When it comes to summer sailing, how much you prepare for a cruise is a matter of personal choice.

We’re not talking transatlantic, and there will no doubt be stops en-route where you can refuel and stock up on provisions.

But marinas can be busy, and if you get caught short with gear or engine failure, or a dragging anchor, your summer sailing adventure could be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

The more you plan for contingencies such as bad weather and breakages, the calmer you’ll be when they happen.

If you’re bringing friends and family along with you, especially first-time sailors, now is the time to invest in creature comforts, and maximise opportunities for fun and adventure.

This may well be the cruise that makes or breaks it for them, so plan ahead and make sure it’s the best!

Where to go summer sailing?

If you’re sailing from home, you probably already know your options for a week or more cruise, but have you considered starting elsewhere?

Some marinas give berth holders free or discounted nights at reciprocal destinations.

Prior to your cruise, you could spend spare weekends moving the boat to your desired start-point, whether that be the West Country for a Solent sailor, the Bristol Channel for a Welsh sailor or the East Coast rivers for a North Sea sailor.

Or even consider a charter holiday, where you needn’t worry about fitting out your boat at all. Turn up, and it’s ready and waiting.

If you’re planning to sail in Europe, there may be additional considerations such as identifying navigable routes and understanding size, draught and air draught limitations.

Moorings, locks and tunnels may be different to the ones you’re familiar with in the UK, and there may be entry requirements, licences and permits to apply for. If this is the case, an excellent source of information is the Cruising Association website.

Make the most of summer sailing with triangular cruising

The late Dag Pike was an advocate of triangular cruising. “If you plan a cruise that’s a simple out-and-back, you can find yourself at the furthest distance from home just as the forecast reaches the point of uncertainty,” he warned. “It does not allow you flexibility if the weather turns sour. It’s much better at the early planning stage to consider a triangular cruise that allows you to cut off a corner if you need to save a day.”

For example, you might cross the Channel (a distance of 60-70 miles) and factor in a few days of coastal cruising, with the flexibility to return early if the weather deteriorates, and spend those days on the English side, rather than the French side.

You could do much the same in the Irish Sea if you leave Holyhead for the Irish coast, and sail north to south, or vice versa, with a short sail home via the Isle of Man if conditions worsen.

Weather planning for summer sailing

An accurate forecast is a sailor’s best friend. The late Peter Cumberlidge, pilot book author, shared his cruising knowledge with PBO for many years.

He recommended the website passageweather.com for wind speed and wave height maps, and metoffice.gov.uk for surface pressure charts.

PredictWind and Windy are popular apps with sailors, but don’t forget to use your own eyes and instruments.

“Tapping your barometer is a seaman’s habit which complements the surface pressure charts,” advised Peter. “Be alert for met features that may increase a forecast: ‘Force 2-3, occasionally 4’ to a ‘sustained Force 5’ are very different animals in open water. Cold fronts can bring stiff winds to the central Channel, so beware of the warning ‘waving cold front’. Also watch for isobars ‘squeezed’ between high and low pressure systems.”

Marinas display rolling forecasts, and HM Coastguard regularly broadcasts Maritime Safety Information (MSI) by radio.

This includes weather and sea conditions and navigational warnings, and can be received by NAVTEX (navigational telex) out to 270 miles, VHF to 30 miles and MW to 150 miles.

The sky can give you valuable weather clues, too. Peter advised: “Look out for wispy mare’s tail cirrus clouds that may indicate strong winds in the upper atmosphere, and cirrus moving quickly from the west or north-west, which usually heralds a depression to the south-west.”

Is your boat seaworthy?

Hopefully you’ve had a few shakedown cruises already this year, but if you haven’t, do check out PBO’s pre-season checklist.

Make sure your engine’s been serviced and your tanks are free of diesel bug, as fuel these days has a shelf life of six months or less.

Are your electronics working and are your batteries charging OK? If you removed any hoses over winter, check that these are now reattached and double clipped, and that your seacocks are closed but accessible with safety bungs nearby.

Are all bilge pumps working? Check your sails, anchor and rig for wear and tear, and book in repairs if needed.

Give your tender a runaround to check it’s in good working order, along with the outboard and oars.

Safety and first aid while summer sailing

Think through emergencies and what items you might need to keep on board.

For example, MOB recovery gear, distress signalling and a wetsuit should you need to free a fouled prop. You may need a bosun’s chair to fix a halyard wrap.

For long-distance cruising, consider items such as an EPIRB, liferaft, AIS beacon, and a battery grinder for cutting rigging.

Of course, there is always more safety equipment you can buy, and budgets don’t stretch indefinitely, but research it all before deciding what’s right for you.

Bear in mind that lifejackets, liferafts, EPIRBs and PLBs, fire extinguishers and flares need to be in-date or recently serviced.

Equally, check lifebuoy lights operate properly and have decent batteries.

First aid

Is your first aid kit properly stocked and in-date, and do you have seasickness tablets, burns treatment, painkillers, plasters, bandages and Steri-strips?

The Ship Captain’s Medical Guide is an excellent book to keep on board when you need advice in a hurry. I

f you require prescription drugs, don’t forget to inform your pharmacist or GP in good time. If you cruise with a dog, consult a vet as to the best antibiotics, seasick medicine, eye and skin ointments, and supplies for cuts, abrasions and breaks.

Charts and software while summer sailing

If you use digital navigation, make sure your tablet has sufficient memory to download software for offline use, and you have spare power packs for charging under way.

Trying to update or install charts on marina wifi can be painful and waste valuable hours before a voyage. While you can update a phone or tablet at home, if you’re relying on a chartplotter, you’ll need to allow time to update the charts on a micro-SD card.

Ideally, do all this on a separate day, not the morning you set off!

Also, be sure to have a paper backup (ie. charts, pilot books, a ship’s log and written pilotage notes) should signal or electrics fail or you run out of power.

It’s always good to have a working knowledge of your passage in your head. If you’ve visualised your voyage already, it makes it easier to pick out landmarks later, especially in poor visibility.

Power management

Your boat’s electrical system may be found wanting on a summer cruise with today’s power-hungry devices, be they for helming, navigation, keeping food cool or charging.

If your battery capacity hasn’t managed to keep up, why not add a 100W flexible solar panel to the coachroof? This is what PBO contributor Rupert Holmes has done.

“Even though it will be in shade at times, it will still contribute enough power to be useful,” he advises. “I routinely get enough to run my laptop for eight hours a day. If you already have a solar panel and it doesn’t keep up with your needs, then a second ‘roaming’ panel that can be placed strategically on deck when at anchor or when sailing in easy conditions will give a worthwhile further boost.”

Draw up a quick table to assess your various power needs. A fridge alone can account for half of your daily draw, so check it’s well insulated, and only run it when the engine’s on.

Or maybe it’s simply time to upgrade your batteries? If you’re heavily dependent on your autopilot, windvane self-steering is a power-free alternative.

Ground tackle

It’s no fun lying awake at night worrying your anchor will drag. Even if you intend to stay on a mooring, you’ll still need to be prepared to drop the hook in the event of engine failure.

Now’s the time to assess if your ground tackle is up to the job.

Rupert Holmes points out that new generation anchors are hugely more effective and powerful than earlier models.

“My own experience over the past five to 10 years, with the original Rocna and the Lewmar Epsilon, is that they set far more easily than a plough or claw-type anchor, bedding into the seabed both faster and more firmly.”

It’s worth remembering that the larger the size of the particles on the seabed, the lower the holding power; mud and fine sand will be better than coarse sand, shells or gravel.

If you do upgrade your anchor, check first that it will fit your bow roller. If you suspect your scope is on the short side, and you have an all-chain rode, 20m nylon warp spliced to the end can come in handy if forced to anchor in deeper water than usual.

For liveaboard and long-distance cruising, consider an extra heavy storm anchor, and a third anchor and rode as a spare.

Finding a suitable anchorage

Having a plan B can take the worry out of cruising. Even if your goal is to finish the day at a marina, knowing the safe anchorages en-route gives you peace of mind (and if nothing else, a lunch stop).

Most major headlands offer some kind of shelter. Some pilot books will list these, such as Ken Endean’s Channel Havens, but if not, study the chart.

The ideal anchorage will be nestled in the lee of a headland, protected from wind and swell by land, which acts as a breakwater.

Watch out for steep cliffs, which can lead to katabatic winds, and be mindful of rocks with steep-to edges and deep pools in their lee.

Halfway through the ebb is a good time to approach your anchorage as there’s still a useful rise of tide, but shelter will improve as the tide drops.

Avoid kelp, and plot some waypoints for an escape route should you need to exit quickly in the dark.

Before anchoring for the night, take soundings and work out the low- and high-water depths to gauge your swinging room and the amount of chain needed for secure holding.

Cooking

If you’re hooked up to shore power or have an inverter, low-energy boat cookers are a great way to prepare meals and save time spent below.

A hot dinner can be the highlight of the day when you’re on a long passage. No-one wants to spend hours in the galley preparing it, especially not in a rolly sea.

There’s also a very real risk of burns from spillages.

Recent innovations in cookware allow for delicious meals without using gas.

For example, a one-pot oven such as a Remoska is a hob and an oven in one, or a thermal cooker such as Mr D’s, will cook for several hours without an external heat source, once the food has come up to boil.

The all-in-one Thermomix and its alternatives might be pricey, but can stand in for a dozen or more appliances when it comes to cooking, stirring, mixing, chopping and more.

You can also buy low-watt kettles and induction hobs, such as the 800W Vango.

If you’re cruising in sunny climes, you could try a Go Sun solar oven, recommended by PBO reader Nicky Haggert. Not only did she bake bread and cakes with it, but she also made main meals in the morning, which she later reheated.

“To cook dried beans, I’d put water in, heat it up in the sun, then turn it away from the sun so it could slow cook. I love it. I’d recommend it!” she told PBO.

A clean bilge can be converted into a cool place to store food, while a boat locker above the waterline is the ideal place for bread to rise, as discovered by Lorraine Owen, who cruises the south coast and the Isles of Scilly.

After running out of bread too many times, she decided to make her own. “I’ve never been much of a baker, but needs must, and I’ve added bags of flour and packets of yeast to my list of stores,” she said.

“Nothing beats the smell of a full-blown bloomer loaf coming out of the boat oven, its crust crackling!”

Keeping cool while summer sailing

Perhaps not the biggest worry in UK waters, keeping cool is nonetheless important. You don’t want to suffer heat-stroke at sea.

Keep your water tanks full, and spare bottles in the locker.

A glass of iced water will soothe even the hottest skipper; pop a couple of frozen 2lt bottles in the fridge or cool-box, and drink them throughout the day as they defrost. They’ll keep your food cooler for longer too.

A bimini is a great idea, but if you don’t have one, you could always make a tarpaulin ‘boom tent’, as Rupert Holmes did on his Discovery 3000 Ammos, which he keeps in the eastern Mediterranean.

Handheld and plug-in fans can help you get to sleep, but why not harness the wind too?

A wind scoop will direct a refreshing sea breeze through the hatch into a cabin. It goes without saying you should keep plenty of sun cream on board, but do make sure it’s still in date.

Don’t forget some spray too for the mozzies. Mesh netting secured over hatches with a loop of shock cord, will help keep the critters out of the cabins.

Engine parts

You never know when you’re going to need spares, and you can bet the chandlery will be closed or non-existent when you do!

PBO’s engine expert Stu Davies recommends carrying a spare oil filter, fuel filters, alternator belt, anodes and a water pump impeller as a minimum.

The CAV296 primary filter is very commonly used all over the world. Stu carries three or four of these, because if you ever get a problem with water in the fuel, this is what you change first.

Have a couple of secondary fuel filters available too, and while oil filters tend to only need changing once a year, it’s still a good idea to have an extra one.

You can order quality replacement parts online for Perkins, Volvo Penta, Yanmar, and Kubota engines from parts4engines.com.

Sail repairs

Similarly, a defunct sail is not something you want to have to deal with on your holiday.

Sail expert Daryl Morgan of Bainbridge International recommends carrying sticky-backed Insignia tape, which comes in 45m rolls, plus a sailmaker’s palm, a mix of needles, wax thread and webbing. You’ll need some cloth that matches, or is similar to the one you have (ask your sailmaker for an offcut).

Alternatively, Dacron tape is handy for small repairs, and Insignia cloth for wider ones. “I’d suggest using this as a starter kit and building from there,” he says.

“I’ve known some really big boats repair sails with glues such as 3M’s 5200 marine adhesive. It’s also a good idea to have a small sewing machine, some thread and spare needles.”

Note that any sticking or hand-stitched repairs will later need to be removed and replaced properly by a sailmaker.

Deck repairs

Laurie Brebner of Marine & Industrial suggests a few must-have products for quick fixes at sea.

For lubricating screws and deck gear, try XCP Green One, and for an all-weather duct tape that sticks to any surface, Gorilla Tape. For minor repairs, G-Flex 655 from West System comes in a kit and is pre-thickened to make life easier.

“It’s excellent for minor repairs, and bonding dissimilar products such as metal or wood to plastic,” says Laurie.

Also, have plenty of fenders for rafting up, and extra warps if you have them, should you need a tow.

While you might be tempted before your cruise to sort out and rid yourself of unnecessary kit, hang on to your spares!

Things like nuts, bolts, shackles and split pins will always come in useful. Check your tool-kit is fully equipped. By all means, do a stock-take.

If you can’t remember where everything lives, draw a diagram of your boat’s lockers outlining what’s kept where. You could even make up a spreadsheet or ring binder with A-Z index pages, listing every item and its location.

If nothing else, do this for your safety kit and pin-up laminated instructions for your crew.

Electrics

Occasionally, and particularly in European marinas, you may come across reverse polarity when using shore power.

This is where the live and neutral wires are reversed which means your power keeps tripping.

A simple fix is to make your own adaptor, or you can ask an electrician to do it for you, as Adam McMenemy of ACM Marine demonstrated on the PBO Project Boat.

Adam also recommends carrying a multipack of fuses ranging from 1A to 15A. If you need to replace a specific fuse, take the blown one to the chandler to be sure you have the correct replacement.

Children

Grumpy kids can quickly put a downer on the most beautiful cruise. While grown-ups might enjoy the views, don’t expect them to!

Though it’s tempting to do things yourself, try to involve children wherever you can – whether that’s with navigation, sail-trimming or helming.

And when it comes to passage planning, quit while you’re ahead. Be flexible, and don’t be too ambitious with covering ground.

Is it really necessary to get up at 5am and sail till after dark? A half-day cruise followed by an afternoon on the beach, or eating ice-creams in a new town, will be far more fun than a 12-hour slog into wind and tide.

Amy Rashbrooke sails with her husband and daughters.

She says: “While some grownups would prefer to anchor in a remote spot, the comfort of a hot marina shower, supermarkets and cafes make all the difference when the weather is bad.”

Amy packs toys, a pocket kite, cards and bucket and spade, but points out ‘it’s easier sometimes to plug them in’.

Remember, it’s your holiday too, and everyone deserves downtime. “We decided there was nothing wrong with playing games or watching a film on a tablet when the weather was bad, or when we were tired from a long passage,” she says.

“We download what we want before we set off (or where we have wifi) and then charge our devices when hooked up to mains power, or when the motor is running.”

Safety is your number one priority – be sure children are wearing lifejackets and/or are tethered on.

You may want to consider OLAS tags, which sound an alarm should the wearer become separated from the boat (these are handy for pets too).

If the kids like to swim, keep wetsuits and fleecy changing robes on board. Even in summer, British waters can be cold, and it’s not easy to warm up on a boat afterwards.

Liveaboards Stef and Rich Stevens sail with a baby and two-year-old. PBO met them in Grenada following their transatlantic crossing from Jersey.

“I’d have been busy if I were on land and exhausted on land, so why not chuck in a couple of night watches and see a bit more of the world?” said Stef.

Rich added: “The kids loved it. We saw a few dolphins, which is always exciting, and shooting stars, sunrises, sunsets – all of the things you want them to be excited about rather than screens.”

The Stevens family plan daily activities such as Play-Doh, baking and painting, and regularly rotates toys such as soft, giant jigsaws, Duplo, cars and a train set. They even have a ball pit, which doubles as a bubble bath on the trampoline of their 46ft Nautitech catamaran Pinnacle!

Pets

Dogs, too, need special consideration. Michelle Segrest sails with two beagles. “Dogs adapt well to new surroundings as long as they have consistent training, plenty of rewards and lots of attention,” she says.

“Just as people need a lifejacket, it’s crucial to have a high-quality life vest for your four-legged crew members. We prefer the life vests that secure tightly around the waist and around the neck with easy-to-use Velcro closures as well as safety clips. Those with handles on top make it easier to retrieve your pet in an overboard situation.”

Michele has a sea fence and heavy-duty harnesses with tethers. For the dogs’ toilet routine, she uses a patch of fake-grass mat.

David White cruises in the Solent with his dog Chloe. “We decided you should introduce a dog to sailing as you would a human,” he says. “This means gradually, with pleasant experiences at first, so as not to put her off.”

On hot days, Chloe lies on a dog cooling mat, and when she prefers to cool off in the mud and sea, David has a bottle of dog shampoo at the ready.

Ten-year-old collie Buzz, on the other hand, is a veteran sailor, having done two transatlantics. “But if you’re thinking of sailing with a dog, get a small dog, a less hairy dog!” said owner Martin Whitfield.

Fun ashore

And finally, don’t forget the fun stuff!

A folding bike or scooter is perfect for exploring towns and getting provisions, while inflatable paddleboards or kayaks can add a whole new dimension to your cruise.

You can paddle up creeks and rivers for a Swallows and Amazons adventure, and turn around when you’re tired, drifting back with the current.

A snorkel and mast, surfboard or even dive kit can add a whole new dimension to your holiday.

Champion kayaker Andrew Morton fitted a roof rack to his motorboat so he could take his folding bike and kayak with him. “The kayak is particularly handy because it runs in a straight line (usually), draws only an inch or two of water, and doesn’t break down,” he says.

“I’ve got a standard Brompton bike, and I love it. I’ve cycled on many Scottish islands, and enjoyed the experience immensely, particularly the quiet roads.”

So whether your perfect summer cruise involves bikes, kayaks, children and dogs – or a solitary escape into the wilderness – you’re hopefully well prepared.

We can’t wait to hear all about it. Send your story and photos to us at pbo@futurenet.com

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