No matter if you are a college grad who loves to sail for competitive means or a club sailor who wants to explore your sailing opportunities, this article is for you. You need to dedicate so many hours to make yourself a well rounded sailor. Even if you are not able to sail on a daily basis, you can make a commitment to sail often and in any condition whatsoever. Follow these tips below as suggested by Crow Survival.
- Know thyself
First things first, know yourself well so that you can show up with your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Are you an extrovert or an introvert? This helps you in determining which teams you will be compatible with. If a driver or technician is an introvert, you ask questions in loop because they may need to be prompted every now and then. Also give them some time to recharge themselves. You should know yourself well to know what is fun for you or how it contributes to the program.
- Find a love
Determine what you love more than the sport. When you have common interests with others, it will offer you a healthy outlet from the endless travel. You can also volunteer with youth programs, take up a leadership course, be a certified judge or attend weather classes.
- Awareness
Always be aware and have common sense on at all times. Check how highly esteemed professional sailors present themselves. The more you observe how they behave and operate, the more you will understand and learn on how to be a part of the smaller team in a bigger team. Always assist the main trimmer load battens. Gain their trust slowly by asking questions and always be accountable. At last, you may also notice if something is off and your observation skills may make it easy for you eventually. May be you have engineering mind and it is easy for you to determine which systems run better. The gist here is to ask and never tell. No matter how obvious it may seem to you to outhaul, everyone hates to be embarrassed by a younger sailor who tells them how to do their job.
- Skills
Learn and understand the jargon and develop a lot of skills. Master the bow, know how to fix a damaged engine, fix the sails, become well versed in meteorology, service a winch, do anything but never, ever stop learning. These skills come in handy for both inshore as well as offshore sailing and it adds value as a professional sailor as well.