{"id":232,"date":"2025-08-01T14:42:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T14:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=232"},"modified":"2025-08-01T14:42:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T14:42:55","slug":"how-to-learn-traditional-sailing-skills-why-learning-historic-boat-handling-skills-make-you-a-better-yacht-sailor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=232","title":{"rendered":"How to learn traditional sailing skills: Why learning historic boat handling skills make you a better yacht sailor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can learning traditional boat handling skills make you a better yacht sailor? Historic vessel skipper Charlotte Hathaway explains why it can<\/strong><\/p>\n

I came to traditional sailing<\/a> by accident, but now I\u2019m here, I\u2019m a convert. And that\u2019s because sailing traditional boats will make you a better all-round sailor. Don\u2019t believe me? \u201cI agree with the proposition 100% having spent my life voyaging, racing and teaching in traditional craft,\u201d says Tom Cunliffe. He literally wrote the book on gaff sailing and pretty much all other sailing topics as well.<\/p>\n

Today I skipper the 104-year-old, 100-tonne, former Lowestoft fishing smack Excelsior, which operates as a sail training vessel in the North Sea and is still rigged and sailed authentically. I began sailing less than a decade ago when I dropped out of my previous life working in the arts and moved to the Caribbean, teaching English and eventually living on a little yacht.<\/p>\n

I was mostly self-taught aside from occasional hops through the RYA syllabus, and eventually became confident enough to cruise single-handed in the Lesser Antilles. Initially I wasn\u2019t remotely interested in tall ships, nor carried away by the romance of an old wooden schooner; I just wanted to sail.<\/p>\n

\"A\n

It\u2019s all hands on deck when hoisting Swan\u2019s big gaff rig. Photo: Swan Trust<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But when a role came up on Excelsior as mate, just as I was fresh from achieving my Yachtmaster, the old hands promised me: \u201cIf you can sail Excelsior, you can sail anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also sagely pointed out that, while the Suffolk coast could be seen as flat and boring, I\u2019d quickly learn one hell of a lot of seamanship from navigating its tides and sand banks. At 77ft Excelsior can be a heavy and ungainly beast at close quarters, and a headache to manoeuvre, which is exactly why I\u2019ve learned more sailing her than I have on any modern-rigged yacht.<\/p>\n

Seamanship skills<\/h2>\n

Andy Schell, founder of offshore sailing company 59\u00b0 North, explains: \u201cSeam\u2019nship [Andy makes a point of taking the \u2018man\u2019 out of the equation] boils down to two simple fundamentals \u2013 the ability to anticipate; and the ability to adapt.<\/p>\n

\u201c[It] requires an understanding of the bigger picture and all the elements that come together during any kind of sailing trip, short or long \u2013 weather, ship, crew, nav, maintenance timelines etc. The most technical sailor will fail if they\u2019re not paying attention to the chart, for example, and this happens all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A\n

Turning a 77ft vessel in tight spaces with a fat, full keel and a powerful prop walk is nothing short of an education! Photo: Matthew Perring<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s a lot that can feel unnecessarily challenging about sailing traditional boats<\/a>. They were built with more limited materials than we have now, and usually designed with a particular region or purpose in mind (for example, Brixham trawlers vs Bristol pilot cutters). They might not be able to do something you\u2019d take for granted with a modern rig, like point to windward or move in winds lighter than a Force 4!<\/p>\n

Handling such a vessel requires more than simply the ability to sail a boat. You also need to know your environment. Off the coast of East Anglia, tides are critical to any passage Excelsior undertakes. There have been times when I\u2019ve sat at the chart table while trying (foolishly) to beat to windward, looking at our ground track, and being quite satisfied that the plotter says we\u2019re doing 1 knot.<\/p>\n

Until I realise it\u2019s 1 knot backwards, and if the crew are already sick, disheartened and miserable, and nobody has it in them to cook a meal, it\u2019s only going to get a lot worse. Passage planning for where we need to be by certain times, based on predicted changes in the weather and tide, is crucial seamanship that could make or break a voyage.<\/p>\n

Knowing that closer to the shore the tidal current will be weaker can impact your tactics significantly. On a swifter, more forgiving modern boat you may get away with less fastidious planning, but not on a traditional vessel.<\/p>\n

The same goes for keeping an eye on changes in the weather well in advance. On a lightweight contemporary rig you can execute a swift tack or sail drop in minutes, but on a ship like Excelsior these manoeuvres take time and in strong winds a gybe might need two watches\u2019 worth of crew.<\/p>\n

\"Preparing\n

Preparing to hoist a large canvas sail with a traditional block purchase. Photo: Ed Compson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Can you afford to wait until the watch change, or do you want to wake them up early? And if you\u2019ve woken them up early, is there enough time for them to go back to bed afterwards before they\u2019re due to take over?<\/p>\n

Richard Titchener runs the Sea Change Sailing Trust, which sails a replica Thames Sailing Barge in Essex. He says. \u201cUnder sail, especially if you are relying on wind and tide to reach your destination, you are always trying to make the best of the conditions.<\/p>\n

Effectively, you are always racing. Always looking to use the last of the fair tide that runs in the centre of the river with short tacks rather than the more relaxing young slack or ebb at the sides. Always picking up on the seaweed that may indicate a tide edge seemingly in the middle of the channel. And these days it\u2019s studying with a forensic eye the speed and direction of turn in a distant wind turbine for signs of the sea breeze.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the trade-off is that one of the most thrilling seam\u2019nship muscles I\u2019ve begun to flex thanks to sailing Excelsior has been my ability to use the natural environment to my advantage.<\/p>\n

With a vessel like ours, sometimes there is no other choice. For example, when leaving tidal berths, if the wind is blowing us on, no amount of springing will free us. But we can use the tidal stream to push the bow (or the stern) away from the pontoon. It\u2019s the same for coming alongside.<\/p>\n

\"Traditional\n

Traditional sailing ships taking part in the Fest Ar Mor maritime heritage event in Brest Harbour in Brittany. Photo: Mathieu Rivrin\/GlazPictures\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ferry gliding is extremely elegant in a heavy long-keeler and makes you look like a manoeuvring deity. When your passage involves turning in a tidal river, plan your turn for a moment you know the current is going to help you, not dangerously hinder you (and drive you sideways downstream as you battle against the opposing forces).<\/p>\n

Maggie Adamson, who skippered the 125-year-old sail training vessel Swan of Lerwick, is double-handed offshore world champion as well as International Sail Trainer of the Year. She\u2019s at home in both arenas, and has learned a great deal from each. \u201cEverything is at a different pace on board traditional boats. There\u2019s still the adrenaline rush and excitement of manoeuvres but you have to give things a bit more time and planning,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started offshore racing about the same time as I started skippering Swan so there are a lot of aspects that complement each discipline. In sail training it could be anything from managing your crew expectations, seasickness levels, to time management on schedule for port visits and weather. In both disciplines, sail choices and forward planning are extremely important, and so is food!\u2019<\/p>\n

Article continues below\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Sail<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n

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Masterclass: Expert sail handling on larger yachts<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
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It\u2019s only really developments in sail handling technology that have allowed the size of boats to increase so much: we\u2019ve\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n