What part of a sailing trip makes you....

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

the most nervous/apprehensive/anxious?
For me, its anchoring out and sleeping or trying to.
Most of the time it's just me and the admiral. I wake up constantly and check the bilges in fear of sinking and drowning in my sleep.
How about you?

Tony B

 

[Dave D, '94 H26]

maybe it's not a good thing...

but I sleep like a dead rock when on the hook. my knickers get twisted getting her back on the trailer, because there is always a cross current and at least a slight breeze. Then there are the stink potters all beered up... but we've already been down that path!*x

 

[tommays]

Fog

Fog

Tommays

 

[Timo42]

Going through Long Beach harbor

with the big boys, never can tell when they are about to get underway. Fog at the mouth of the harbor and having a container ship loom up out of nowhere. *yks Tim

 

[Bob V]

Preparing for departure

If we are heading out for a week or a month, I don't sleep well the night before we leave. I am always worried that I have forgotten something critical or some system that we depend on is not going to last the trip. The anxiety is usually gone by the time I'm an hour away from home port. Can't say that there has ever been things go wrong that should make me worry about it but I still do. I get the same thing when the boat has not been used for a month or more worrying about what is going to break down.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Coming back

nm

 

[Rick D]

Landing and Take Off... (and PS to TIMO)

For a trip or race, I'm always doing mental check sheets before and after leaving the dock and listening for any odd sounds, and worrying about what I forgot and what's going to need repair when I get back. Once out far enough to lose sight of land, I settle in and relax. On the way back to the harbor, I'm thinking of what didn't work right, what needs to be changed, stuff back home needing work, et al. In between is.... great!

And, BTW, Timo, It certainly is a challenge returning to Long Beach / Shoreline from the south at night which is when I usually get back from Mexico or San Diego. There is a LOT of night traffic out there and nav lights disappear against the city. AIS helps but it doesn't see unlit mooring bouys or barges! And, the radar is just a bunch of blips (it helps to turn the sensitivity way down, but then you lose little stuff). It's definitely a two-person careful watch from Huntington Beach on IMHO.

Rick D.

 

[Ctskip]

Having been on the water most of my life

I can't think of anything about sailing that makes me nervous. I've been in several hurricanes, been sunk twice, never been knocked down, or demasted though. I can imagine that would be a ride. Maybe in anticipation of what lies ahead. I really enjoy Mother Nature and her fury. I go to the beach during storms. Coming and going are fun, sailing overall is fun, just drifting is also fun. Hell it's fun just being here to enjoy the sunrise and the sunsets. Everything else in between is a joy. It's great to be alive. Worrying only gives one wrinkles.

Yesterday is in the past
Tomorrow is in the future
Today is the present,
Open it up and enjoy it.

I agree with Stu J, in the art of being prepared. I even make my bed at home just in case there's a fire, everything will be in order. Not a dish in the sink.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[Warren Milberg]

Navigating into new harbours....

I do a lot of gunkholing in my shoal draft H28.5 and so I'm always looking for new creeks, rivers, and bays to explore. Going in, or out, out these new places, for the first time, either in daylight or at night, always makes my heart go pitter-patter. The Chesapeake is a relatively shallow bay all over, and even shallower in some of its most beautiful gunkholes. I sometimes sort of "feel my way" into these places going very slowly and always being prepared to stop, back up, or turn around. Sometimes, local knowledge is more important than any other navigational aid. There are a number of anchorages on the bay (i.e., Island Creek just south of Oxford)where you actually have to pass the entrance markers on the wrong side to keep from bumping or going aground.

 

[Chris Burti]

Thunderstorms...

Provisioning, Anchoring and Docking are seamanship skills. They require lots of checking, rechecking and even getting up at night...that part is mostly in my hands.

Thunderstorms are completely out of my control and part of our summer environment here. Even properly prepared, I've seen the masthead equipment laid over at eye level under bare poles while scrambling for footing on the side of the cockpit and I've seen it become white hot molten metal splattering on the deck after a lightning strike. I've moved backward at over a knot while powering forward at full throttle. I've suffered mild hypothermia in July and been bruised by golf ball sized hail.

Nope...approaching thunderstorms cause me to sweat bullets and knot my stomach...the rest of the stuff is just about being careful.

 

[Ross]

Tony, Nancy suffered from that fear(sinking while at anchor)

until I reminded her that the boat floats for weeks at a time in her slip with perfectly dry bilges. Why would she choose to sink just because she had people on board. As far as the anchor is concerned, there have been enough pages written on this forum to fill a book on that subject. Just get more and bigger chain and a bigger hook and let out more scope. We anchor most days by 4 pm and set the anchor on a long scope. 4 boats per mile and we think it is getting crowded. Often times we just stay at anchor through the next day and be lazy, read, take a nap, read, watch the shore critters, read, think about doing something useful and decide against it. I gives me time to watch the way the boat and the anchor work together. I sleep as well on the boat as I do at home and now Nancy does also.

 

[Recess]

A second vote for thunderstorms

We get them so often in south Georgia and Florida that if you tried to avoid them altogether, you would never get out on the water. You never know how bad they are going to be until they are on you.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mistress 39]

Ross

Some fears defy all logic.
I'm not nutsy cokoo over it but its a concern the first night. And yes, I think the same thing, it hasn't sunk yet, so why now?
My other little anxiety atack is when I'm beyond range of CG or any other help if it were to be needed. Fortunately that only lasts a few hours.

Time wounds all heels, or is it the other way around?

Tony B

 

[Ross]

Since it only takes 2 minutes to drown I figure that I am always

outside of the help circle. I am a pessimist at heart and figure that the radio won't work when I need it so I will do all that I can to be self reliant. I do have a vhf radio .

 

[MoonSailer]

Love sailing Usually a pleasant time

I don't like thunderstorms but have survived enough to not think of it as death to get caught out. Navigation locks on the Tennessee river especially going up make me a little nervous. I guess the most upset ever was when I split about a cup of diesel fuel while refueling. The marian went balistic and called the coast guard and put out oil spill booms. Scared the shit out of me. I thought that I was looking at thousands of dollars in fines for about a cup of fuel. The coasty that arrived was very friendly and polite and made me feel out an incident report and that was the end of the matter. I am afraid of refueling using a pump now and always refill using a 5 gallon jug.

 

[Benny]

Irrational fears?

Just think that your boat has probably been afloat for the best of 25+ years most of the time unattended. What makes you think that it will sink when you are aboard? I have stepped of a bunk at anchor and gotten my feet wet when a head seal failed allowing sea water to overflow. If I was not aboard that would have been a problem but being there I was able to close the intake valve and dry the sole. I was was actually aware of the leaking seal but someone from my crew left the wet flush lever on against my instructions. Argh! It has been fixed.

 

[Stillraining]

Coming into a marina for the first time

I dont get anxious for much other then that.

 

[Ed]

the most nervous/apprehensive/anxious?

Walking off the dock afterwards and thinking about going back to work.

 

[Timo42]

Rick Dinon

Radar, ais, all I have is a radar reflector and eyeballs *yks , I am not real thrilled about night sailing yet and my wife says I have to get her a lobster this year or else. btw, you need anybody for race crew on occasion? Tim

 

[Rick D]

Timo, 90% Is Eyeballs...

...and 5% the radar reflector. The other five percent's the radar and AIS... but it's a darn fine 5%. If you want to crew sometime, and I have an open slot, I'll e-mail you through the forum. Only do about four regattas a year up to this point but hope to do more. It's so darn busy being retired! Rick D.