United Yacht Sales Weblog

Author: Willie Jones

Yachting is a great adventure on any type of yacht and is being enjoyed by many on a daily basis, but with that comes a great responsibility. It is not mandatory to do a yachting course at this time but there are some very good reasons to get your self informed about the rules of the road.

1) You will learn about safety equipment and what you are required to have on your yacht before you undertake any yachting excursion. This is very important because what you don’t have with you could make the difference between being able to handle a situation or not. Also, that outing for the day could cost you if the sheriff stops you to spot check your yacht and fines you for not having all the safety equipment required for your specific yacht.

2) You will learn that driving a yacht is vastly different from driving a car. You are dealing with air and water currents. If you have never docked a yacht you may think that it is easy, until that is, the current is pulling you in the opposite direction that you want to go. Understanding air and water currents will help you learn how to dock your yacht.

3) Knowing how to work with lines and tying knots is part of yachting. You have to be able to secure a yacht properly. If your yacht gets away, it is amazing how quickly the current will take it out of your reach and you will probably require the assistance of another yachter to help you get to it. So learn your knots.

4) You will learn what the channel markers mean. We learned the hard way the first time we went out on a yacht and ran aground outside the markers. We also had no clue what the red and green markers meant on the poles. This you also learn on the course.

5) There are speed limits on certain water ways but unlike the roads, they may or may not be posted. Ignorance may not be enough to get you out of a ticket.

6) Using charts for coastal navigation can be a life saver. It’s your road map that helps you stay away from the shallows and shows where all the markers and bridges are, and by using measurements you can calculate the distance and time it will take to get somewhere. It can be valuable tool for navigation.

7) Just like on the roads, there is the right of way. On a yachting course you will learn who has the right of way and why.

Every yacht should have a horn. You may hear one long toot or 2 short toot and so on, and you’ll learn what they mean.

9) There are yachting regulations and laws that must be followed by all yachters, for example, (and I have seen this rule broken so many times) you are not allowed to sit on the bow of the yacht with your feet hanging over board. There are many more regulations to learn and not knowing them can cost you.

10) Anchoring a yacht is not just a matter of plopping it down to the sand. There is a mathematical technique applied to anchoring that has to do with the size and length of your yacht. Knowing how to do this correctly will give you that extra insurance of knowing your yacht is going nowhere until you want to move it.