Sailing inyourfootsteps.com

Releasing seized nuts and bolts by heat
Bolts and nuts, like most every fastening, have a tendency to seize up on boats due to the challenging sea going environment.

Mast tuning made simpler
Altering or tuning a mast is typically achieved by moving about the boat rotating the bottle screws. Tightening and loosening the mast is an art that is frustrated by each bottle screws lay-up determining which way they turn to achieve the desired effect.

The trick to coiling ropes
Coiling ropes looks simple, but when it comes to actually tying it the rope fights the coiling and never lays flat to make those beautiful even coils. Most all my early attempts looked like a recoded impression of the path an atom makes around the nucleus rather than the beautifully coiled ropes that instruction books present.

Undoing seized nuts and bolts in an awkward position aboard your vessel
Seized fastenings in difficult areas are a common encounter on a sea going vessel.

How to cut out a large round hole
Cutting out a hole larger than the largest hole saw fitting can be daunting. It is very difficult to hand cut with a jig saw unless it is very large.

A very useful general purpose knot, the round turn and two half hitches.
Sailing is a world is of knots, bends, hitches, loops etc and can be daunting. But a handful of knots will suffice. The bowline is the king of the multi-purpose sailing knots, and the one to learn first. After that, our circumnavigations’ most convenient knot was the clove hitch. But it is worth spreading out to a few more general purpose knots.

Getting up the mast solo or where the assisting crew member is challenged for strength
Going up the mast single handed, or indeed supported by someone who is not very strong, is not an easy task and very dangerous. With no one to support the single hander, or with someone who is able do little more than tension a safety line, the person going aloft is totally reliant on their own strength to pull themselves up.

A simple splice for light braided line
Splices are convenient but can be daunting to master.

How to whip
Whipping is a another line handling technique that requires some learning and time to implement.

Undoing seized nuts and bolts by adding additional leverage to spanners
Seized fastenings are a common encounter whilst carrying out maintenance, overhaul or repair on a sea going vessel.