Yachting covers a wide range of activities: choose a yacht (buy or rent), master basic boat handling skills, determine the direction of sailing and plan a route, consider the types of water activities (diving - for young people , swimming in the sea is for children, and water skiing is encouraged by people of all ages) or passive (eg fishing).
The reasons to go sailing are quite weighty:
Yachting, by and large, is entertainment, but the goal can be not only family vacations and vacations with friends, but also sports or tourism with a team of like-minded people. Yachting is not just a hobby, it is a way of life!
People who are just considering sailing have a lot of questions:
Let's take a closer look at what is hidden behind this romantic word "yachting", so that everyone can decide: try or not?
Yachtsmen are enthusiastic people, ready to spend a lot of money and a lot of time on the most expensive way to travel by sea, bringing not only joy and pleasure, but also wild fatigue, and sometimes discomfort. So who are these people? What is it that draws them to the sea? Where does such determination come from? Let's try to consider the types of these people in order.
This category of people is competent, who take sail very seriously and have been doing this business all their conscious life. Often their professional activities are also related to yachts, they are highly qualified specialists: skippers, instructors, coaches, racers, shipbuilders, etc. They regularly go to sea (out of interest or for a salary), they are very reliable, responsible, and the motivation is so high that it just goes off scale.
Their interests and desires are so diverse that it's time to make a list:
The next feat of such people is driven by the thirst for self-affirmation and the desire to become a hero!
The most numerous category of modern yachtsmen, providing significant support to the yachting industry. The people are sociable, it is comfortable and fun to sail the ocean with them, the main goal of sea travel is to gain new vivid impressions, to satisfy the passion for the unknown and for unusual adventures. Family or friendly teams in each port go on excursions, walks through the ruins, or even just shopping.
This category will quickly calculate the amount that other sailors spend on hobbies or leisure. The computational processes carried out in the head lead to the conclusion that it turns out to be expensive to rest at your own expense. They will not buy a yacht in order to use only 2-3 months a year, and the rest of the time they will calculate the costs of its maintenance. So here it is, a great business idea and a target audience! Yachts for rent: pleasure, sailing, motor, sports; more choice - higher demand, and hence profit. So we earned money for rest, now you can take part in a cruise and in a regatta. Will there be tangible benefits for relatives from such a business? A controversial issue, probably 50-50.
There are not only purely male teams, but also mixed teams. The expression "a woman on a ship - to trouble" has long sunk into oblivion and is not taken seriously. Mixed crews usually take not very difficult coastal routes, respect safety, rarely get into any adventure. But if the team set a goal: to achieve a good result in a long regatta, then the ladies will be offered to stay on the shore, since the female body is unlikely to cope with excessive physical, mental, and sometimes unsanitary stress.
Who are these desperate women and girls, ready to put up with stress, fatigue, exhaust themselves with physical exertion? Let's conditionally divide them according to interests:
There is a joke among British yachtsmen that the very understanding of the essence of "yachting" comes when you get up in a raincoat under an ice shower and start tearing money into small pieces, systematically destroying all your savings; the emotions that you experience at this moment are very close to real ones.
Firstly, cash costs, and considerable: training in a yacht school (you must at least be able to do something), equipment (so as not worse than others), visa processing, ticket purchase to the starting point and back, yacht rental, organizational fees for participation in regattas, races, competitions ...
The most difficult case is the decision to take ownership of the yacht. Buying a boat will immediately entail the following costs: payment for parking, insurance, communication with foreign partners or companies, maintenance, repairs, landscaping (I want to hang new curtains), etc.
It often happens that on the day the yacht is sold, the owner is as happy (and even euphoric) as on the day of purchase. Renting a yacht for a week is quite comparable to the cost of a week's stay at a hotel, so think carefully, is a purchase really necessary?
Secondly, time spent: training, training, boat repair, searching for the necessary information on the Internet (mostly at night), travel to competitions, participation in regattas. Conclusion: you need to organize a team or make a company.
Thirdly, sea discomfort, yes, it also happens. Pitching immediately comes to mind, rocking everyone (even the strongest and healthiest), it all depends on the intensity and duration of the pitching. For some, it is even more difficult to wait for favorable weather on the shore, it’s still a test! Patience and patience again, happy is the person whose supply is unlimited.
Fourth, discomfort in communication: the space is enclosed, here and there small conflicts flare up for unpredictable reasons (on the shore, perhaps this situation would not have been paid attention to). There are certain rules and traditions that help to find a compromise in any crew, but will they please everyone? Not all skippers are excellent psychologists and not in all cases are able to “sort out” this or that situation. Sometimes the interests of team members are so contradictory that there can be no question of any compromises, are you ready to give up in this case?
Most yachtsmen are incorrigible optimists, they will find a pleasant side in everything. A storm, a gusty wind, waves throw the ship from side to side - this is a real adventure that gives new sensations, a slight thrill, the heart sanks from the expectation of the unknown. Romance, for the sake of this it was worth going to sea; an unforgettable experience with so much to tell! There are frictions in the crew - it's okay, we are developing relations, taking them to a new level. Difficulties exist in order to overcome them. We will return to the shore with a friendly close-knit team! Outrageous cash expenditures are nonsense, you can't forbid living beautifully!
Traveling is so great, flying a yacht on your own, feeling like a "sea wolf"! Inspiration, supported by pleasant emotions, appears already at the stage of developing the route. In dreams, you go through this path more than once, and not twice, and you always get such pleasure! On the spot, the direction can be adjusted if desired. An unforgettable sensation of a pioneer, so many mysteries and a slightly frightening unknown ...
Aborigines on the islands speak incomprehensibly (Turkish, Greek, Italian), they have to communicate almost with gestures in order to exchange euros for food and souvenirs. A yacht is a kind of ark, where you need to cook food, maintain the vertical of power (you have to make it clear who is in charge here), negotiate with the port authorities. And finally, here it is - the most beautiful bay with the purest water, and around the fabulous landscapes! Here it is happiness, but no money is spared!
Sports competitions are self-realization, self-affirmation, the joy of victory, and how nice it is to realize that today we are the best and rightfully occupy the top line in the referee's protocols. Winning an adult race (even a small one) is not easy; a successful racer is usually successful in other areas of life as well.
Only an experienced and competent rider with a qualification that surpasses the competition is capable of winning. High qualification directly depends on the duration and time of training. If your opponent has been actively sailing since the age of ten, and you only started at forty, then don't be fooled, there is really no chance of getting around him. But there are no hopeless situations, there is always an opportunity to get into a good team.
Communication skills are no less important, good relations between crew members is one of the components of success. To win requires the full dedication of each team member: the interests of the team always take priority over personal ones, endure when necessary and explode at the right moment. It is very important to be able to inspire people to a feat, make them believe in victory, show prospects!
It is impossible to win without feeling the time; it is required to develop timing, and this is given only by hard training and water practice at different wind speeds. You need to be able to calculate in your head how long it will take for a yacht to travel a certain distance at a wind speed of 7 knots, and if the wind increases or decreases?
It is also necessary to have strategic thinking and be able to assess many factors while onshore: weather conditions, distance, competitors, sailing characteristics of the yacht, strengths and weaknesses of the crew, etc. And if everything does not go according to plan from the very beginning, then you need to make adjustments to the plan on the fly, make a decision and act as quickly as possible.
The main resources of a yachtsman to take part and win in big races are money and free time. Both should be in abundance. Although everything is relative, you can get the same emotions and impressions by competing locally (quite affordable for people with small incomes), if you wish. The wind blows the same on any competition field, and it's still free.
If a person is seriously interested in sailing for a long time, then he needs to choose a goal that will inspire him to new achievements and support him in unsuccessful periods. The goal sets the direction of movement and helps build a plan for many years to come. It does not appear immediately, but about 5-7 years after repeated participation in simple regattas, cruises "on the occasion" (friends invited), when the understanding comes "yes, this is definitely mine." That's when you need to define your (personal) strategic task.
Athletes and travelers have different global goals. What do travelers dream about? Most often about circumnavigation, so I want to see how people live in other countries, to breathe deeply the romance of a long journey. Someone perceives this trip as an opportunity to overcome their fears: some are panicky afraid of falling overboard, others are embarrassed to admit that they swim badly, others start to tremble at the sight of lightning, etc. In a long voyage, having repeatedly looked fear in the eyes, you can make friends with it, and then say goodbye forever. Dreams about the ocean may well become a reality if you do not try to make the transatlantic voyage alone, but join the formed group of yachts by contacting the organizing committee. A wonderful landmark for future triumph!
In the meantime, in order to practice your skills, in the process of preparing for a responsible sailing, you can take part in the training runs under the command of an experienced skipper. The length of such runs can be compared with the ocean, feel like a real ocean yachtsman.
Sail alone with your own team of friends or family on a wonderful rented cruising yacht. An exhilarating adventure ahead can inspire all future crew members to complete training, purchase equipment, endure the turmoil of flights and visas, come to terms with financial costs, etc. Preparing for a cruise takes six to ten months. This time is quite enough to study theory and practice, assemble a team, choose a region and a suitable yacht.
Turkey and Greece are the most attractive areas for novice captains. Turkey offers reasonable prices and a reliable water area, which is important for independent sailing. And in Greece, the Ionian Sea is just ideal for inexperienced captains; the demand for this water area is determined by the protection from squall winds, a large number of anchorages and cozy ports, meeting with the gentle rustle of waves. The crew will be happy to enjoy the sun and pleasant wind, which will ensure the uniform movement of the cruising yacht across the azure sea.
Racers' dreams are associated with sports passion, with adrenaline, which excites the blood. These are ambitious people, they need victories like air. The ideal for them are legendary yachtsmen who have achieved major victories, achieved certain results at a high level. They are inspired by their dreams of participating in world-class regattas such as:
Victory in these and similar regattas is the maximum achievement of a professional yachtsman!
The prospects for athletes are endless. A rider acquires the necessary high-level qualifications only by the age of fifty, when knowledge, skills and experience are brought together. During this period, psychological stability reached perfection, and physical fitness allows being in the team of gamblers and younger ones. This is possible, provided that the athlete got acquainted with sails in adolescence. If you started later, then there is no point in competing with professionals, except perhaps for fun.
Do not rush to get upset, because prospects for many years are opening up in front of you. The great thing about sailing is that you can start your career at absolutely at any age and you can stay in it until a ripe old age. You are guaranteed vivid impressions, many discoveries and achievements throughout your life!
Look at yourself in the mirror. Does your physical form match the image of a gallant sailor? As the experts advise 2yachts, it is best to start with physical training, with home workouts or workouts in the fitness room; study the theory, read special literature, watch videos, films. Sailing is unthinkable without a good team, so you need to make an effort and create your own crew or join an already formed team.
Sign up for a local sailing club or section, for sure, they will be glad to see you there, it is easier to achieve any results under competent guidance. Do not hesitate, everyone, regardless of age, is accepted, and there is no better way to communicate between parents and children. Perhaps you will open up some new facets, you will have to look in a new way at the well-known facts. A long journey begins with the first step. You no longer need to look for hobbies for yourself, the passion for sails will capture once and for all! No wonder Jack London wrote that "the heart of a real sailor squeezes sweetly at the sight of a large sailing ship!" Maybe this is about you?
Full speed ahead and tailwind!