This week, Captain John explores three tips for developing a "Sailor's Mindset" to help you stay safe onboard...
Guest blog by Captain John
Author of Seamanship Secrets and publisher of the popular boating education website SkipperTips.com
I believe there’s a bit of overhype on what safety gear makes a sailor safe and keeps him or her aboard the boat. If you are anything like me, the first vision to flash in your mind would be the personal flotation device (PFD).
Before you even leave the dock there is one thing you can do above all others that will help keep you and your crew safe – develop the “Sailor’s Mindset”. Step aboard a boat, and you might as well step aboard the planet Mars. After all, we are land creatures. Rolling, pitching, yawing, and other boat motions can feel as foreign as a “Martian” language to most of us.
Whether it’s rising from a cockpit seat or stepping down a companionway ladder for a cup o' jo--keep in mind that you are NOT on terra firma. You must use different muscles to balance and move. And your entire mindset too, must change to meet this new environment.
Sailors have learned the secret of this unique mindset for hundreds of years. And most did it without PFDs, harnesses, or the other high tech sailing gear now available.
Sure, the stories of missing or lost crew over the side make the news. But that’s a tiny blip on the radar-screen compared to the number of injuries sustained by boaters that slipped, tripped, slid, fell, twisted, sprained, or broke something. Or, those sailors who got bonked by a boom. So what can you do to help prevent injury to your crew?
Begin today to develop your own personal “Sailor’s Mindset”. Put these three sailing tips into play today for safer sailing anywhere in the world…