Boat Safety Briefing: At the Helm

Familiarizing yourself with the helm and steering station before your Virgin Islands sailing vacation can help you gain confidence steering a sailboat even before you leave the dock! The sailboat’s charter checkout attendant will walk you through the features of the gauges, steering wheel, and engine controls during your in-person sailboat safety briefing. We also filmed a video and wrote this article to give you a better understanding of some common features around the helm and some tips on how to use them correctly! 

Engine Controls

You will see two different engine controls on the catamaran in the video. These control the port side and starboard engines, which operate independently. You can see the following buttons on the panel:

• On/Off: This switch has a universal power symbol and supplies power to the engine connected to the control panel.

• Start: You can start the motor by holding this button down briefly.

• Stop: The stop button shuts the power off when you hold it down for several seconds.
• Alarm: An alarm will sound if you don’t turn the ignition off.

Take some time to study these controls, and ask any questions you may have to your captain, instructor, or charter checkout attendant.

Helm

The steering wheel, also known as the helm, is located on the console near the gauges. It can be operated manually or switched to autopilot mode. 

While it is possible to lock the helm, our instructors recommend leaving it unlocked for safe sailing.

Gauges

You can find several gauges on the console near the helm. These provide tools that can help you navigate while sailing. During our in-person boat briefing, the charter checkout attendant will show you how to operate the different gauges. You can also see how to use them in our At the Helm video.

GPS

The GPS Navigation Plotter screen is a valuable tool that captains can use to navigate when sailing. The sailboats we use for ASA courses and bareboat charters feature touchscreens with color displays that help you track your location in real time.

Multi-Function Screens

This is the main screen that has access to the boat’s settings. You can see the following on this screen:

• Direction.
• Speed.
• Wind.

Autopilot

The autopilot screen allows you to set a heading hold—a precise degree that you would like to sail. It is important to know when to use autopilot and when to avoid it. Our captains, instructors, and charter managers are happy to answer any questions you have! 

Safety Tips

When you charter a bareboat with Go Sail VI, the charter checkout attendant will walk you through a boat safety briefing. Some of the helpful tips they may give include: 

• Never put your hand through the steering wheel. Accessing the control panels and gauges this way can lead to injuries if the wheel turns abruptly.
• Check that there are backup life jackets, winch handles, boat hooks, and other items that frequently get lost.
• Operate the boat with the steering wheel unlocked for optimal control.

Boat Safety Learning Resources

Knowing more about navigating the helm of the boat can help you sail safely in the Virgin Islands. Hopefully, this article and video answered any questions you have about the steering wheel, gauges, and displays. Watch the other videos in our Boat Briefing Series and learn everything you need to know about boat safety before sailing the Virgin Islands.