Knife:
Always keep about your person a sharp knife, so that you can get hold of it without delay. Many a man has lost his life for want of a knife. It is best when cruising to carry a sheath knife, as they are handiest.
Oars:
Always carry a large oar on deck and a pair of spare ones for the dingey stowed below. It is also well to have at least two pair of spare oarlocks on board.
Lashings and stops:
Take some 6, 9 and 12-thread manila rope and cut it into 3, 5 and 8-foot lengths. Put an eye-splice in one end of each length and whip the other end. These short pieces are always of the greatest use, and will save much time and trouble. They can be employed for many purposes, and are especially handy for gasketing sails.
Standing-by:
It is the duty, and should be the pleasure, of every yachtsman to stand-by another yacht when in distress, or in need of any sort of help. It is always best if you see a boat in a predicament to stand-down to her and offer your services, even if they are not needed; it will generally be appreciated as an act of courtesy and good will. And all yachtsmen should receive such offers in the spirit in which they are advanced, and not as some do, if they do not need assistance, give a jeering or discourteous reply. I have been fairly insulted several times by skippers because I have offered my aid to get them out of a predicament, my advances being considered to be a reflection on their skill and ability. Power-boat skippers can do much to make yachting pleasant, by offering a tow to becalmed sail-craft men. The little attentions do much to establish a feeling of perfect comradeship that is so essential to the making of a sport.
