Weathering the Storm: What Should You Know?

Perhaps this topic, safety, is the one that worries us most and commands the greatest respect when navigating. That is why it is one of the topics covered in the PER/PNB courses at our Nautical School in Malaga, a school specialized in training skippers for all nautical qualifications. Encountering a storm with bad sea conditions is one of the greatest fears when navigating, and anyone who has experienced a storm knows what we are talking about. So, how can you weather the storm?

First of all, we would like to remind you that, for your peace of mind, our team checks the weather conditions several times a day. If you rent your boat with us and are inexperienced, we will notify you and give you the option to change your reservation to another day that is safe for you and your companions.

Even so, no matter how much we check the weather conditions, the sea can change and surprise us at any moment. Hence the importance of having the necessary training and tools to know how to act when the time comes.

What Should You Know?

1. Stay calm and do not rush. It seems obvious, but nerves can play tricks on us. If you have been trained and know how to act, this will help you. If possible and you are nearby, the advisable course of action would be to turn around and return to port.
2. Life jackets. Have them on hand in case they are needed, as well as a VHF radio.
3. Know your vessel type, capabilities, and limits. We know, for example, that in adverse conditions, a motorboat will not perform the same as a sailboat.
4. Decide: Weather the storm or run before the storm? When is it better to do one or the other?

Let us see what both consist of:

WEATHERING THE STORM:

In this way, we “face” the storm. We navigate at minimum safe speed, receiving the waves on the bow quarter. This prevents the waves from hitting the bow and damaging our vessel. With this technique of weathering the storm, our vessel advances slowly, but we avoid drifting until the weather subsides.

If the storm is so strong that our vessel cannot weather it or doing so is dangerous, we will move on to the next technique:

RUNNING BEFORE THE STORM:

We set course in the same direction as the wind and waves, so that both make the vessel “run” in that direction. We navigate at minimum safe speed, receiving the waves on the quarter or stern.

WE RECOMMEND: When in doubt, we will opt to weather the storm. Even so, it is the skipper who must assess which technique to use depending on the situation they are in, their experience, and vessel type, taking into account the basic meteorological elements they are facing.

And remember, sailor, that after the storm, the calm always, always comes…

If you want to know more, you can visit our blog and read more articles such as Nautical Activities for This Summer in Malaga.