What are the things that other sailors do that make your day?

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Serin

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I can think of lots.....here are some:

There was the Dutchman coming into Ramsgate harbour astern of us when our engine gave out inside the entrance. He noticed, drew alongside, handed us a line, towed us in and deposited us neatly alongside the pontoon

There was the Frenchman rafted alongside us in St. Malo who saw we were about to eat, wished us (as they mostly do) "bon appetit" and handed us a bottle of excellent wine from his family's vineyard on the Loire.

There are the racers who gracefully acknowledge our manoeuvres to keep out of their way and the fellow sailors who do the same when we give way to them in good time

There are strangers who appear silently to take hold of the dinghy, help to haul it up the slip and disappear again without a word (but not without a word of thanks from me)

There are the sailing friends, never seen during the winter, who liberally share their tools, skills and expertise to help each other solve the various problems that boats present

In my experiences, fellow sailors are among the greatest pleasures of the sailing life. I have far more happy memories and experiences than moan worthy ones.
 
Those who just know when you need tea and biccies when you are scraping antifouling on a January day.
Those who point out your genoa sheet is dangling in the water whilst you are motoring without any inflexion of approbrium, just trying to quietly help.
 
All of the above...

The endless habit of waving at other boats, no matter how many there are around.

People who forgive mistakes - thinking my better half when she drove our boat (that had no full time reverse, engine had to be started in reverse to go astern) headlong into someones Contessa 32. He walked around to the bow waving off my apologies and when I pointed out the badly bent bi-light attachment he merely bent it back and said "there you go....fixed". Hero.

People who encourage you pushing your boundaries (perhaps cross channel) when you don't feel quite up to it
 
All the above, plus the little things too:

Like getting off their boat to help take your lines.
Like saying "hello" when you arrive somewhere new.
Like inviting you over for drinks and passing on a bunch of useful local information.
Like a smile (rather than a scowl) when you are mooring stern-to next to them.
Like a "good morning", "bonjour", "bongiorno", "kalimera", "Yá'át'ééh abíní" as appropriate. (Ok, the last one isn't typical - you don't meet many Navajo sailors....).
 
Tony Cross said:
All the above, plus the little things too:

Like getting off their boat to help take your lines.
Like saying "hello" when you arrive somewhere new.
Like inviting you over for drinks and passing on a bunch of useful local information.
Like a smile (rather than a scowl) when you are mooring stern-to next to them.
Like a "good morning", "bonjour", "bongiorno", "kalimera", "Yá'át'ééh abíní" as appropriate. (Ok, the last one isn't typical - you don't meet many Navajo sailors....).
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Especially the first three.
Love people who despite being give way boat, see you have a kite up etc and change course well in advance to save you all sorts of grief
People who see you struggling flaking a sail, hoisting etc, wander over and don't natter, just quietly help then wander away.
 
Way said:
People who see you're a huge boat geek and are admiring their boat and invite you to come on and have a look. I think it's mostly my better half that gets us invited on.
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Puts me in mind of the man who admired the boat I was sailing in (not mine) when we were alongside in a French port. We invited him aboard for coffee and in return he invited the entire crew (9 of us) to dinner that evening. No problem about transport - he would send cars.

The cars were limousines, the house was a chateau and the dinner a sumptuous feast accompanied with some very fine wines indeed. A truly memorable evening. Surprising what a handsome old boat and a cup of instant coffee can achieve!
 
We had an unusual day sailing with a bit of a local legend and things had not gone to plan. The engine required the assistance of a hammer to start which was wielded by a friendly fellow sailor. Once going the fog came down and we navigated by the sound of the breakers smashing against the cliffs. As the day improved we decided to navigate between the headland and a stack which we thought, rightly and for good reason, would never have been sailed through. The 18 somethings chart said it had 4 fathoms in the middle but when we got past the point of no return the two seals lying like bananas suggested 4 inches was more likely. The VHF did not work and we soon made contact with a hefty rock. Somehow, we managed to slither through without sinking and started the long sail to harbour. Half way the sail started to tear from the mast as the wind picked up and the sea deteriorated. The dingy, made of an aluminium aircraft wing, decided to go its own way and abandoned us. The engine finally died. We made it by the skin of our teeth but didn't quite make the mooring in the harbour, dropping short and having to drop the hook instead. A fishing boat towed us in so that we could get ashore. While there we raised the alarm regarding the tender and found that the lifeboat had already launched when an empty boat had been found. A fishing vessel called the Shaun-Shaun that was held together by prestigious amounts of rust had found it surfing the high seas. She was returned with a smile and another sailor called off the rescue mission.

Fun times and plenty of hospitality as seems common on the sea.

In Mallaig a fishing boat gave my Mum a full bag of Langoustines for free when we were cellebrating me passing my medical exams. We have enjoyed the company of many fellow sailors that we have met by chance and we have recieved hospitality and help when needed. We wave at every boat that passes be it ferry or topper and normally recieve a wave back. Lets keep the camaraderie of the sea alive and well.
 
Serin said:
Puts me in mind of the man who admired the boat I was sailing in (not mine) when we were alongside in a French port. We invited him aboard for coffee and in return he invited the entire crew (9 of us) to dinner that evening. No problem about transport - he would send cars.

The cars were limousines, the house was a chateau and the dinner a sumptuous feast accompanied with some very fine wines indeed. A truly memorable evening. Surprising what a handsome old boat and a cup of instant coffee can achieve!
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Brilliant!
 
Arriving in Alderney and finding all the moorings occupied, we prepared to go alongside a Dutch boat when the owner warned us off as he was expecting friends to come and share his buoy. We went alongside another, smaller boat, which was not occupied at the time. When the owners returned, we established that they didn't mind us being there, and within minutes were invited aboard for drinks. We met again during that cruise, reciprocated on the drinks and have become very close friends over the following years.
Oh yes, should I mention the Dutch skipper's friends did not materialise?

And what about the kindness of all the people I met in Ireland and Scotland on my trip around the British Isles? Epitomised by the young lad taking a break during work in Eyemouth, who when I asked him where I could find the bins, simply took my garbage bag from me and said: i'm going back to the workshop, I'll put it in the bin there for you.
 
After a bouncy trip back from the Scillies we rafted up to a French boat in Newlyn and were presented with glasses of wine as the lines were being tied.
Fresh fish from fishermen after seing my poor efforts to get my own.
Many good friends made in anchorages and on pontoons.
A smile is always good to see.
 
Sailors who, having seen a whiny thread on an online forum, start one full of stories that remind us how good people on boats are to one another most of the time. Thanks.
 
rptb1 said:
Sailors who, having seen a whiny thread on an online forum, start one full of stories that remind us how good people on boats are to one another most of the time. Thanks.
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Thanks to you too! I must say I do sometimes feel that the sailing world as depicted in the forums is not the one I inhabit. In a long sailing career I have accumulated a huge store of happy memories and hardly any bad ones. That store keeps on growing. Friendship, camaraderie and kindness, often from complete strangers, is the usual experience. If it wasn't like that, I wouldn't want to do it anymore.
 
yep, second that, great thread.

One more from me then I'll shut up. My better half and I got engaged on top of Old Harry Rocks on our first ever big trip down the south coast. Ended up in Kingswear opposite Dartmouth. Really friendly couple talked to us regularly throughout our stays and when we bumped into them in a pub after a walk they asked to take us out for dinner to celebrate our engagement. They didn't need our company as had family visiting them all week. Just lovely people sharing company.
 
At a marina in Plymouth, the cruising couple that had just moored one pontoon over asked if I could use their leftover food as they were leaving the boat for a while and it would just spoil. So I ended up with fresh French sausage and cheese they'd just sailed across the channel. Didn't even accept a bottle in return.
 
This thread is good for the soul. On the whole we have found much more good behaviour in the yachting community than bad. I can still remember the Italian giving us a lovely bottle of wine just for taking his lines. The countless times there were impromptu cockpit parties, where people who had been strangers became good friends. The request to borrow a very big spanner, led to some one virtually taking his boat apart to find it, and he did find it. There are so many more times when we have been helped and have helped, it does restore faith in the belief that people want to do good things.
 
I agree, I've seen far more kindness and generosity of spirit than I ever have had hassle.

There was the lovely couple on a Seawolf 26 in East Cowes marina one winter, saw me come in solo cold & wet, took my lines and insisted on a hot highly laced gaelic coffee when I was sorted, which turned into a meal.

The harbourmaster at Fowey who, learning we'd had a minor galley fire ( it was a cold September day ) when he met us, led us to a handy buoy then called the Ship Inn ashore to have hot meals ready !

The harbourmaster at Falmouth who helped get my Osprey dinghy mast up then invited us to a lock in...

A chap I hardly knew when I'd just joined a club who saw my boat drifting past ( old carp mooring broken ) and recognised her, towing her to safety.

The chap at Lymington rafted alongside who realised I was ill, couldn't be more help, hot cups of lemsip and took my rubbish bag ashore to save me inflating my dinghy.

--

I like to think I have tried to put some good bits back into the pot like lending people pilot books and charts, nav kit, waterproofs etc they really needed but couldn't afford or just get access to; had every item I ever lent out rapidly returned.

Lots of lovely people out there for every one selfish berk is a good motto when sailing ( inc mobo's ) I reckon.
 
I keep my boat in a small boatyard where everybody is willing to lend a hand.On occasions too much time is spent drinking tea but problems are solved and eventually the jobs get done
 
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