We are all beginners….once. For some, our cruising started when we were children, learning the ABCs of safe boating with our family and friends. If we were lucky, we slowly progressed under the wing of a more seasoned mariner–from the sailing pram to a skiff and then maybe even a full-fledged cabin cruiser. Not so lucky? Then here are a few tips and considerations to keep the fun in Cruising FUNdamentals.

The Right Boat You may think you will know when you've found the right boat, but first you must be honest with yourself and your crew. Ponder some key questions that will help with your search:

• What sort of boating do we want to do?
• How long will we be aboard?
• Does weather affect our ride?

For many cruisers, boating is more about the journey. Exploring a small lake or protected cove in a sturdy 20-foot day sailer is just lovely, but following a prescribed course along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) or in the ocean requires a different sort of cruising boat. Wind doesn't always cooperate when relying on sails to get you where you want to go, and motoring from one specific port to another offers a more comprehensive experience than a meandering afternoon sail. So while a powerboat has many more systems to learn about, it may deliver more options, including speed, shallower draft and actually getting there…wherever there is.

Let's move on to size and layout. The average cruising couple selects something in the 35- to 45-foot range, offering greater storage and larger tanks (fuel, potable and black water) for farther distances and longer time aboard. Wide-body cabin designs allow for a bigger saloon but compromise on side deck space. A two-person crew will often select a two-stateroom boat with plans for numerous visits from family and friends. But are guests really in your future? If you are weekending aboard, then guests are likely. If you plan to take a year to circumnavigate the Great Loop, however, then guests may be less frequent due to the various remote locations along the route. (And while two heads aren't necessary, the convenience is eye opening when one head clogs up thanks to some of those future guests.)

Creature comforts of the interior living quarters can convert your boating adventure from camping to contented cruising. Cooking aboard is sheer joy when everything is well appointed in a roomy galley. Imagine snuggling on your saloon couch with your mate and watching your favorite movie while the weather makes up its mind. This brings up the point of functionality, which can be as important as aesthetics. Some settees look better than they sit. Likewise, be sure to test out the master berth and imagine that 3:00 a.m. nature's call. Can your mate can stay asleep while you hop up or is everyone in the boat now awake because one person got out of bed? And if you don't look forward to lugging all your bath gear and a fresh change of clothes up to the bathhouse every morning, then a separate shower stall in your boat head becomes a big plus.

Next is the ride itself. The raised pilothouse has gained popularity in recent years allowing the captain and mate to arrive dry and to travel in climate-controlled comfort, regardless of the weather. This is also a terrific place to curl up with a good book or enjoy a steaming cup of coffee underway or while at anchor on a chilly winter morning. If fresh air is at the top of your list, consider a flybridge helm station too. Keep in mind that going up or down a stairway is much easier than a ladder, and the handrail only keeps you safe if you use it. Remember: One hand for the boat and one hand for you…always!  Finally, a full walk-around deck helps ease line handling, as well as providing comfort and safety when supporting the helmsman with docking.

The Right Stuff

While we are not Apollo astronauts, we must be honest in self-assessment. Skill alone shouldn't be a deciding factor in selecting a single- or twin-engine design. Practice really can make perfect and having the desire to improve our nautical skills is essential. Invest the time required to practice the required skills to be a successful cruiser. And having the right stuff includes docking, anchoring, charting a course, as well as caring for all the equipment. But before you can be the expert in wind, weather or even mechanical woes, you first must understand how it all works.

Close quarters' maneuvering isn't an ability you're born with but it's definitely a talent that can be learned. Everyone wants to dock with authority, but the best boaters put in the time to see expert results. Since this is a team sport, include your crew in the practice time. Be sure to practice your hand signals for docking and anchoring to avoid miscommunication (or worse). A mate with the right stuff can make a new helmsman look terrific!

Your navigation skills should get you and your boat wherever you want to go safely. Paper charts or the latest electronic chart plotter with autopilot, AIS and RADAR are terrific assets but only if you understand how they work. Know how to use whatever equipment you have on board BEFORE you need it. Above all, know what to expect to see from the helm when you look out on the waterway. Recognize a white diamond and appreciate the difference between the numbered red triangles and green squares. Understand what to do when you see these aids to navigation. Red is on your right when the numbers are rising. Diamonds are dangerous because they mark rocks, shoals, sunken wrecks and other things you can bump in the night!

Take a course. Read the manuals. Learn how your boat works. And practice. As the Boy Scouts say, "Be prepared."

The Right Way to Go-Go-Go!

Finally. You've found the right boat and you and your crew perform like a well-tuned engine…and the engines do too! So now where do you go with the time you have, whether it be a day, a week, a month or a lifetime?

Boating is much more fun when you know where you're going, how you will get there and how long the journey will take. Trip planning can be a shared adventure for the entire crew.  From selecting each port of call to provisioning with groceries, fuel and spare parts, it's a breeze when you have the right tools aboard.  

To discover this key information, some of us prefer to turn pages of a book, while others are firmly reliant on electronics. Either way we have choices to keep everyone smiling. Reading about "Going Ashore" in the Waterway Guide books helps you select your nightly stops with museums, shopping and historical fun facts in mind. When scrolling online in www.WaterwayGuide.com, you will discover ideal marinas, idyllic anchorages and even fuel pricing that can make you an expert in the planning process. You might be amazed at some of the gems that are hiding in plain sight along our waterways.

What starts out as a weekend boating vacation can easily become the dreams of a cruising lifestyle…if you're lucky! So with the right boat, the right stuff and the right way to go, you have the ingredients for Cruising Fundamentals.

Captains Chris & Alyse Caldwell are USCG 100-ton Masters and Cruising Coaches who offer Personal Boat Training Online or Onboard your boat anywhere! The Caldwells help build your cruising confidence with hands-on training, with their AskCaptainChris.com training videos and through 2-day seminars filled with tons of tips for the boater who loves learning. If you have additional questions for Captains Chris or Alyse, please email them at [email protected]