Before We Launch — The Five-Minute Safety Check
The best safety equipment in sailing is often the five minutes you spend thinking before launching.
You have found a sailing club.
You have discovered what all the mysterious bits of the boat are called.
You have learned that a sheet is not something you sleep under, a halyard is not a place where you store broken boats, and the kicking strap is not there for kicking.
You have even managed to rig the boat without accidentally creating modern art.
Surely it is time to push it into the water?
Almost.
Before we launch, there is one habit worth learning right from the beginning: stop for five minutes and check that you, the boat and the conditions are ready.
This isn't intended to make sailing sound dangerous. Quite the opposite.
Most club dinghy sailing is remarkably safe because sailors don't simply shove a boat into the water and hope for the best. There are routines, safety boats, experienced people around and sensible precautions.
And, eventually, many of those precautions become automatic.
Safety Begins Before the Boat Touches the Water
There is a temptation, particularly when you are new, to think that safety equipment means complicated emergency equipment.
It usually doesn't.
For a beginner sailing a dinghy from a club, the most useful safety precautions are often wonderfully ordinary:
wearing the right buoyancy aid;
checking the weather;
knowing what the river is doing;
making sure the boat has its bung;
dressing appropriately;
knowing where you are supposed to sail;
and checking that someone knows you are actually out there.
None of this takes very long.
So before we launch, let's walk around the boat.
1. Start With Yourself: Is Your Buoyancy Aid Properly Fitted?
Putting on a buoyancy aid isn't quite enough.
It needs to fit properly.
For dinghy sailing, buoyancy aids are designed to give you support in the water while still allowing enough freedom of movement to sail and, if necessary, climb back into the boat. The RYA specifically identifies buoyancy aids as appropriate for activities such as dinghy sailing, where entering the water is possible and self-rescue may be expected.
Do up the zip or buckles.
Adjust the straps.
Then check that it isn't so loose that it could simply ride upwards if you entered the water.
A useful test is to pull upwards on the shoulders. The RYA advises that if it rises more than about 50 mm, it is too large or not adjusted correctly.
This is particularly important with children.
A buoyancy aid bought several sizes too large on the basis that "they'll grow into it" isn't a bargain if the child can slide out of it.
Beginner habit
Before every sail:
Buoyancy aid on. Fastened. Adjusted.
Not sitting in the boat.
Not lying on the pontoon.
Not "I'll put it on if the wind gets stronger."
Wear it.
2. Look at the Weather — Not Just the Sunshine
It is a beautiful summer afternoon.
The sun is out.
What could possibly go wrong?
Possibly nothing.
But sunshine tells you surprisingly little about whether it is a good time to sail.
What matters much more is the wind.
Ask:
How strong is it?
Is it gusty?
Is it increasing?
Which direction is it coming from?
Are stronger winds forecast later?
Are showers or thunderstorms approaching?
If you are sailing at a club, one of the easiest things you can do is ask an experienced sailor.
"Are these sensible conditions for me to go out?"
There is absolutely no shame in asking.
In fact, learning when not to sail is part of learning to sail.
A competent sailor does not prove anything by launching into conditions beyond their experience.
3. On a River, Look at the Water as Well as the Wind
River sailing brings another consideration.
The water itself may be moving.
After prolonged rain, a river can behave very differently from the pleasant stretch of water you sailed on the previous weekend.
The current may be stronger.
There may be floating branches or other debris.
Getting away from a pontoon may become more difficult.
Returning to it may become much more difficult.
And if the wind drops completely, the current can suddenly become the most important force acting on your boat.
This is particularly worth remembering because the current may not look dramatic from the bank.
Before launching, ask:
What is the river doing today?
If the club has restrictions because of river conditions, respect them.
If experienced sailors are standing around saying the stream is unusually strong, that isn't the ideal moment for a beginner to announce:
"It looks all right to me."
4. Is There Safety Cover?
At many sailing clubs there will be a powered safety boat on the water during organised sailing, racing or coaching.
That doesn't mean you should deliberately capsize just to give the safety crew something to do.
But it does mean there is someone available if a sailor has difficulty, a boat becomes damaged, somebody becomes cold or a beginner simply gets into a situation they cannot sort out.
Before launching, establish:
Is a safety boat operating?
Who is running it?
Is there organised club sailing taking place?
Is independent sailing permitted?
Are there any particular restrictions today?
For beginners, sailing while organised safety cover is operating can make the whole experience considerably more reassuring.
You are learning.
You are not expected to know everything yet.
5. The Most Embarrassingly Important Question: Is the Bung In?
There are some pieces of sophisticated sailing equipment.
Carbon-fibre masts.
Precision racing sails.
Electronic compasses.
Advanced control systems.
And then there is the humble bung.
A piece of plastic costing very little which can have a surprisingly large influence on whether the inside of your boat remains dry.
Many dinghies have a drain bung which must be fitted before launching.
Forget it and you may discover that your boat appears to be developing an unexpectedly intimate relationship with the river.
The important point isn't that forgetting the bung is a catastrophe.
It is that it is so easily prevented.
Make it part of the routine.
Walk around the stern.
BUNG?
Check.
Eventually you will probably find yourself checking it even when somebody else tells you they have already done it.
That isn't distrust.
That's sailing.
6. Rudder: Present, Attached and Ready to Work?
Remember our earlier tour around the sailing dinghy?
The rudder is the blade at the back that allows us to steer.
It becomes rather more important once you actually leave the bank.
Check that:
the rudder assembly is there;
it is attached correctly;
the tiller is secure;
any retaining clip or fitting is engaged;
the rudder can be lowered when required;
nothing is tangled around it.
On shallow launching areas you may initially need the rudder raised.
What matters is knowing how and when it will be lowered.
A surprisingly poor time to investigate the rudder mechanism for the first time is when you are already drifting backwards away from the pontoon.
7. Centreboard or Daggerboard: Don't Forget the Other Underwater Bit
The centreboard or daggerboard helps stop the boat sliding sideways through the water.
Again, you may need it raised while launching in shallow water.
But check that:
it is actually in the boat;
it moves properly;
you know how to lower it;
any retaining system is fitted correctly.
A beginner may concentrate so much on sails, sheets and steering that the centreboard is forgotten altogether.
The boat will still sail.
It just won't necessarily sail quite where you intended.
8. Dress for the Water, Not Just the Car Park
This is an important one.
You arrive at the sailing club and it is 23°C.
The sun is shining.
You are warm walking across the boat park.
Therefore shorts and a T-shirt must be plenty.
Except you aren't going to spend the afternoon walking across the boat park.
You are going onto the water.
There may be wind chill.
You may get splashed.
You may capsize.
And the water can be considerably colder than the air.
Layers are useful because sailing conditions change.
Depending upon the time of year and type of sailing, suitable clothing might include:
quick-drying layers;
sailing waterproofs;
wetsuit;
spray top;
hat;
gloves;
additional warm clothing ashore for afterwards.
Avoid relying on heavy cotton clothing which becomes cold and uncomfortable when soaked.
And don't forget sun protection.
Cold water and sunburn are perfectly capable of existing on the same afternoon.
9. Why Cold Water Matters on a Warm Day
This is something beginners can easily underestimate.
The air can feel delightfully warm while the water remains cold enough to cause a very different reaction.
The RYA warns that cold-water shock is a genuine risk in water below 15°C. Sudden immersion can cause an involuntary gasp and rapid breathing, with the effects strongest immediately after entering the water.
That matters because your first instinct after unexpectedly falling into cold water may be to panic and immediately start swimming.
The better response is to let your buoyancy aid support you, protect your airway and regain control of your breathing.
The RYA notes that the initial effects usually settle after the first minute or two.
This is one reason wearing an appropriate buoyancy aid before launching is so important.
You cannot reliably predict when you might fall in.
And your swimming ability doesn't somehow switch off the body's automatic cold-water response.
The important lesson
Don't judge the temperature of the river by the temperature of the air.
Dress for the possibility that you might actually end up in the water.
10. What Is on Your Feet?
Sailing barefoot can look wonderfully carefree in photographs.
It becomes rather less attractive when you step on:
a fitting;
a cleat;
a stone;
a sharp object;
or something unpleasant hiding beneath the water beside the slipway.
You also need grip.
Smooth wet surfaces, pontoons and slipways can become surprisingly slippery.
Wear footwear which:
stays securely on your feet;
provides reasonable grip;
protects your toes and soles;
and can get wet.
Old loose flip-flops are generally better suited to sitting beside a swimming pool than controlling a sailing dinghy.
11. Glasses, Phones and Everything Else That Doesn't Float
There is a useful rule around boats:
If something isn't attached to you or the boat, eventually it may attempt to become part of the river.
Glasses should ideally have a retaining strap.
Sunglasses too.
Phones need particular thought.
Putting an expensive smartphone into an ordinary trouser pocket and then climbing into a dinghy is an interesting form of financial risk-taking.
Use an appropriate waterproof case or pouch if you need to carry it.
Otherwise, consider whether it needs to come sailing at all.
The same applies to:
keys;
cameras;
wallets;
watches;
loose hats.
Ask yourself:
What happens to this if I capsize?
If the answer is "it sinks" or "I buy another one", do something about it before launching.
12. Where Exactly Are You Allowed to Sail?
This is easily overlooked.
You can see water.
You have a boat.
Surely you simply sail wherever you like?
Not necessarily.
A club may have:
defined sailing areas;
restrictions near locks or weirs;
navigation channels;
areas to avoid;
particular turning points;
rules about sailing beyond certain landmarks;
restrictions for inexperienced sailors.
There may also be commercial traffic, rowing boats, paddleboards, canoes and motorboats sharing the water.
Before your first independent sail, know your boundaries.
Ask someone to physically point them out.
"You can sail from here to there."
That is much more useful than discovering afterwards that the little red buoy you sailed happily past actually meant something.
My Five-Minute Pre-Launch Routine
You don't need a clipboard.
You don't need a laminated 47-page operating manual.
You simply need a routine.
I would reduce it to five questions.
1. ME
Buoyancy aid fitted?
Correct clothing?
Suitable footwear?
Glasses, phone and valuables secure?
2. WEATHER
Is the wind suitable for my ability?
Is anything significant approaching?
3. WATER
What is the current doing?
Are there any unusual river conditions or restrictions?
4. BOAT
Bung in?
Rudder fitted?
Centreboard fitted?
Rigging checked?
Nothing twisted, loose or obviously wrong?
5. PLAN
Where am I sailing?
Who knows I am going out?
Is safety cover operating?
How am I getting back in?
Five minutes.
Often considerably less.
The Classic Beginner Launch
There is another reason for doing all this before launching.
Once the boat goes into the water, everything suddenly becomes more complicated.
Someone is holding the painter.
The boat is moving.
The wind catches the sail.
Somebody asks you to get aboard.
The rudder needs lowering.
The centreboard needs lowering.
Another boat wants to use the slipway.
Your instructor is giving instructions.
And this is normally the precise moment somebody announces:
"Has anyone put the bung in?"
It is much easier to solve problems while the boat is sitting peacefully on dry land.
Don't Let a Checklist Replace Thinking
A checklist is useful.
But this lesson isn't really about remembering ten individual items.
It is about developing a much more valuable sailing habit:
Stop and look.
Look at yourself.
Look at the boat.
Look at the river.
Look at the sky.
Look at what the experienced sailors are doing.
If something doesn't feel right, ask.
Experienced sailors ask each other questions all the time.
Being safe doesn't mean knowing everything.
It means recognising when you don't know something and finding out before it becomes important.
Your Practical Challenge
Before your next sail, don't immediately launch.
Stand beside the fully rigged boat and spend five minutes checking it.
Can you identify:
your correctly fitted buoyancy aid;
the bung;
rudder and tiller;
centreboard;
suitable clothing;
suitable footwear;
wind direction and approximate strength;
river conditions;
the sailing area;
the safety boat?
If you can do that without being prompted, you are already becoming a more competent sailor.
Five Minutes That Make the Rest of the Day Better
One of the pleasures of learning to sail is that what initially looks complicated gradually becomes normal.
Rigging becomes normal.
Launching becomes normal.
Tacking becomes normal.
And so does safety.
You don't stand beside the boat trembling while completing a terrifying risk assessment.
You simply develop good habits.
Buoyancy aid. Weather. Water. Boat. Plan.
Check them.
Then launch.
Because the point of the five-minute safety check isn't to make you worry about everything that might happen.
It is to deal with the obvious things beforehand so that, once the boat leaves the bank, you can concentrate on the much more enjoyable business of learning to sail.
My name is Philip. I started sailing when I was 65.
I joined a club and because my son had already been part of a club for many years - borrowing all types of boat. He knew what we needed and the type of boat I would require.
So we did by an RS Toura - a virtually unsinkable dinghy which has given me the confidence to experiment and learn and take my RYA exams and become a competent sailor and then to move up to the boat of my dreams - the A-Rater.
Next in the series
How Does a Sailing Boat Actually Sail?
Lesson 7: The First Bit of Sailing Theory You Really Need
The surprising thing about sailing isn't that a boat can sail downwind. It's that it can sail towards the wind at all.
Return to https://pmrsailing.uk/Lessons.html
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