Wait, is sailing even an athletic event? Geezer says yes, based on the fact you can get hurt doing it. You can, according to Life of Sailing, suffer overuse injuries, particularly injuries of the spine, knees and hands, and yes, you can get sunburned, which can lead to skin cancer. What to do? Bennett Richardson, an orthopedic physical therapist who has treated many sailing injuries, tells Life of Sailing that there are four things that every sailor should do to prevent injury:
Do warm-up exercise before every sailing trip.
Make sure your boat is properly set up for ergonomic safety.
Protect your skin from the sun.
Stay alert.
More information (lots more information) about these precautions can be found in the full article on Life of Sailing.