Spaghetti noodles and sauce, a calendar or smart phone, internet and/or cell phone access, beer, and friends. This may not be all you need in life, but this is all you need in March to plan 2016 sailing adventures.
[caption id="attachment_93989" align="alignright" width="350"]
A three-couple, three-boat raftup such as this one one during the Persied meteor shower in 2015 requires some serious schedule-wrangling. Photo by Haley Varner[/caption]
Over the past few years, through my own cruising adventures and through two years’ worth of SpinSheet Century Club stories, I’ve noticed a clear trend. Those who get out on the water most often plan it. They put dates on a calendar and stick to them. My skipper—a two-time SpinSheet Centurion who sailed 100 days last year—is fond of saying, “If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not happening.”
This might seem obvious, yet time and time again, people tell me they’re jealous I’ve been sailing so much, as if I have some magic formula or as if I had more time on my hands. “I wish I had the time,” they say. Or, “We only took the boat out twice last year.” Or, “The summer got away from me.”
Now that we’re about to sacrifice our socks to the equinoctial gods, let’s get it together. Make the time. Plan it, pen it, plug it in. Choose your sailing adventures. Pick dates. Make them happen.
This is where spaghetti comes in handy. Spaghetti is cheap and easy. It’s likely that your sailing friends are, too. Invite friends to dinner. Don’t spoil them. Don’t spend hours planning elaborate menus or wrapping salmon in puff pastries. Come summer, you’ll serve these people beef jerky and canned beer, so don’t get all soft on them in winter. If your dinner plans get too grand, you might decide you don’t have time to throw dinner parties or plan summer adventures. Just make spaghetti.
Ask your friends to bring bread, salad, and dessert. They’re crew. They should do some of the work. Buy them good beer or wine. They will be happy you’re feeding them.
Once you sit down, everyone with digital or old-fashioned calendars in hand, the fun begins. Note your special desires. Do you like to sail or anchor during full moons? There’s one per month, every month. Do you like to anchor out during meteor showers? (The Perseids arrive August 11-12. Check out spinsheet.com/sky-2016). If you’re a racer, you may have a favorite destination race or one you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t made yet.
If you’re a cruiser, you may have a favorite fireworks display you like to see from the anchorage. Perhaps you’ve been itching to spectate some log canoe racing (the 2016 schedule is posted at spinsheet.com/log-canoe-2016), or you have a favorite maritime or music or crab festival that might be fun to go to by boat.
A few things to consider as you plan. First, you will have to give something up. We’re all over-scheduled. If you’re going to plan sailing weekends, you’re going to miss your high school reunion or one of your kids’ soccer games or your neighbor’s barbeque. You can’t do it all. If you’re going to be one of those sailors who actually goes sailing rather than say “Where did the summer go?,” you’ll miss something.
Second, if you’re planning a sailing overnight with people you haven’t bunked up with before—or people who haven’t done overnights on boats before—plan ahead. If a crew member is one of those super-active bunny-rabbit types, you may consider docking somewhere rather than anchoring so that he or she can get off the boat and take an evening run. Perhaps plan to have an extra kayak or paddleboard onboard to keep everyone entertained and active. No need to get stir crazy. This sailing thing is supposed to be fun.
Third, be realistic. Some plans will fall through. Tropical storms, sick kids, and unforeseen work obligations surface, so pencil in backup plans. Expect plans to change. I remember having what I thought was a firm plan to go to Oxford until we stuck our nose out there and discovered it was blowing 20 knots from the south. Plan B: Magothy River.
If you’re reading this and wishing you had sailing friends to invite over for spaghetti, come to a SpinSheet Crew Party (March 26 in Hampton, April 24 in Annapolis). We know dozens of skippers seeking crew and clubs seeking members…
Happy planning and buon appetito!
