5 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Sail

 

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Sail

When I first stepped into a dinghy on the River Thames, I assumed sailing was mostly about pulling ropes and hoping for the best.

It turns out there’s a bit more to it than that.

Here are five things I wish someone had told me before I started:

1. Sitting in the wrong place matters… a lot
Balance is everything. Sit too far back and the boat drags. Too far forward and you bury the bow. Too far to one side and you’re swimming.

2. Stop staring at the sail
I spent far too long admiring the sail instead of looking where I was going. The river, other boats, and the bank are far more important.

3. Small movements beat big ones
New sailors (me included) tend to oversteer. Gentle corrections work far better than dramatic swings.

4. Wind awareness is everything
If you don’t know where the wind is coming from, you’re not sailing—you’re drifting with intent.

5. It’s supposed to feel awkward at first
Everyone looks slightly incompetent at the beginning. The trick is to keep going.

I’m still learning all of this… just slightly less badly than before.

We Have Arrived – Marina, Croatia at Last!

 

We Have Arrived – Marina, Croatia at Last!

After weeks of planning, packing (and repacking), checking lists, losing lists, and wondering if I really needed that many cables… we have finally arrived in Marina, Croatia.

And what a place to arrive.

First Impressions

Warm air. Blue skies. Palm trees.
Already, this feels very different from launching a dinghy on the slightly brown (but much-loved) River Thames.

We’re based near Trogir, a stunning little town that looks like it’s been lifted straight out of a history book and gently placed into the Adriatic. Narrow streets, ancient stone buildings, and boats everywhere.

And not just any boats…
Proper yachts. The kind where everything is shiny, neatly coiled, and far more complicated than anything I’ve been pretending to sail up to now.

The Reality Check

Of course, arriving is one thing.
Actually sailing for a week as “Competent Crew”… that’s something else entirely.

Some early observations:

• There are more ropes (sorry… lines) than I remember.
• Everything is bigger.
• Everything is more expensive.
• And everything matters just a little bit more when you’re not five metres from the bank.

Rosamund is already spotting photographic opportunities every few seconds, which is promising.
I, on the other hand, am wondering how long it will take before I call port “left” in front of everyone.

The Mission Begins

Tomorrow we meet the crew, the instructor, and—most importantly—the boat.

Somewhere out there is a 47-foot yacht waiting patiently…
Probably unaware of what’s about to happen.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

• First attempt at stepping aboard gracefully
• Forgetting how to tie a bowline
• Dropping something important into the sea
• Calling the boom “that big swinging thing”

But that’s all part of the adventure—and exactly why we’re here.

Less than 100 Days to Go – SailGP heads back to Portsmouth!

 

Less than 100 Days to Go – SailGP heads back to Portsmouth!

“100 Days to Go – Will I Be Ready for SailGP in Portsmouth?”

There are moments in sailing when everything feels just a little bit… faster.

This is one of them.

In 100 days, the high-speed, heart-in-mouth spectacle that is SailGP returns to Portsmouth for Season 6 — and if you’ve never seen these boats fly, you’re in for something rather special.

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🚀 Not Your Average Sunday Sail

Now, I sail on the Thames.

We worry about:

• Wind (or lack of it… usually lack of it)
• Current (always in the wrong direction)
• And whether we’ll finish before the next race starts

SailGP teams?

They worry about:

• Hitting 100 km/h
• Keeping control while flying above the water
• And not capsizing on live international television

Slight difference.

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⛵ The Boats That Fly

These aren’t your typical sailing boats. The F50 catamarans lift clean out of the water on hydrofoils — more aircraft than boat.

Watching them is like seeing:

• A Formula 1 car
• On water
• With no brakes
• And the occasional splashy reminder that physics is still in charge

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 Why Portsmouth Matters

There’s something quite fitting about SailGP returning to Portsmouth:

• Historic naval city
• Packed spectator views
• And (hopefully) just enough wind to keep things interesting

For those of us learning to sail “the traditional way,” it’s a reminder of just how far the sport has evolved.

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🤔 Will It Help My Sailing?

That’s the real question.

Will watching the world’s best sailors:

• Improve my tacking?
• Stop me from finishing last?
• Help me understand wind shifts better?

Probably not.

But it will remind me why I started:
👉 The thrill
👉 The challenge
👉 And the occasional moment when everything just works

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🎥 The Plan?

Between now and race day:

• More practice on the Thames
• More filming for pmrsailing
• And possibly… slightly fewer last-place finishes

(We can dream.)

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⏳ Countdown Begins

So here we are.

100 days to go.

Time to:

• Check the kit
• Charge the cameras
• And maybe… just maybe… learn to sail a bit faster

 

1 Day to go – Departure Eve

“Tomorrow It Begins…”

Well…

This is it

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The Journey So Far

From:

• River sailing on the Thames
  to
• Preparing for a week in Croatia

It’s been:
Quite a journey already

I have been to Croatia before in the summer. I remember getting on the plane in England in the cool rain and then arriving in the heat of Croatia. Perhaps not this time.

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How Do I Feel?

• Excited ✔
• Slightly nervous ✔
• Wondering what I’ve forgotten ✔

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What Comes Next

• New skills
• New experiences
• New mistakes

A few days in Croatia before our trip on the yacht, and then three days of exploring after the trip. before we return on Monday night.

Final Thought

This isn’t just about sailing.

It’s about:
Trying something new
Stepping outside our comfort zones
Enjoying the journey and knowing I'm taking thousands of photographs and hours of video, hopefully all backed up.

 

2 Days to go – Final Checks

“Last Minute Panic – What Have I Forgotten?”

This is the stage where:
You realise you’ve probably forgotten something

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Documents

• Passport ✔
• Insurance ✔
• Booking ✔
• Course details ✔
• All documents in one Folder ✔

(Check again… just in case)

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Money

• Cash ✔
• Credit Card ✔

Because:
Boats don’t accept IOUs

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Charging Chaos

• Phones
• Cameras
• Batteries
• Cables

There are:
A lot of cables

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Wifes Clothes

Sorted. Enough stuff for a few months. I will pack around this.

Hopefully:
 3 T-shirts / shorts packed and a pair of trousers to go out to a restaurant in.

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Salopettes?

I looked at the weather forecast

Packed

Final Thought

Everything is:
Probably fine

But I’ll still:
Check again

 

3 Days to go – The Unknowns

“What Am I Most Worried About?”

It’s not the sailing.

It’s everything else.

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Seasickness?

I don’t normally get seasick.

But:
 I’ve never really tested that properly

This could be:
A discovery

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Night Sailing?

In the dark:

• Everything changes
• Everything looks different

And:
I like seeing where I’m going

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Embarrassing Mistakes?

Almost guaranteed.

Examples may include:

• Wrong rope
• Wrong direction
• Wrong moment

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Final Thought

Worrying is:
Part of the process

So is: Getting over it

 

4 Days to go – Catamaran vs Monohull

“Two Hulls or One – Which is Better?”

This is a debate as old as sailing itself.

And now:
I get to see both

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The Monohull (my home)

• Heels over
• Feels alive
• Lets you know what’s happening

Also:
Occasionally feels like it’s trying to throw you off

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The Catamaran

• Flat
• Stable
• Spacious

Also:
Slightly less dramatic Steve and Judy and their guests will be on this boat sailing with us for some of the way.

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The Twist

Judy and Steve are:
Learning to move from monohull → catamaran

While I:
Am just trying to stay upright

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So which is better?

Answer:

It depends

(Helpful, I know)

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Final Thought

I suspect I’ll enjoy:
The stability of the cat

But love:
The feel of the monohull