Radar is now more efficient, more affordable and far more advanced than even a few years ago. Rachael Sprot explains how to use rader to keep clear at sea
YM instructor Rachael Sprot steps aboard to help. This month, Sophia Lagus and crew want to learn how to use their yacht radar for pilotage and navigation
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Rachael Sprot talks how to deal with squalls and gusts and also looks at exactly what we mean by the terms gust or squall
Squalls are the school bullies of the ocean. But, like all bullies, your best bet is to outsmart them – and that means knowing where they form, how to avoid them and what to do when they turn up uninvited.
Sailing west across the Pacific to Tahiti we’d had persistent squalls for several days, but they had all been fairly benign. We’d diligently dropped, repacked and re-hoisted the spinnaker three times in one afternoon for squalls that turned out to be a complete non-event, so I finally gave in to the temptation to just leave it up.
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After a long break the skipper may need to knock the rust off a few skills, as well as getting the boat working, says James Stevens
It is great to blow the cobwebs away. Executing shakedown skills and drills with your crew will get you set for a season afloat. Credit: David Harding
Shakedown skills & drills for the start of the season
Come spring, when most of us start sailing again, we suffer from a bit of skill fade, especially this year after being locked down for so long.
Theory knowledge which was red hot the day we took the test is probably not so near the mark.