pass in front of you.
If the backcloth/land at the stern of the target is being 'eaten up' by the target then it will pass behind you.
Simple
if you have no land behind the target then a hand bearing compass can be the way to go.
However, in the Solent you usually have some backcloth to the target and the simplest and most immediate way to assess if you are on a collision course is this.....
If the target (lets suggest is coming from 30deg off the bow and you are both going in a forwards direction) is stationary with the backcloth of land etc. behind it, then you are on a collision course with the target.
If the backcloth/land at the bows of the target is being 'eaten up' by the target then it will pass in front of you.
If the backcloth/land at the stern of the target is being 'eaten up' by the target then it will pass behind you.
Simple
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john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
I will let others decide who has a more reasonable approach. When I said wrong - it was because I meant it.
You seem to suggest that I am endorsing some sort of policy of carrying every conceivable safety device. I appreciate that you are arguing for a simple way of sailing, but I humbly suggest that my list is quite short compared to what is often recommended.
Finally, I am trying to think of a polite way to explain that I might know about lining up stantions to check bearings, have been involved in CG rescues and worked with and for the RNLI and might have some idea about sailing.... You can work it out if you want to.
After that we will have to agree to disagree.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
I agree wholeheartedly. People forget how darned complicated the whole business is and how difficult it is when you start out.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
I never said I would go to sea without lifejackets, nor that you should. I simply said that with the right type of sailing there is no need for one and I stand by that. You need to keep in mind that other people don't do the same things you do, and that includes types of sailing.
You say a boat hook is cheap but fail to take into account that some people may consider them to be very expensive on an already stretched boating budget. Again, all I'm saying is that other people have different situations than you, and please for goodness sake don't suggest that those who cannot afford a boathook shouldn't go sailing...
My opinion of sailors being solo is based on experience. Here on the forums, meeting boats in marinas, observing boats at sea, and reading the mags. Perhaps in your world everyone has a full crew but I see very few of these on my travels.
For the kind of sailing that I do, I have quite a bit of kit including LJ, boathook, plotters, charts, oilies, VHF, smartphone and the list goes on. That said, my sailing is relatively adventurous and takes me all over the place in various boats. What you seem unwilling to take in is that other people do different things. Look at Dylan for instance - he sails with a pea stick and a tin of something for dinner and is very happy with that level of kit for the type of sailing he's doing. The OP is clearly on a very tight budget and wanted to know the minimum he needs to go sailing on a small boat out of Gosport. The answer to this is almost nothing - as and when the need arises other kit will doubtless be added but realistically he either needs to crew, do a course, or buy a boat and get out there rather than worry for the next 5 years that he has not purchased every item on a list defined by forum members who may do completely different sailing.
You say a boat hook is cheap but fail to take into account that some people may consider them to be very expensive on an already stretched boating budget. Again, all I'm saying is that other people have different situations than you, and please for goodness sake don't suggest that those who cannot afford a boathook shouldn't go sailing...
My opinion of sailors being solo is based on experience. Here on the forums, meeting boats in marinas, observing boats at sea, and reading the mags. Perhaps in your world everyone has a full crew but I see very few of these on my travels.
For the kind of sailing that I do, I have quite a bit of kit including LJ, boathook, plotters, charts, oilies, VHF, smartphone and the list goes on. That said, my sailing is relatively adventurous and takes me all over the place in various boats. What you seem unwilling to take in is that other people do different things. Look at Dylan for instance - he sails with a pea stick and a tin of something for dinner and is very happy with that level of kit for the type of sailing he's doing. The OP is clearly on a very tight budget and wanted to know the minimum he needs to go sailing on a small boat out of Gosport. The answer to this is almost nothing - as and when the need arises other kit will doubtless be added but realistically he either needs to crew, do a course, or buy a boat and get out there rather than worry for the next 5 years that he has not purchased every item on a list defined by forum members who may do completely different sailing.
