Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 26: Handling Your Sailboat
until you are exhausted. With the boat on its side, uncleat the halyards and pull
down the sails. Then try again—you’ll be amazed how much easier it is.
8. Help any other crew back aboard. Make sure nothing important (like the rudder!)
came loose and floated away during the spill.
9. Bail out excess water and go back to sailing—but this time ease the sheet! (If the
boat is full of water to the gunnels, you may have to bail it out before you or anyone
else gets back aboard. Tie a gallon bucket somewhere in the cockpit to be sure it’s
there when you need it.)
Obviously, capsizing is anything but routine in larger sailboats, and there’s no way you’re
going to manually right a 25-footer that goes bottom-side up, but for the smallest sailing
craft, it’s a fairly common procedure.
The Least You Need to Know
◆ Sailboats can’t be maneuvered quickly or stopped like powerboats, so more care is
required when docking and anchoring them.
◆ Boats under sail have a different set of rules of the road than powerboats.
◆ The deep draft of many sailboat keels makes grounding frequent—know the tricks
for getting free.
◆ Sailboats can handle most rough weather easily if the crew prepares in advance.
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