Pet Peeves of Sailing

There are few things in life which are more rewarding, relaxing and enjoyable than sailing. The experience of drifting leisurely across the waves in the sun with the ocean breeze in your sails is unlike any other.

That said, any sailor worth their salt will know it’s not all plain sailing; each will have their own sailing pet peeve which seems purposely designed to drive them round the twist!

Fenders Hanging Over the Side

There is nothing more slovenly looking than a sailing boat cutting through the water in a most graceful way… with a fender still hanging over the side. Skippers and crew members who neglect to do a thorough check of potentially offending fenders after casting off should be shot at dawn – although a keel hauling would be more nautical.

Birds

A shearwater skimming the tips of its wings across the waves, a fully plumed kittiwake gliding effortlessly across a clear blue sky, a gannet diving for arrow straight it’s lunch are all splendid sites and part of the reason we go to sea.

But a seagull in a seaside resort is to some a most irritating creature and one to be feared – especially with a bag of chips in your hand. Urban/seaside legend has it that if you feed a seagull a piece of bread with some mustard and baking soda the unsuspecting bird is forced to drink copious amounts of water to quench its thirst from the mustard. The water in turn reacts with the baking soda which fizzes inside the poor feathered avis and…… explodes mid air.

Powerboats Kicking-up Wake

It can be said that yachties and powerboaters don’t see eye to eye sometimes – the term ‘stinkpot’ is testament to that – and it may be down to the fact that some of them seemingly have no concept of their own wake.

Some inconsiderate power boaters seem to love pushing the throttle straight up as soon as they leave a no-wake zone, regardless of whether or not there are others on the water. To some on a yacht, with a gin and tonic in hand such an unsettling of the sea can be most annoying.

Bad VHF Practice

Seeing as you need to take a VHF course and earn your license before you can even use a VHF radio on board, it’s amazing how many people seem to misuse it.

One common mistake is to hold the microphone too close to your mouth, creating a nasty hissing feedback which not only obscures your message but also drives other sailors nuts. And then there are the VHF users who speak on a channel without listening to see if it’s already in use.

And don’t get us started on the people using channel 16 (the channel solely intended for hailing other boats and distress calls) for non-emergencies, such as asking for a radio check.

What’s your pet peeve when it comes to sailing? We all have one thing that drives us crazy, but what’s yours? Let us know in the comments below.

Posted by: First Class Sailing