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? – Full story