By definition couples sailing alone have to do everything for themselves. They leave the berth, set the sails, helm the boat, trim the sails, navigate, anchor, pick up mooring buoys, enter harbour, moor up and all without the help of any extra crew. So they need to carry out these manoeuvres efficiently and effectively, with as little physical effort as possible.
Stress-free Sailing is the answer to single or short-handed crews’ prayers – a step-by-step handbook addressing the most common sailing situations that anyone cruising will have to manage. Here you will find clever, highly effective and successfully tried and tested shorthanded solutions for dealing with everything from getting off and then back onto the dock in a variety of wind and tide configurations, sail setting and reefing, picking up mooring buoys and anchoring, to sailing in heavy weather and new techniques for man overboard retrieval.
Duncan Wells, author of Stress Free Sailing is Principal of Westview Sailing, RYA Instructor and features writer for Yachting Monthly.
Date: 19 January. Bar opens from 19.15. Talk starts at 20.00
Place: Upper Thames Sailing Club SL8 5PT
Cost: Ticket price is £3 for CA members and £5 for Guests. All very welcome.
For those wishing to have an early evening meal beforehand, the Spade Oak PH ( tel: 01628 520090 ) is situated in Coldmoorholme Lane just before the turning into Upper Thames way.
After parking, please be careful crossing the railway - it is used every day all through the year.