You have allocated a week for a cruise and you have to be back at your home port by 
a certain day.

If you are going to achieve this, then you need to build in some sort of reserve 
of time so that in the event of adverse weather conditions you will not find 
yourself under pressure to get back.

One of the major reasons people get into trouble at sea is that they feel that they are under time pressure to complete a passage and so take risks when the wind and sea conditions suggest that staying put might be the wise thing to do.

You can get a pretty reliable idea of what the weather will be like about three days ahead with modern weather forecasts which takes you halfway through your cruise, but after that you are entering the realms of uncertainty.

Do you plan to go any further or do you turn back early just in case?

If you plan a cruise that is a simple out-and-back route you will find yourself at the furthest distance from your home port just at the point when your initial forecasts will be reaching the point of uncertainty.

At this stage you will have run out of many of your options because there is only one way to get home and you need the full three days to do that.

Leaving Holyhead, you have a number of options on the Irish Coast. Once in Ireland, many days can be spent cruising the coast, but always remaining within a relatively short sail for home, should the weather look likely to turn

A simple out-and-back cruise of this type has its attractions but it does not allow you any flexibility or room to negotiate with the weather if things turn sour.

You tend to feel under more and more pressure the further you get from home so this will probably not be a relaxing approach to cruising.

It’s much better at the early planning stage to think about a triangular cruise that will allow you to cut off one of the corners of the triangle if you need to save a day or make up time from any delays.

You will never be more than a day’s sailing away from your home port.

Tri it out

The sort of triangular cruising I have in mind might mean leaving from the south coast of England and heading initially across the Channel, a distance of 60-70 miles.

Once there you can do a few days of coastal cruising and still have the option of heading home back across the Channel early if the forecast looks like turning sour and finish off with coastal cruising on the English side.

Continues below…

Skippers’ Tips: Anchor watching, foolproof fendering & sailing with children

Seasoned skippers and Yachting Monthly experts give their advice on a whole range of issues for the cruising sailor

A rough night alongside a harbour wall

James Stevens answers your questions of seamanship - this month, what would you do if you arrived in a harbour…

A wild night in a katabatic on the Jurassic Coast

Ken Endean finds that fine weather can turn violent after dark

This would also include the possibility of an overnight cruise to add variety.

You could do much the same in the Irish Sea, leaving, say, Holyhead for Ireland or even the Isle of Man and then back home and again never be more than a day’s sailing from home.

In the Bristol Channel and further afield in the Mediterranean there are other possibilities for triangular cruising. On a longer cruise there are many possibilities 
in Baltic waters.

For all the latest from the sailing world, follow our social media channels Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Have you thought about taking out a subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine?

Subscriptions are available in both print and digital editions through our official online shop Magazines Direct and all postage and delivery costs are included.

• Yachting Monthly is packed with all the information you need to help you get the most from your time on the water.
• Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our expert skippers and sailors
• Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment will ensure you buy the best whatever your budget
• If you are looking to cruise away with friends Yachting Monthly will give you plenty of ideas of where to sail and anchor