Sail travel is gaining popularity all over the world. Traditionally, everything that is interested in is just as quickly overgrown with discussions and myths. Many people are hesitant to board a yacht for the first time simply because they do not know how the journey is going, or because they accept their doubts and stereotypes. Friends, you deprive yourself of acquaintance with an amazing and unique kind of sports tourism. We made a selection of the most common myths about yachting.
Myth #1. Yachting is an expensive pleasure
A week-long sailing trip can afford an ordinary family with a stable income. Sit down and calculate all the expenses, you will be surprised to realize that an annual holiday abroad – a beach holiday or cultural tourism – is not cheaper. The cost of a seat in the regatta team is comparable to a standard package holiday in Turkey or Egypt. The price is the same, emotions and pleasure – more!
Myth 2. There's no comfort on the yacht
Many people think that yachtsmen are lovers of extreme recreation, they do not care about comfort, and they are ready to sacrifice the benefits of civilization. It's a mistake. Yachts are different - for sports and for recreation. Entering the modern cruise yacht for the first time, beginners are pleasantly surprised: comfortable double cabins with beds and shelves, a locker and shelves for things, five cabins, usually at least three bathrooms with a shower with hot water, in the kitchen - a gas stove, sink, refrigerator and freezer, a place where there is everything you need and where you can comfortably cook. This is not always the case in hotels and apartments.
Modern catamarans are a whole house on the water, in which participants sometimes forget that they are in the middle of the sea!
Myth 3. Becoming a skipper is hard
Training on a skipper takes two weeks: it is theory and practice directly on the boat with full immersion in the life of real seafarers. This is faster than learning a new language, taking refresher courses or learning to drive a car. Of course, yacht management is a responsible business, but any skill of a professional is honed by experience! If you listen carefully to your mentor, take training and practice seriously, the exam for an international certificate you can handle! After that, all the seas and oceans are open before you, choose the route of your journey under sail.
Myth 4. It's not a woman's business
Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity are not just equal members of the crew, but also beauty, the soul of the regatta, humor. They, as well as men, are ready to share the duties of crew members, enjoy the sun and salt splashes of waves, endure bad weather and windy days. Increasingly, girls are happy to master the technique of yacht management, receive international certificates of ship captain and boldly go on a journey! This is not difficult and does not require special physical training. Even people of good age can easily cope. Statistics of training for skipper at the school "Friendly Regatta" gives us to understand that every year the interest in yacht management among girls is growing!
In addition, yachting can become your common hobby, and then family. In the regatta, people open up, forgetting about everyday life and work, they allow themselves to be free, show their best qualities, be open, share emotions with the team. Yachting is also romantic, regattas have already connected many hearts of adventurers! After all, where else, if not on a yacht, you can meet strong, brave men with a fair share of adventure. :
Myth 5. Yachting is for professionals
Anyone can learn the basics of yachting. Those who join the team as a participant in the regatta will be enough to follow the recommendations of the organizers and the captain. Knowledge and skills of life on the yacht will be acquired quickly. After your first trip, you can’t imagine life without the sea.
If you want not just to be a member of the crew, but to take the helm, but while you are afraid, we remind you: any guru of his business began with the study of the primer in the first class. Of course, a professional yachtsman will be able to operate a boat with almost his eyes closed, but all that separates you from this level is his own experience of travel.
This is a special pleasure: several times a year to break away from work, office, everyday life and feel completely free and happy under the snow-white sails in the middle of the sea. Yachting is a pleasure available to everyone!
Myth 6. Managing a yacht is very difficult
Do you remember when you first got on a two-wheeled bike, got on rollers or got behind the wheel of a car? Fear of every bump, fear of speed, in the car - to stay away from oncoming cars, confidently rushing in the next lane, and a complete misunderstanding of how you can simultaneously look ahead and control the situation around with the help of mirrors. After a few months, you can’t catch up on a bike ride, you teach your friends to skate, proving that it’s easy, and you control the car automatically. Same with the boat. When you get to the helm for the first time, you may think that you will never learn the purpose of all the cables, ropes, sensors and iron, even under the guidance of an instructor. But by the end of the training you know all the names and understand how every detail affects the movement of the boat. And after several independent exits to the water, you will catch yourself thinking that the hand itself reaches for the right rope. It's about desire. :
Myth 7. A yacht is not safe
Technical means of increased danger is both a car and an escalator in the subway in the shopping center. A modern yachting boat is designed to maximize the safety of the team. Compliance with safety rules and good maritime practices will help make your holiday comfortable and safe. In addition, all cruise routes are laid near the shore, overnight stays take place in specially equipped marinas (seaports) or in quiet, cozy bays at anchor. Weather conditions are monitored twice a day. When in doubt, the captain changes the route.
Under the guidance of experienced skippers, you will not only get basic boat management skills, but also have a great rest in a wonderful company. The only danger of yachting is that once you try it, you cannot stop. Yachting is forever! :
Myth 8. There is nothing to do in yachting - there will be only the sea around me
This is the first day that everyone leaves the boat. And sometimes before - even in the marina when meeting with the team.
After getting acquainted with yachting, it is difficult to imagine your stay in a hotel or on the beach. The mobility of the yacht, a sense of freedom and independence, a new type of yachting, magical pictures on the phone, beautiful nature and always great company will not let you get bored! Picnics on the islands, swimming in the open sea, night gatherings on the deck, cooking together, planning stops and dinners in coastal restaurants, watching movies under the starry sky, scuba diving, fishing, reading books on the deck, you can stand at the helm with the captain, for the first time anchor, and just sunbathe - you have enough entertainment for the entire regatta! And for those who want to get the skills of yacht management, there is also new knowledge that you want to improve further.
Myth 9. Yachts are not available for children
Children especially like yachting, and you will see your kids from the other side: they are happy, enjoy the sea and swimming in it, they get along well with the team, are ready to try on the roles of the crew, asked to stand at the helm with the captain. Their courage and enthusiasm have no limit! :) “Academy of Young Navigators” of “Friendly Regatta” conducts children’s journeys under sail, where a whole program is prepared for children – quests, fascinating treasure search, solving logical problems, sports, masquerades! And of course, everything is already provided from the point of view of security – special equipment, briefing. The most common question of a child after the regatta is: “When will we go to sea on a yacht?”
