At some time, every boat equipped with a tiller will require some method of securing it in a fixed position when at a mooring so that it does not flop around and place unnecessary wear and tear on the fittings. In addition, it is quite good to have some means of keeping the tiller straight while the tillerman ducks below for a quick cup of tea or something.

Securing the tiller in a stable position while under sail works much better on a long keeled boat with a long waterline length than on a short keeled boat which is built for more speed. Of course if you are buying a boat with a tiller rather than a wheel based steering system you should already have a long keeled boat anyway, for the same reason - that is it will be much more comfortable steering, especially for hours on end.

When you are on land, solitude becomes a difficult state to attain. Just sitting by yourself in the park, you are distracted by traffic noises, kids on skateboards and general passers by. There are few quiet places, perhaps a church is the only one left in an urban environment.

But out at sea, or even just on a lake, the sense of solitude and inner well being becomes much easier to experience. Being alone on a boat gives you time to think, as there is normally very little else to do. There is true silence, apart from the sound of the waves coursing along the side of the boat, and even that is more therapeutic than annoying. Just watching the endless ripples from a bow wave calms the troubled soul, and leaves you in your own private world. You are well away from the constant time poor burdens of everyday life. 

If you only have a single anchor out, and the boat is swinging a lot with the wind, there is a bridle technique you can use. Suppose the wind is from the port side, and blowing the yacht sideways around the fulcrum of your anchor. Since this puts unnecessary strain on your anchor, you should remedy the situation.Tie a rope to a cleat at the back of the boat, and tie the other end to your anchor cable forward of the bow roller. Then, as the wind tries to push the stern around, the line will tighten on the anchor rode and prevent any further sideways movement.

Then there’s the old bag of sand trick, as Maxwell Smart would say. If you are worried about the sea bottom, in that it is not good for holding an anchor, or perhaps there are rocks where your anchor could snag when you try to pull it up, then the bag of sand is a good option. In this case, get an old sack with a hole in one corner. Attach a trip line to this corner just above the hole, and fill the sack with sand. Tie a strong rope around the neck of the sack, and attach a float to the end of the trip line. Then drop the sack over the side, or bow. When it’s time to go, haul up the sack with the main rope, and at the same time jiggle the trip line so that the sand falls out of the hole and back onto the sea floor.

But this is nevertheless not a time for melancholy, but a time of joy and wonder.This is what makes the night watch the most pleasurable of watches rather than one to be avoided. 

At this time, even if there are other people on board, you feel truly alone, just you and the sea, and this I perhaps why men are continually drawn to it

Resource Author Francisco Rodriguez H.
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