Travel

What you should know when you are on a sailing holiday

posted by Chris Valentine

for the first time

There is not enough excitement in our lives. That’s because there’s not much to be excited about if you spend one-third of your life in a cubicle, or worse, folding cardboard boxes in a huge production hall. We are relatively safe; of course, from time to time, you hear that someone was diagnosed with cancer, or had a tragic car accident, but those misfortunes just happen. There seldom is a sense of struggle, at least in a way that our ancestors understood it.

Going on a sailing trip can provide you with those emotions. You’ll have to put an effort to deal with the problems that will, without fail, appear along the way. Although there is no deficiency of challenges in our everyday life, it is not often that we see the effects of our struggle so directly, as is the case with sailing. In a minute, you’ll learn what you should know when you’re on a sailing holiday.

You need assistance

It doesn’t matter how much you have read about sailing – you are not yet ready to do this by yourself. The mere theory won’t be enough to know how to react appropriately to unexpected developments. If you are a fast learner, after several sailing trips you’ll gain the necessary experience to cope with all sorts of adversity. One of the best ways to quickly deepen your knowledge is to volunteer to help crew members with less challenging tasks. It might not be the best idea if you want just to relax and recharge your batteries, but if gaining expertise is your priority, then go ahead.

Use common sense!

Choosing the Norwegian Sea as the destination of your first sailing trip might not be the best choice. Your skills are meager; you should choose a sea that is deficient in violent storms and colossal beasts. You’d be better off going instead someplace safe and not that windy. If there will be too many other boats nearby, navigation in the sea may become problematic. If you have no idea what would be the perfect destination of your trip, then check it out!

Be safe!

You cannot avoid every danger that may be lurking in the dark, but if you want to decrease the chances of things going awry, you should choose appropriate footwear. Shoes with rubber non slippery soles are the best choice. With a little bit of an effort and focus, you should be able to move around the deck without any issues. You should remember that you should be holding onto something with one hand. It might not be the fastest way to move, but it will save you many easily avoidable injuries.

Prepare yourself!

You never know what can happen while you’re on a sea. You can trip on a slippery deck and injure yourself; you should pack band-aids and painkillers. Depending on your holiday destination there might be swarms of insects assaulting your boat – an insect repellant and antihistamines might come in handy. If you have motion sickness and this is the first time you’ll be on a boat, you should also pack motion sickness medications.

Fun activities

You might be surprised how much leisure time you have at your disposal once all the distractions are gone. It’s only you, other members of the trip, and a sea. To pass the time, you should consider bringing a pack of cards, or if the prospect of betraying your companions far from any police station doesn’t seem risky – board games. If you would rather avoid any conflicts, then harmonica might be a better choice. No, you don’t need to know how to play it to enjoy its sounds, although your comrades might beg to differ.

If you’d love to enjoy your trip in a more laid-back way – no drinking and shouting, but reading a captivating novel instead, then you should opt to take an e-reader with you. It requires charging, but you’ll save a considerable amount of space in your bags.

Beware the Power of the Sun

If the weather is going to be wonderful and you intend to spend a lot of time, lying on the deck, you should buy some products that will protect your body from UV rays. It’s not only because of cancer; if you ignore those warnings, your body will change its color into a deep red. And it might hurt quite a bit.

Don’t stress

Remember, that even if things don’t go exactly as planned, the failure might be even more valuable than a trip without any annoyances. It is often said that we should learn from the mistakes others make, but if you haven’t ever sailed before, you won’t even know what to focus on. It’s okay to make mistakes. That is unless you forget to take your sun cream.

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