Topsail Adventures Ltd

Gaffer Sailing 101: Introduction

The usual sensation when stepping onto a Gaff Rigged boat for the first time is one of bafflement. Even seasoned "normal" yacht sailors tend to be awed by the profusion of blocks & tackles and sheer amount of rope involved. This general sense of unease isn't helped by the helpful colour coding regime (everything important is coloured beige... as is the less important stuff), or indeed the mass of new vocabulary that tends to be hurled your way. Being asked to "ease the peak hardener" or "trice the bobstay" often leads newcomers to wish that they opted for a beach holiday instead.

In our experience however even the most inexperienced new crew will, within the timescale of a normal week's cruise, have picked up enough knowledge and skill that this environment, whilst still not natural, will at least be comprehensible. This series of articles is going to be our attempt to help that process along by giving the uninitiated a basic guide that they can study before stepping aboard the Amelie Rose (or any other Gaffer for that matter). It's going to take a while to get it all written and illustrated but stick with us and keep checking back for updates.