Safety: quality time on the water

The key to safety, especially when you sail solo, is not gadgets but proficiency earned through time and experience. Yachting World’s Nikki Henderson explores why time on the water trumps all safety gadgets and certificates.

Boat owners, future boat owners, dreamer boat owners, the most common question they ask me is, ‘What’s going to make me and my boat safer?’ They want to know what my one piece of crew-overboard gear is that I’d recommend, my thoughts on which sea survival course is the best, or an instruction manual for emergency situations.

In other words, they’re looking for a quick fix. I’ve got a bugbear here, you cannot buy safety, you cannot shortcut safety. Safety has to be earned, and that takes time. Gear and certificates don’t make you safer, not in isolation anyway. You need another key ingredient. So, what is that? What actually makes you a safer sailor?

It’s true that lifejackets, drogues, sea survival courses, an evacuation plan, knowing where the ‘arm’ button is on the EPIRB, all these things are important. But what is more important? Sailing. The number one thing to up your safety game is simple, sail more, and get better at it. Take performance boats, a common justification for buying the same length boat for double the price is speed, ‘by choosing the performance option we’ll be able to outrun bad weather.’

But the lightest, best-designed hull on the market won’t help you escape the storm unless you know how to handle it. I love performance boats. I also think fitting out your boat with good equipment is not only a safer choice, but more enjoyable to use. And yes, investing time and money to take safety courses is prudent and necessary. But some owners spend hundreds of thousands on upgrading their boats, adding carbon rigs, navigation systems, and sails, yet hesitate to invest in a single day of professional coaching. – Full story