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NIH Sailing Association |
CRUISING | |||||||
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NIHSA cruises are a group of individual Club members chartering cruising boats or taking their own boats and sailing together for the fun of it. The main goal is to enjoy an extended sailing experience on a large boat and incidentally to gain experience in such cruising skills as seamanship and piloting. The skipper charters the boat and is responsible for it and the crew; the NIHSA makes no certification of the competence of any skipper or the seaworthiness of any charter boat. (Also, the skipper of a cruising boat should not be confused with the Skipper rating in the NIHSA.) Skipper and crew share equally in the cost (usually $75-$100) per day per person) and duties of the cruise. There are several official organized cruises each year– usually corresponding to holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Columbus Day weekends. For these, skippers select an area of the Chesapeake bay to cruise in and the Cruising Chairman can provide potential skippers with charter information. Discounts on charter rates for a group of boats may be available. An effort is make to match potential crew with skippers who still have berths. Skippers are encouraged to take members who are inexperienced and/or new to the Club. An itinerary is decided on and most of the boats raft up each night at the designated anchorage. There are other cruises as well on other weekends and in other locations, such as the big boat training cruise, or shorter day sails and mini-cruises, and raft-ups before a club regatta. The monthly club regattas are an especially good opportunity for members who are reluctant to commit to a multi-day cruise, but would like to sail on the larger boats for a shorter period of time. There are usually at least a couple of boats that leave the night before a regatta and anchor in Harness Creek, which is only two miles from Selby Bay. Club members that want an even shorter "big boat" experience can be picked up at the dock in Selby Bay on the morning of the regatta. The regattas are over shortly after noon and everyone is back at the dock around 1 or 2pm. Members interested in cruising should get to know the cruising skippers and cruising boat owners by participating in Club activities such as boat maintenance sessions and social gatherings. The NIHSA Cruising Chairman can help with the charter of boats and coordinates potential crew with skippers who have space on their boats. NIHSA Tips for New CruisersGeneral: NIHSA cruises are a group of individual Club members chartering cruising boats and sailing together for the fun of it. The NIHSA Cruising Chairman can help with the charter of boats and coordinates potential crew with skippers who have space on their boats. The skipper charters the boat and is responsible for it and the crew; the NIHSA makes no certification of the competence of any skipper or the seaworthiness of any charter boat. Here is some information to help you know what to bring, what to do, and what to expect on an NIHSA cruise. There is usually a crew meeting a few weeks before the cruise where you can ask questions; and at any time, when in doubt –ASK THE SKIPPER! Clothing and Personal Gear: Keep it light and simple and bring it aboard in a zippered duffle bag or pack. You should have both warm and cool clothes, including a warm sweater and a rain suit. Non-skid, non-marking deck shoes are a must, and sea boots are a great investment in comfort. For spring and fall cruises, gloves, scares, and long underwear are often necessary. Styles range all the way from grubby to casual. Also bring sun hat, sunglasses, sun screen, seasick pills and personal toiletries. Provisioning (stocking the boat with food, drink and supplies): Usually one person is in charge of assigning what to bring, to avoid duplication and cover everything. Food preferences, allergies and menus will be discussed at the pre-cruise meeting. Keep records of what you spend, and try to make things a little special. Provisioning styles differ widely: some groups like the ease and convenience of paper plates an pre-cooked seal-a-meals while others prefer candles, crystal, and all meals prepared aboard from first principles. Bring things for the ice-box already chilled or frozen in a cooler, and try to repackage things in plastic containers or bottles. Bring beer and sodas in cans, not bottles, and bring your own hard liquor. Everyone takes turns cooking and cleaning up. Snacking: There are usually designated snacks so that people hungry between meals don’t unknowingly eat up what someone was planning to use for one of the meals. When in doubt, ask the person in charge of provisioning. Water: The fresh water supply on board is limited; don’t waste it by letting it run unnecessarily or use it in large quantities when sea water would do. Smoking: No smoking below is usually the rule. If you are smoking on deck, be sure you are downwind from the rest of the crew. Underway: Make sure all your gear is securely stowed below. Everyone takes turns steering, navigating and trimming sails, usually changing fairly regularly every half-hour or hour. Pay attention to what’s going on and speak up if you see anything untoward or that you don’t understand. (It’s no good saying after the mast falls, "You know, I thought I saw that thing coming loose.") Sleeping: There usually aren’t enough berths for everyone to have his/her own and sometimes two people share the larger berths. Most people sleep in their underwear or clothes, either because it’s easier not to bring nightclothes or because there’s little privacy for changing (it’s not fair to take up time in the head when it’s busy). Bring your own sleeping bag and pillow if you want. Although 7:00 am is generally agreed on as the earliest that anyone should be up crashing around, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to the proper going to bed time. Toilet: Make sure you know how it operates and don’t put anything in it except small amounts of toilet paper. On some boats men use the stern rail. At night, some boats don’t like to be awakened by the toilet flushing all the time, and a bucket in the cockpit is recommended. Again, opinion is divided so don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to talk about it. Finances: Everyone usually shares equally in all expenses (if the arrangement is any different, everyone should know it), and each boat is an individual financial unit. At the time the crew signs up, the skipper will usually ask for a check to cover the crew’s share of the charter, which is forfeited if the crew cancels and replacement can’t be found. Keep track of your expenses for provisioning and incidental boat expenses along the way. Checklist for CruisingPersonal
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| Last revised 04/05/06 cw | |||||||||