“When things start going wrong on the water, your greatest asset isn’t speed—it’s your ability to slow the situation down.” ~ Sailing According to Coach Penny Every sailor eventually has one of those moments. The docking approach isn’t working. The wind suddenly picks up. The engine won’t start when you need it. A crew member…
“Seasickness can ruin a day—but planning ahead can make a huge difference.“ ~ Sailing According to Coach Penny If you know you are prone to seasickness, make your prevention plan before departure. Once you are already sick, every solution becomes harder to manage. What You’ll Learn Seasickness is incredibly common, and it does not care…
“Choose a course based on what you want to be able to do after it – not simply the next certificate in the sequence. Your sailing goal should drive your training plan.” ~ Sailing According to Coach Penny So you have decided you want to learn to sail—fantastic. The next question is usually, ‘Which course…
“Keep your emergency gear together and easy to reach. A beautifully stocked locker is no help if nobody onboard knows where the equipment is.” ~ Sailing According to Coach Penny Safety gear is one of those subjects that can quickly turn into a giant checklist. Regulations matter, of course, but I want sailors to think…
“Do not build your sailing kit all at once. Start with what you already own, get on the water, and let your actual sailing tell you what is worth upgrading.” ~ Sailing According to Coach Penny When you first get into sailing, it is very easy to believe you need an entire closet of specialized…
Repost from July 2018, Sail Nelson As I complete my thoughts about our trip, I have realized that there are some basic rules and things to know before heading off on a trip like this. Here I shall share them with you. My commandments of offshore sailing: Hope you enjoyed our journey and you have…
Repost from July 2018, Sail Nelson Aug 11 2018 – 48’7.33 N, 126’8.77 W Today is Geoff’s birthday! And no one will let him forget it for a minute! Ha. Sound familiar? We have decided we are living groundhog day every shift. We have a “routine” of get up, get food, get dressed, look for…
Repost from July 2018, Sail Nelson Aug 7 2018 – 41’30.67 N, 140’32.32W Today is my birthday and no one will let me forget it for a minute! Nope. Every time I get up for shift someone yells “Happy Birthday Penny!”. Ha. The first few times I felt really special and spoiled… now I have…
Repost from July 2018, Sail Nelson Aug 3 2018 – 37’8.60 N, 152’44.60 W So we have lost the door to our head. Poor Turnagain is getting pretty beat up on this trip and I can’t help but feel for Travis as he tries to manage all of us and our “intricacies”. I have been…
Repost from July 2018, Sail Nelson July 30, 2018 – 28’10.6 N, 158’28.08 W We have been on a starboard tack for 4 days now. I don’t remember what it feels like to stand on solid ground and my hips are bruised from bracing myself against the counters and tables whenever I walk around inside…
