Friday, 24 April 2026

High Pressure, No Wind… and a Very Patient Sailor

There are few things more deceptive in sailing than a beautiful day.

Blue skies. Warm sunshine. Not a ripple on the water.

Perfect… right?

Well—yes, if you’re having a picnic.
Less so if you’re trying to sail.

🌤️ What Is “High Pressure” Anyway?

High pressure systems are the atmosphere’s way of saying:

“Let’s all just calm down a bit.”

In simple terms:

Air is sinking rather than rising
Clouds struggle to form → clear skies
Winds are generally light or non-existent

For most people, high pressure means a lovely day.
For sailors, it often means very little wind to work with.

⛵ The Reality of Sailing in No Wind

You launch with optimism…
You rig everything perfectly…
You push off…

…and then…

Nothing.

The sails hang like damp laundry.
The telltales droop in quiet resignation.
And the boat moves—if at all—at walking pace (on a good day).

On the River Thames, this is even more “fun” because:

The current is still moving
Which means you can be going backwards while facing forwards

A wonderful lesson in humility.

🧠 Why It Feels So Hard

Sailing in light winds isn’t just slow—it’s technically demanding.

Everything matters more:

Boat balance – even small movements slow you down
Sail trim – too tight or too loose = no drive
Weight placement – sit in the wrong place and you stop

And worst of all…

Every mistake is painfully obvious because there’s no wind to hide it.

🎯 The Skills You Actually Learn

Oddly enough, these frustrating days are some of the best for learning.

You develop:

Patience (lots of it)
Feel for the boat
Awareness of tiny wind shifts
The ability to spot the faintest ripple on the water

In stronger winds, you can get away with a lot.
In no wind, you have to sail properly.

😄 The Humorous Reality

There’s a particular moment every sailor knows:

You’re drifting along…
Another boat catches a whisper of wind…
They glide past you majestically…

…and you sit there thinking:

“They must know something I don’t.”

They don’t.
They just found the breeze first.

🧭 Tactical Tips for High Pressure Days

If you do find yourself out in these conditions:

Look for wind lines (tiny ripples on the water)
Keep sails slightly looser than usual
Minimise movement in the boat
Watch other boats (they are your wind indicators!)
Accept that speed is… optional

And most importantly:

👉 Don’t fight it—work with what little wind you have

🌅 Final Thought

High pressure days teach you something important about sailing:

It’s not always about power.
Sometimes it’s about finesse.

And occasionally…

It’s about drifting gently down the Thames, enjoying the sunshine,

and pretending you meant to go that slowly all along.

Thursday, 23 April 2026

Why “Looking Around” Is the Most Important Sailing Skill

There’s a moment when learning to sail where everything feels like it’s happening at once.

The tiller’s in one hand. The mainsheet in the other. The crew is saying something about the jib. The wind shifts. The boat heels. And just as you think you’ve got it under control…

You realise you’ve been staring at the front of the boat the whole time.

Sound familiar?

👀 The Skill No One Teaches First

When I started sailing at the Upper Thames Sailing Club, I thought the most important skills were:

Steering
Trimming sails
Not falling in

All useful… but not the skill.

The real skill?
👉 Looking around. Constantly. Properly. Intentionally.

It sounds simple. It isn’t.

🚤 Why It Matters (Especially on the Thames)

Sailing on a river like the Thames isn’t like being out at sea. It’s busy. It’s narrow. And things happen quickly.

If you’re not looking around, you’re missing:

🚤 Other boats (some much bigger than you!)
🌬️ Gusts of wind approaching across the water
🌊 Changes in current and flow
⚓ Moorings, buoys, and obstacles
🧭 Where you actually need to go next

I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been happily sailing along… only to realise we’re heading straight for trouble.

Usually because I was too busy admiring my excellent (and short-lived) sail trim.

🌬️ Reading the Water

Looking around isn’t just about avoiding collisions.

It’s how you see the wind.

Dark patches on the water? More wind.
Ripples changing direction? A shift is coming.
Other boats suddenly heeling? That gust is heading your way next.

The sailors who glide past you effortlessly aren’t lucky.

They’re watching. Constantly.

🧠 Free Speed (Yes, Really)

Here’s the surprising bit.

You don’t need new sails.
You don’t need a faster boat.
You don’t even need more strength.

👉 You just need to look around more.

By spotting wind early, you can:

Head up slightly and gain speed
Avoid dead patches
Position yourself better for the next tack

It’s the cheapest performance upgrade in sailing.

And I like cheap upgrades.

😅 My Personal Failing (and Progress)

I’ll admit it.

I still forget.

I get focused on one thing—usually the wrong thing—and stop scanning.

Then:

We slow down
We miss a shift
Someone overtakes us (again)

But on the days when I do remember to look around?

Everything improves.

Not dramatically. Not instantly.

But noticeably.

And in sailing, that’s often the difference between last place… and slightly less last.

🎯 How to Practise “Looking Around”

Like everything in sailing, it’s a skill you can train:

🔄 Scan every 10–15 seconds (make it a habit)
👥 Talk to your crew – they can see things you can’t
👀 Look behind as well as ahead
🌬️ Pick a patch of water and watch it – what’s it doing?
⛵ Compare with other boats – who’s faster and why?

It’s not about frantic head-turning.

It’s about calm, regular awareness.

⚓ Final Thought

If you only take one thing onto the water next time, make it this:

👉 Lift your head up and look around.

Because the boat doesn’t just go where you steer it…

It goes where the wind, water, and everything around you allow it to go.

And you won’t see any of that staring at the bow.

Wednesday, 22 April 2026

One Mast, Two Masts… or Three? How Many Do You Really Need?

When I first started sailing on the Thames, I thought a mast was simply… a mast. One stick, one sail (or maybe two), job done.

Then I discovered there are boats with two masts… and even three. Naturally, this led to the obvious question:

👉 Are they better… or just showing off?

Let’s take a look.

⛵ The One-Mast Boat (Sloop Rig)

Most of us on the river are sailing single-masted boats, known as sloops.

Think of your typical dinghy or modern yacht:

One mast
A mainsail
A jib (front sail)

Why it works:

Simple to rig and sail
Efficient upwind
Perfect for racing and learning

👉 On the Thames, this is king. Less to think about, more time trying not to hit the bank.

⛵⛵ The Two-Mast Boat (Ketch or Yawl)

Now things start to get interesting.

A two-masted boat splits the sail area:

Main mast at the front
Smaller mizzen mast at the back

Why have two masts?

Easier sail handling (smaller sails instead of one big one)
More balance and control
Ideal for long-distance cruising

Downsides:

More ropes (sorry… lines)
More decisions
More opportunities to get it wrong

👉 Perfect if you like the idea of sailing and mild confusion at the same time.

⛵⛵⛵ The Three-Mast Boat (Schooner or Tall Ship)

Three masts? Now we’re into proper sailing history.

These are the grand old vessels:

Schooners
Tall ships
Ocean-crossing legends

Why so many masts?

Massive sail area spread across multiple sails
Manageable by a crew (instead of one enormous sail)
Designed for long voyages before engines existed

Reality check:

You don’t sail one of these on the Thames
Unless you want to redecorate several riverside gardens in one go

🤔 So Which Is Best?

Like most things in sailing…

👉 It depends.

1 mast → Simple, fast, ideal for rivers and learning
2 masts → Balanced, manageable, great for cruising
3 masts → Impressive, historical, needs a crew (and probably a cook)

⚓ Final Thought

As someone learning to sail at 65+, I can confidently say:

👉 One mast is more than enough to get into trouble with.

Add a second, and I’d need a checklist.
Add a third… and I’d need a project manager.

Tuesday, 21 April 2026

Learning to Sail at 65+ – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Short answer: quite a lot.

When I decided to learn to sail properly at 65+, I had visions of graceful manoeuvres, quiet rivers, and the occasional gentle breeze.

Reality has been… different.

There have been:

Moments where I confidently steered in entirely the wrong direction
Times when “duck!” was shouted slightly too late
Situations where I pulled the correct rope… at completely the wrong time

And then there’s terminology.

Port. Starboard. Sheets. Halyards.
At one point I was convinced everyone was just making words up to confuse me.

But here’s the thing…

Despite all of this, it’s brilliant.

Every session gets a little easier. Every mistake teaches something useful. And every now and then, everything comes together and the boat just… works.

Those moments make all the chaos worthwhile.

Monday, 20 April 2026

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.

Saturday, 18 April 2026

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.

Friday, 17 April 2026

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.

🚀 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.

⛵ 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

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.

🤔 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

🎥 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.)

⏳ 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

Wednesday, 15 April 2026

1 Day to go – Departure Eve

“Tomorrow It Begins…”

Well…

This is it

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.

How Do I Feel?

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

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.

Tuesday, 14 April 2026

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

Documents

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

(Check again… just in case)

Money

Cash ✔
Credit Card ✔

Because:
Boats don’t accept IOUs

Charging Chaos

Phones
Cameras
Batteries
Cables

There are:
A lot of cables

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.

Salopettes?

I looked at the weather forecast

Packed

Final Thought

Everything is:
Probably fine

But I’ll still:
Check again

Monday, 13 April 2026

3 Days to go – The Unknowns

“What Am I Most Worried About?”

It’s not the sailing.

It’s everything else.

Seasickness?

I don’t normally get seasick.

But:
I’ve never really tested that properly

This could be:
A discovery

Night Sailing?

In the dark:

Everything changes
Everything looks different

And:
I like seeing where I’m going

Embarrassing Mistakes?

Almost guaranteed.

Examples may include:

Wrong rope
Wrong direction
Wrong moment

Final Thought

Worrying is:
Part of the process

So is: Getting over it

Sunday, 12 April 2026

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

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

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.

The Twist

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

While I:
Am just trying to stay upright

So which is better?

Answer:

It depends

(Helpful, I know)

Final Thought

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

But love:
The feel of the monohull

Friday, 10 April 2026

5 Days to go– From River to Sea

Day 5 – From River to Sea

“River Sailing vs Sea Sailing – Am I Ready?”

I’ve done quite a bit of sailing on the Thames.

But this…

This is the sea. It has waves.

The River Thames vs the Adriatic Sea

Space

Thames: narrow, bendy, busy
Adriatic: open, wide, slightly intimidating

Current vs Tides

Open Sea Map

Thames: strong current
Sea: tides, wind, and waves

Different challenges:
Same opportunity to get it wrong

Navigation

Thames: follow the river
Sea: actually navigate

This feels like:
A significant upgrade

Am I Ready?

Honestly:

Not entirely

But that’s the point.

Final Thought

You don’t learn by:
Staying where it’s easy

So here we go…

6 Days to go – Weather & Conditions

“What Will Croatia Be Like in April?”

The big unknown:

What will the weather actually do?

Because sailing is:
Entirely dependent on it

Wind (the important bit)

In the Adriatic Sea, April can bring:

Light winds (lovely)
Moderate winds (ideal)
Strong winds (character building)

Local winds like:

Bora – cold, strong, and not your friend
Jugo – warmer, but can build waves

So:
It could be anything

Temperature

Typically:

15–20°C

Which sounds pleasant…

Until you add:
Wind + spray

Then it feels:
Much colder

Sea State

From:

Flat calm
to
“Why am I doing this?”

Depends entirely on:
Wind + fetch + timing

Final Thought

The weather will:
Do what it wants

My job is to:
Dress for it and deal with it

Thursday, 9 April 2026

7 Days to Go – Living on a Yacht

“How Do You Actually Live on a Boat for a Week?”

Up until now, I’ve been focusing on sailing.

But there’s a small detail I may have overlooked:

You also have to live on the boat

For a whole week.

With other people.

In a space smaller than my kitchen. Now I have done this lots of times before. We have taken holidays on the canal, we have cruised up and down the Canal du Midi, but we have never done this at sea with swell.

Sleeping (or attempting to)

Sleeping on a yacht involves:

Small bunks
Odd angles
No guarantee of silence

And possibly:
Falling out if the boat moves suddenly

I suspect:
Earplugs may become my best friend

Toilets (The bit everyone worries about)

Ah yes… the marine toilet.

From what I understand:

It involves pumping
There are rules
Breaking those rules is… memorable

I have been warned:

“Nothing goes down there unless it’s passed through your body first”

This feels like important advice.

Cooking (at an angle)

Cooking onboard means:

Things slide
Liquids move
Balance is everything

So meals may range from:
“Surprisingly good”
to
“Why is this on the floor?”

Space (or lack of it)

There isn’t much.

Everything has:

A place
A very small place

And if you leave something out:
It will be in everyone’s way

Final Thought

Living on a yacht is less about comfort…

And more about:
Adaptation

Let’s see how adaptable I really am.

Day 8 – Knots Refresher

“The Knots I Should Know (But Might Forget)”

There comes a moment in every sailing journey where you realise:

You definitely learnt the knots
You’re not entirely sure you remember them

That moment is now.

The Essential Three (Apparently…)

Bowline (The “proper sailor” knot)

Forms a fixed loop that:
Doesn’t slip
Doesn’t tighten

Very useful.

Also very easy to forget under pressure.

Clove Hitch (Quick… but don’t trust it)

Great for:

Temporary tying off

Not so great if:
You forget to secure it properly

Sheet Bend (When ropes don’t match)

Used for:
Joining two ropes of different thickness

Which sounds simple…

Until you try to remember which end goes where.

My Own Survival Strategy

Fortunately, I’ve written all this down before:

https://pmrsailing.uk/sailing-lessons/sailing-terms-list/

So in theory:
I should know these

In practice:
I may be quietly checking my own website…

Final Thought

Knots are like:

Passwords
Or names at a party

You know them… until you need them

Then suddenly:
Nothing.

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Day 9 – Safety at Sea

“What Happens If Someone Falls In?”

This is one of those topics that starts as theory…

And very quickly becomes:
Something you really want to get right

The Reality

If someone falls overboard:

Time matters
Visibility matters
Calm thinking matters

And shouting:
“They’ve fallen in!”
is only the beginning.

Back to My Previous Blog

I’ve already looked at this on the Thames:
Recovering someone when a safety boat isn’t immediately available

On a yacht at sea:
It becomes even more critical

(No convenient riverbank to drift towards…)

Man Overboard – The Basics

The key steps are simple (in theory):

Shout & point – never lose sight
Throw flotation – anything that floats
Press MOB on GPS (if available)
Turn the boat – quickly but under control
Recover the person – safely

In practice:
It’s harder than it sounds

Lifejackets vs Buoyancy Aids

This is where things get important.

Buoyancy Aid:

Helps you float
You still need to keep yourself safe
Common in dinghy sailing

Lifejacket:

Turns you onto your back
Keeps your airway clear
Essential offshore

On a yacht:
You’ll be wearing a lifejacket

No debate.

The Key Lesson

Safety isn’t about:
Knowing what to do

It’s about:
Doing it quickly, calmly, and correctly

Preferably:
Without needing to use it at all

Final Thought

I fully intend:
Not to fall in

But if I do…

I hope someone’s been paying attention.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

Day 10 – Cameras & Filming Plan

“Filming a Sailing Course Without Falling Overboard”

This is, I suspect, going to be harder than the sailing.

Because it turns out:
Sailing with cameras is one thing
Sailing while filming properly is something else entirely

And ideally:
I would like to return with footage… and still be onboard.

The Plan (In Theory…)

The goal is to document the whole experience:

Learning as a Royal Yachting Association Competent Crew
Life onboard
The mistakes (there will be many)

All while:
Not dropping expensive equipment into the Adriatic Sea

The Camera Setup

360 Cameras (The “point and hope” method)

These are my favourites on a boat:

Capture everything
No need to aim (very helpful when you’re busy not falling over)
Great for action shots

Downside:
They also capture everything… including mistakes

Olympus Tough (The survivor)

My trusty Olympus Tough TG-6:

Waterproof ✔
Drop-proof ✔
Sailor-proof (hopefully) ✔

This is the camera I can hand to anyone and say:
“Just press that button”

The Backup System (Because things go wrong)

Every day:

Dump footage to a hard drive
Possibly a second backup (if I’m being sensible)

Because losing footage is:
Worse than getting wet
Almost worse than falling in

Cross-Filming Plan

This is where it gets interesting.

We have:

Two boats
Two filming teams (Steve doesn't know tjhis yet)
Often the Sunsail Instructors also film

I’ll be filming the catamaran, my wife will be filming me
Steve will be filming us on the yacht

Which means:

External shots ✔
Different perspectives ✔
Much better storytelling ✔

Assuming, of course:
We don’t both miss the shot at the same time

Final Thought

The aim is simple:

Capture the experience
Tell the story
Stay dry (optional)

What could possibly go wrong?