First Time Skipper in Bareboat...

[sailmania]

Hi all,
I have a 7 years racing experience in various boats (mostly first 40.2) and sailed many times (both pleasure and racing) with a fellow skipper. I have also day skippered my family with an Oceanis 40 couple of weekends and had not any problem.
This June it is going to be my first bareboat charter as a skipper. The boat is first 35 and the itinerary is central Dalmatian islands.
I will only be with my girlfriend where she has limited experience. I have no problems with handling the sails, but thinking that it’s going to be a whole week on my command I am getting little bit nervous just if I mess up basic seamanship stuff.
I know I have enough experience and have to start from somewhereJ.
What advice would you give to a first timer like me? For example points that I should be extra cautious or anything that I should avoid for not stressing too much and enjoy my holiday.
I have chosen Croatia as it’s an easy destination with moderate winds and lots of marinas etc.
Thanks in advance

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by sailmania

Hi all,
I have a 7 years racing experience in various boats (mostly first 40.2) and sailed many times (both pleasure and racing) with a fellow skipper. I have also day skippered my family with an Oceanis 40 couple of weekends and had not any problem.
This June it is going to be my first bareboat charter as a skipper. The boat is first 35 and the itinerary is central Dalmatian islands.
I will only be with my girlfriend where she has limited experience. I have no problems with handling the sails, but thinking that it’s going to be a whole week on my command I am getting little bit nervous just if I mess up basic seamanship stuff.
I know I have enough experience and have to start from somewhereJ.
What advice would you give to a first timer like me? For example points that I should be extra cautious or anything that I should avoid for not stressing too much and enjoy my holiday.
I have chosen Croatia as it’s an easy destination with moderate winds and lots of marinas etc.
Thanks in advance

Relax... stay in your comfort zone.... and don't suddenly go Macho when you discover itsa piece of wee-wee.. and scare the crap outa the GF...

[cheoah]

Brushing up on your piloting skills can't hurt, and familiarizing yourself with the charts for your cruising area in the Dalmatians is smart money.

I've never actually chartered, but I can imagine wanting my own handheld GPS and handheld radio, along with other basic kit. Others have way more experience chartering and hopefully will chime in.

I'd also caution you to be conservative in the conditions you take her out in, and have a handle on cool land-based attractions if you need to tie up for a couple of days. You'll do fine if you do a little homework and know the area a bit - particularly currents. I have nothing to offer here.

Good times cruising with your lady -- priceless!

Oh, and don't make her call you captain

[goboatingnow]

Plenty of good marinas all within easy eyeball distance. Don't push it . Otherwise ex-GF.


Have a great time , don't overthink it.

Dave

[Teknav]

...and if things get a little bouncy for your skills, motor away! Mauritz

[GILow]

As I have learned the hard way....

Don't assume that just because you are having fun you are not scaring the crap out of the significant other on board.

There's a theme I've spotted on CF where guys scare the crap out of the very person they care about most.

If in doubt, stay in a sheltered spot and enjoy the company, and at the very least communicate very clearly EVERY little thing that might seem obvious to you, it may not be so obvious to anyone else on board.

Matt

[mbianka]

Don't try and keep to a schedule. If the winds or weather don't look good better to stay put or change destinations. You can always revisit your plans in a future cruise. Plan ahead look over the charts for your next destination the night before so you have some familiarity with the track you will be taking and what areas you need to avoid for a safe passage. Enjoy each day as it comes. If you are enjoying where you are don't push on just because feel to follow a schedule and see everything in one trip.

[sailmania]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys, it really made me feel more relaxed.
May schedule will be very laid back. Basically I am planning to stay in town during nights with a swim stops during the day. I can stay in an island more than a day if the weather is tricky no problem at all.
Another thing that I will try to avoid will be taking a line ashore in anchorage. J
I may try to practice it thought if I ever find a quite bay.

[Group9]

Take a handheld GPS with a chartplotter and a handheld VHF if you have them or can borrow them. That way you at least have the minimum in electronics when going on a boat that you know nothing about, upkeep or history wise.

Otherwise, sail it like you're renting it.

[Suijin]

At the start of your trip, find an out of the way buoy in a slack current and spend a little bit of time getting familiar with the boat's handling under power...how tight she can turn to port and starboard, how well she backs to port and starboard, her prop walk, etc. Better to learn this stuff out in the open than to be surprised by her characteristics later on when circumstances might not be so forgiving.

When you anchor up, look very closely at what others around you have done and ideally, chat up any neighbors to see if they have experience in the area that is useful for you to know.

[cheoah]

Originally Posted by Suijin

At the start of your trip, find an out of the way buoy in a slack current and spend a little bit of time getting familiar with the boat's handling under power...how tight she can turn to port and starboard, how well she backs to port and starboard, her prop walk, etc. Better to learn this stuff out in the open than to be surprised by her characteristics later on when circumstances might not be so forgiving.

When you anchor up, look very closely at what others around you have done and ideally, chat up any neighbors to see if they have experience in the area that is useful for you to know.

Good counsel on the backing characteristics of the boat. Sounds like you may have an advantage here since you have handled other boats just like this? That's from memory, but I think you said you've crewed and handled similar boats.

One caution is to be careful who you copy out on the water. Plenty of experienced skippers out there with local knowledge, but might also be a first timer with no experience. I got burned years ago as a new skipper following someone who I thought knew what they were doing. At the least, I knew they had deeper draft, and they ran aground and I almost did. I never follow anyone, don't do the buddy boat thing, and make my own decisions based on all the info - including what others are doing. Keeps me out of trouble...

[CapRon]

I've never chartered the Dalmatians. However, bone up on anchoring. You don't get much practice anchoring when crewing racing boats. If you we're chartering BVI I would just say stay out of anchorages (like Grand Harbor Jost van Dyke) and find mooring balls. Not sure how many mooring areas in Croatia. Even if you know how to anchor, the others around you may not. (Most of the time they don't). It very important to be comfortable at night and keeping anchor watch is not very comfortable. Nuff said.

[Bash]

When I charter, I take my own chart kit, dividers, protractor, binoculars*, handheld gps (Garman GPSmap 76), handbearing (hockey puck) compass, PLBs, a small moleskine to use as a logbook, and satphone (Iridium 9555). If I'm going to check baggage, I'll also take a Leatherman Skeletool.

*I don't take the Steiner Commander poro prisms I use on my own boat, which are too heavy for travel, opting rather for a pair of Zeiss 7x42 roof prisms that I can use hiking as well.

My next charter being in Scotland, I'll also be taking a set of lightweight coastal foulies.

[FLLCatsailor]

Make sure to ring plenty of run, beer, and wine. Pay attention to the chart an boat briefing. Try to relax, and focus on having a good time! Take your time, and don't have a fixed schedule. Don't over think things, or worry about small things out of your control.

[Mystic38]

you better google "med moor"....