Hands free

It’s surprising how many folks with autopilots only use them on passage. It’s grand not to have to steer for hour after hour, but freeing up an extra hand to stow a sail or prepare lines and fenders is equally useful, especially for two-up crews. The only thing is, these manoeuvres are often in more crowded waters, so once you’ve left the helm to itself, it’s doubly important to make a point of looking around the boat very frequently indeed.