Things We Wish We’d Known Before Setting Sail and Living Aboard a Sailboat

Setting off to live on a sailboat is a thrilling and freeing experience, but it also comes with its fair share of surprises and hard lessons. Cutting corners usually smacks you back in the face worse and at a more inconvenient moment (naturally). The only saving grace being “oh well that that can’t happen again for the first time ever again”. We’ve been through calm seas, but also some seriously rough patches (at one stage we had a broken toilet, no electricity, 40 degrees of Greek heat and no fridge!) We’ve learnt a LOT the hard way! We’ve also been fortunate to meet some seriously experienced sailors and long-term liveaboards, who have been generous enough to share their wisdom. In this post, we’re hoping to pay it forward, by sharing the gems we wish we’d known before setting sail. So whether you’re a seasoned mariner, just beginning to dream about life on the water, or merely an interested bystander, we hope our tips provide a useful list and offer a golden nugget or two!

• It will be high highs and low lows and possibly boring too at times, but rarely ever mundane.
• If you’ve thought about taking an action… its probably already too late. This logic can apply to so many things(!); reefing, lifejackets, hydration, sun-cream, needing the loo, that berth is too small for our boat etc…! Moral of the story is to listen to your inner niggle(!)
• Before you turn the engine off. First put the clutch into neutral and idle the engine for 5 minutes. If the engine is stopped suddenly at high-temperature, this can cause problems. Then put the gear in neutral and briefly go into high revs (c.3600 RPM). This will “blow out” any burnt gas left in the cylinder (thanks to SV Arakai for this tip!).
• Pump the toilet waaay more times than you need to (we do x20+). Seawater and urine share chemical similarities, but when mixed, they can create insoluble salts or “scale”. Over time, this “lining” hardens like concrete, making the heads increasingly difficult to flush. Basically gallstones for the boat, but you will feel the pain! More pumps reduces this chance (thanks to SV Stiletto for this lesson).
• Always take the mainsail cover off and fasten the halyard to the head of the sail before leaving port.
• Take transit bearings with a compass (we use compass binoculars) every time you anchor, without fail. It only takes 5-minutes, but saves you a world of stress if anything unmentionable occurs and gives reassurance if it doesn’t (thank you SV Wild Rover of Dart). You can then play one of our favourite games… ‘guess my transits’!
• Do an engine ‘WOBBLE’ every time. Again, takes 5-minutes and you never know what might have loosened since the last run.
• The yachting industry is the last hiding place of a scoundrel(!) (thanks to SV Emerald for this quote!)
• Learn to fix your systems yourself and carry lots of spares. You will become a mechanic, electrician, plumber, rigger, crafts-person etc. It will take time to learn your boat, but it’s worth it and will save you a lot of money and worry/stress in the long-run. And if you really really can’t fix something yourself (or don’t have the tools e.g. stainless), be cautious of who you choose. Consider a proper company and get a tax receipt so it’s on the books and you have comeback.
• At least 4:1 ratio on anchor scope to depth and if you’ve got the swing room – more is more! More scope means the chain lies along the seabed, digging into the ground when pulled parallel to the ground. The chain also adds extra weight allowing the anchor to dig in and hold firmly with horizontal force.
• Always “set” the anchor by reversing on it to check it has dug in, why wait for Mother Nature to check it for you! Your neighbours will notice and appreciate you too!
• Don’t tighten bits or bolts (e.g. in the engine) while it is still hot… trust me, just don’t!
• Tin foil is an excellent and cheap way of cleaning up stainless steel (thanks to SV Tickety-Boo for this tip!)
• Use Marine16 or Soltron diesel improver to kill off diesel bug when you fuel up (thanks again SV Wild Rover of Dart).
• Silicon wine bottle stops are extremely useful for covering engine pipes, swimming ladders, ePropulsion outboard engine electrical connections… we keep finding uses. Not to mention wine bottles!
• When you haul out and the boat is still wet, check under the rudder for rusty coloured water… it’s a (useful) early indication of rudder shaft issues.
• Similarly, check your anodes with a multi-meter when out of the water to make sure your prop is in fact protected, takes 1-minute.
• Running cotton wool down the standing rigging is a great way of checking for any early issues (thanks to SV Gemervescence (via Mum) for this nugget!)
• Non-permanent marker pen or kitchen roll is a good way to flag leaks from port-lights or engine pipes.
• If you don’t have a gas alarm AND a fire alarm… why not?!
• If you’re in a port that might be a little bit dubious security wise, but really fancy a beer (all caveats apply). A small red light (torch or LED), strategically placed for all to see from the dock, looks an awful lot like security camera(!) – extra points for adding cable to it! (thanks to SV Thresoor for this one!)
• Install a galvanic isolator to protect from stray currents when strung up like a battery in port on shorepower (thanks so SV Arakai for this one!)
• When antifouling, start at the stern.. psychologically it gets quicker and the reverse is extremely demoralising!
• Never go up the mast on a spinnaker line (or any line with a block for that matter). Always have a safety line and always tie a bowline, don’t trust the shackles.
• Don’t mount your radar above the helms-person position (we’ve seen this so many times!). Also don’t mount your reflector in front of your own radar (seen this too!).
• Check multiple weather sources, especially if planning an offshore passage… Are they in agreement (giving confidence)? Is there anything in the wings? Be sure to look at the bigger picture.
• There is such a thing as the perfect tool for a job. Don’t let people tell you otherwise! (thanks to SV Hot Chocolate for reminding us of this one!) Also for the spare bilge pump (still going!).
• A good wireless, rechargeable, stick vacuum cleaner, is worth it! Hoovering at anchor 🙂
• It’s the small things that make a big difference. Having shoes on. Cup of tea. Getting ashore for a walk. Good shower. A wind scoop.
• Hang your clothes inside out on the guardrails to prevent rust marks.
• When you’re in port with fishing boats, take the opportunity to look at their ‘pot’ markers, this helps give you an idea of what to look for when on the water (some being much better than others!).
• If all fishing boats in port suddenly disappear or move position, with bad weather forecast… this might indicate where is or isn’t tenable shelter!
• If you have a skeg-hung rudder or long keel and going in reverse for a Med moor is a challenge (us too!). Top tips from our experience would be this… make sure you have at least x3 boats length of run up. Choose to reverse stern into the wind wherever possible, typically it’s the bow that spins off. Start reversing from the 10 or 11 o’clock position if your prop-walk kicks to port, so the boat essentially ‘straightens’ when you go in reverse. You will need an uncomfortable amount of revs to begin with(!)… hold your nerve before you gain steerage. As soon as you have steerage, you can lower the revs considerably (hence the run-up!). You can use wash to correct the bow if it starts to spin off… it works like this: as the boat is moving astern, and the nose starts to spin off and concern you(!), turn the wheel full lock-in the opposite direction to the terrifying spin-off and give her a burst of throttle in forward. Make it hard and fast. The nose will correct itself, but not enough to move you forward. Spin the wheel to steer in reverse and go back again into reverse before she gains forward way.
• A balance point spring changed our life! This is not an amidships spring. This is an aft-running spring that runs from a point on the boat that is about one third, or a little more, forward from the stern. On Caladh we have a winch in right place for this, but we are seriously considering a fairlead and cleat installation.
• The secret to a shiny prop is egg whites! Don’t buy fancy prop product, paint a coat of egg whites on the prop, let it dry and then repeat four more times.
• Use silicone grease on your hatches and port light seals, this will keep the plastic soft rather than allow it to dry out and become brittle.

We will of course keep adding to this list as more lessons (mistakes are made) and as it grows we may categorise, but please do tell us what you think? What have we missed? What’s on your list?