Discovering the unknown and finding places you have never been to before is one of the greatest appeals of sailing beyond our home waters. Entering an unfamiliar harbour can, however, be difficult and stressful, with plenty of scope for getting things wrong. It’s never going to be possible to make arriving in a new port entirely predictable and straightforward, but solid preparation can reduce these challenges and make arrival the exciting and satisfying experience it should be.
Whether the harbour you are sailing into is tricky or not, there are a few things that need to be considered when preparing, including your boat’s characteristics, the crew’s level of experience and your knowledge as skipper.
Even as a young boy sailing dinghies on inshore waters, coming back in to land was one of the hardest parts about sailing, and sometimes ended with a mis-timed dunking as I jumped into deeper-than-expected water to hold the boat.
Over the years the boats became bigger and the waters more open and further away. I took all kinds of courses, read many magazines and books and watched videos online to build up my experience and knowledge. Much of this ‘going further’ was done single-handed, or with relatively inexperienced crew. In the absence of a well-drilled crew, my own skills were put under the spotlight and made
