How to Select a Helmsman for Your Sailboat Crew

If you own the boat, should you be the one at the helm? That depends on your experience level and your sailing goals. Here are a few things to think about.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

1. Select a person comfortable in a position of responsibility.
2. Test the person in difficult and stressful situations to see how he or she reacts. Skippering takes a cool head.
3. Find someone with a great attention span and tremendous concentration skills.
4. Understand that the position requires finesse, rather than brawn.
5. Choose someone quiet. A good skipper steers the boat fast and leaves the talking to the tactician and crew.
6. Pick someone you trust.
7. Give the person a chance to improve. Time on the tiller or behind the wheel is invaluable to a person's learning curve.

Tips & Warnings

• Double-check your class rules to make sure there is no owner-driver rule. If there is, the choice is made for you.