What kit do you need to start sailing (if not well off)?

[Madhatter]

After the great response on the boat requirements I thought I would go to the next stage - kitting out ,presuming you intend to venture further than a few miles out and back again.
Derrick

 

[lenseman]

After the great response on the boat requirements I thought I would go to the next stage - kitting out ,presuming you intend to venture further than a few miles out and back again.
Derrick

Compass, relevant charts of the area and a hand-held marine radio would be the absolute minimum as you specified 'a few miles', not forgetting life-jackets for all crew on board.

 

[lenseman]

. . . . . and following on from the above list, just in case it turns foggy on the Severn, a hand held GPS similar to a Garmin GPS-72 or similar. These can be found for less than a hundred pounds on e-Bay or in the YBW For Sale section.

 

[prv]

As above, plus warm clothes and waterproofs - don't need to be posh yottie ones.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Compass, relevant charts of the area and a hand-held marine radio would be the absolute minimum as you specified 'a few miles', not forgetting life-jackets for all crew on board.

I agree about communications, but - and I realise this may bring down wrath on my head - depending on the area, a mobile phone may be just as useful as a VHF. In the Solway, where I am, for example, there's stuff-all commercial traffic and good mobile phone coverage.

A few flares would be a good idea too. And a radio for shipping forecasts (8 quid from Tesco, in my case)

 

[Searush]

You don't actually need anything other than the boat.

Some basics that may help - in a rough priority;

Dinghy (if on a mooring)
Insurance
warps, Fenders, anchor & chain or rode
Boathook
tide tables & watch or basic clock (BBC gives free 5 day tide prediction for most ports)
Chart(s) (can be borrowed or old, but consider what may change - lights/ buoys/ sandbanks/ marina developments etc, but rocks & land don't move much)
Compass - a decent handbearing at least
warm clothing & waterproofs
deckshoes or at least non-slip trainers
some food & a warm drink
You will have few problems day sailing with just that little lot.

Echosounder or leadline(less convenient)
Binoculars
VHF (possibly just a H/H) or mobile phone if really tight budget
Cheap radio with LW for shipping forecast (can be picked up via VHF or mobile phone datalink)
Lifejacket (or bouancy aid) & harness
flares, lifebelt
boarding ladder if you intend to dry out
These are about the minimum for more extended trips

Don't forget the domestics, bedding, tableware pots & pans, basic food supplies. Towels, cleaning gear for you & boat. Complete change of clothing.

Then there are;
Lights/ day shapes
Roller reefing
autopilot
Sprayhood & dodgers
Sail covers
kedge anchor
Trailer? could be esential if keeping boat at home or useless if boat too big.
Future "objects of desire"

Just my opinion (which I may change) and written "off the cuff". Don't forget, most (but not all) cruising boats come with many of the basic items included - but their age & condition may vary!

 

[David_Jersey]

kitting out ,presuming you intend to venture further than a few miles out and back again.
Derrick

No.1 requirement is Knowledge. From hands on experiance.

The good news is that you can get knowledge cheaply from experiance - and that includes "only" a few miles out and back again.........indeed IMO that's the best place to learn (and practice / experiment with) the sailing end of things, being Skipper (and getting used to not having anyone else to ask / to get you out of trouble) and discovering how to learn your way around unfamiliar places (preferably not from simply bumping into things ).

Hard kit?

1) Seaworthy boat - and the knowledge to understand what that means. and how to acheive it.
2) Chart, Compass and a watch - a set of tide tables and a tidal stream atlas(and a pencil ) - and the knowledge to understand how to use them (they used to work for finding France, probably still do).

First "goody" though would be a handheld GPS

Essentials? Anchor and a decent run of chain or warp. and a means to put the kettle on (hot drinks / food is fuel for the brain - your no.1 safety "equipment"). and a reliable engine is nice - either that or plan your actions assuming it don't work, and simply enjoy the conveniance when it does. (talking sailing boat here of course ).

Very useful / nice to have? Navigation lights (sometimes it gets dark) and an autopilot (an extra pair of hands is always useful).

Flares / VHF / Lifejacket - especially for new folks I would suggest taking if you can afford to..........but boats don't sink without them. Best safety equipment is a seaworthy boat and a skipper who knows what he's doing.

 

[dylanwinter]

buy a boat wait for a sunny day and start

buy something from boatsandoutboards website- roll it down to the water and start

or you could give a load of money to all those sailing schools in the solent and end up with lots and lots of bits of paper

the world is full of people trying to tell you that sailing is hard and dangerous

no it isn't it is easy and safe

buy a boat, any boat you can afford and look for some wet stuff

Dylan

 

[Doghousekeeper]

No.1 requirement is Knowledge..

Agree

From hands on experiance...

Don't agree as much on this one. I think that if you're inexperienced, you would benefit from some training first - that would help you to gain your experience safely, and to be safe around other users (there are too many people on the water who have no idea that anti-collision regulations even exist, for example ... let alone know which boat should give way to others)

Get the basic training, then gain your experience putting it into practice would be my advice - and I think you'd feel a lot more comfortable doing it that way around.

Your boat represents quite an investment ... but you're still worth a lot more, and it's well worth protecting you, your boat, and others by being safe and knowing what you're doing

Best safety equipment is a seaworthy boat and a skipper who knows what he's doing.

Again, I agree with this. I just think that the best way to get started is to get some basic training first so that you do know what you're doing as you gain your experience

the world is full of people trying to tell you that sailing is hard and dangerous

njo it isn't it is easy and safe

Dylan

I wouldn't argue that sailing is hard and dangerous, but neither is it always easy, and the best way to be safe is to have an idea of what you should be doing. Yes, you can learn from your mistakes (which will probably leave you with a store of anecdotes) - but you have to hope that those mistakes are just little ones and don't involve damage to your boat, to someone else's boat, or to you, or to someone else. Better to learn from other peoples' mistakes to start with, then when you go out and make your own ... hopefully they'll just be minor ones

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Flask of coffee and a radio

 

[Jamesuk]

After the great response on the boat requirements I thought I would go to the next stage - kitting out ,presuming you intend to venture further than a few miles out and back again.
Derrick

Lidl a few months back had some sailing jackets for £39 quid with Salopette for a little less.

Otherwise

Henri Lloyd TP1 Range
Musto BR1 Channel Range
Gill OS2 Range

 

[Cloona]

a set of old clothes and shoes/plimsols for sailing -

I wreck loads of good landbased clothes/shoes by not getting my kit sorted -

fresh water is also good to have

 

[toad_oftoadhall]

the world is full of people trying to tell you that sailing is hard and dangerous

no it isn't it is easy and safe

So true.

 

[lenseman]

I agree about communications, but - and I realise this may bring down wrath on my head - depending on the area, a mobile phone may be just as useful as a VHF. . . .

When I suggested a marine Hand-Held it was based on the assumption that nearly everybody has a mobile phone and it would probably be with you whilst you are sailing.

That said, and I would like to put this forward as a possible scenario;

The wind is getting up and its late in the day and one of your crew falls overboard, half an hour of daylight left . . . . . you dial 999 in your mobile phone.

Now, what a few folk don't neccessarily know or understand is that your call will be routed through to a switching centre and first and foremost, they will find great difficulty in placing your call with 'your' local coastguard if at all.

I have placed 999 emergency calls from my mobile phone about 7 or eight times over the past 15 years and from Surrey I have had the calls routed through to different call centres and these three, I can remember, Nottingham, Bristol, Maidstone amongst others!!

Add to the fact that they are only capable of handling road and street names and towns, inputting these into their terminal before they can place the call with the various emergency services.

Imagine trying to state that you are in the Irish sea about 25 miles off shore (which shore??), or better still, you are "dismasted at 53° 14' 25.48"N 4° 17' 26.41"W."

The word "dismasted" would be understood by the coastguard but a switchboard operator in Shrewsbury or Coventry . . . . . . ??

If you are carrying a H/H at least you could call on channel 16 and any local ship/ferry/yacht or coastguard IN YOUR AREA would be useful and furthermore, the radio would probably be waterproof which a mobile / cell phone is certainly not.

A H/H will cost probably £50 that is why I suggested it a minimum requirement.

 

[aquaplane]

If you are carrying a H/H at least you could call on channel 16 and any local ship/ferry/yacht or coastguard IN YOUR AREA would be useful and furthermore, the radio would probably be waterproof which a mobile / cell phone is certainly not.

Then again you could ring the coast guard who would understand a Lat/Long. I have cruised the Clyde (admittedly sheltered waters) without the benefit of a radio or a compass, I did have a hand held GPS. I did have charts/CCC directions but a road map would just about do round there, a lot depends on where you are sailing and wether you set off with a weather forecast.

When it comes down to it you don't really need anything other than a boat. Everything you add makes it safer or more comfortable though.

 

[David_Jersey]

If you ever get attacked by killer Zombie Pirates you could use the VHF to call for help .


Alternatively, read this-

and understand how to avoid needing help.

 

[reginaldon]

I have placed 999 emergency calls from my mobile phone about 7 or eight times over the past 15 years and from Surrey I have had the calls routed through to different call centres and these three, I can remember, Nottingham, Bristol, Maidstone amongst others!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I rang 999 Coastguard during the '87 hurricaine to tell them the Hengist was going ashore (they didn't know!) - got thro' straightaway.


Madhatter
The more 'less-well-off' boatowners the better ie. more in touch with real life .
Self not exactly 'hard-up' but with that mind set - a minimalist - maybe it's because I'm a Yorkshireman.

 

[chrishelen]

Dylanwinter

Great blog.