Safety Briefings / Talks - What do you include with new crew

[Fantasie 19]

So true. I decided never to take SWMBO out again in the dinghy until I had made the boat entirely singlehandable. SWMBO's enjoyment was nil when I needed her help, and so was her ability, which I couldn't blame her for because she hadn't a clue. Critically, she also didn't want to learn - she'd rather I had bought a motor boat.

I reckon unless non-sailing guests are genuinely keen to learn (and stony-cold-sober while they do so), they must be treated as so much vulnerable semi-mobile ballast. You can't count on them for an atom of ability, understanding or foresight in any circumstances, so be prepared to do everything yourself, whilst looking out for their safety. What they don't know isn't their fault, so it's not grounds for the choleric up-welling one feels, watching a situation descend from good to bad because nobody understood what to do.

Everything that needs doing on board is only ever obvious to people accustomed to sailing, so having a non-sailor wandering blithely about is an accident in waiting. I daresay it's quite different on motor-boats, where rigging doesn't swing about and ropes won't tend to need much adjustment en route.

Couldn't agree more (and we may be married to the same SWMBO but that's another conversation..) hence my earlier response... give them the very most basic of advice, and then sail the boat like they're not even there... if they're interested they'll ask questions and you can go into more detail, if they're not they'll sit there admiring the scenery (and thankful that you aren't telling them where the flares are)

 

[Piers]

On the subject of "toilet training" I keep a spare joker valve in the chart table to show to novice crew and visitors. They are told not to put anything down the pan that won't go through the valve

We tell visitors, 'if you haven't eaten it, don't flush it.'

 

[VO5]

Years ago, I came across a black and white photograph taken on board a square rigged ship prior to sailing. The photograph showed the mate had lined up the other mates and cadets in a row, all of them showing their hands to him palm downwards. Apparently this was standard practice for the inspection of length of fingernails, with strong recommendation to keep them really really short. There is nothing so painful as torn nails in sail handling. It is one small but important detail I attend to prior to sailing with all crews.