A spectacular sunset over English and Falmouth Harbours in Antigua - photo © RORC / Arthur Daniel
Dear Recipient Name
Over the last while we have made a point of looking at what the modern cruiser needs to be. It is a fairly subjective discussion on the one hand, given how different we all are, but there are some good, factual elements to consider, and this what we have put down in firstly, The School Bus, then Not a segue, with the penultimate piece in Almost there.
We have gone through items like hull form, construction, rig, sails, creature comforts, auxiliary engine, storm zones, layout, and ventilation, as well as many more criterion and features. That really means we come to the thin edge of the wedge, and that plants firmly in the discussion of safety, and then finally, how do you weigh it all up to ultimately make your decision.
Safety in our sense really falls into the 'prevention is better than cure' category. Don't get me wrong, life rafts, EPIRBS, PLBs, PFDs and tethers, grab bags, portable VHF and so forth are not just mandatory, they make for ultra-smart, as well as the first tick boxes on any list!
So these are sort of the inherent items. We spoke of dodgers in Almost there, but it is also the entire cockpit. Where is all the water to go? Remember, at speed, you only need water at ankle depth to knock you off your feet. So how exposed is the helm? A VO65 is like standing in front of a cold fire hose. A Clipper 70 has soft deflectors, but an Amel has the entire cockpit under a rigid dodger. Big difference, not just to how wet you'll be, but also how long you'll last. Tiredness is the precursor to poor choices!
If you have to leave the comfort of the cockpit, then how safe is it at the mast, or on the foredeck? What else is there besides your tether for you to hang onto? Is the fence made from 4mm or greater 316, and are the stanchions mere sticks, or real posts? Can you walk through the shrouds, say like the new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490, or are they like some visible force field, and you have to move like Catherine Zeta-Jones playing the burglar/thief in Entrapment (To catch a thief)?
Heading up to Adventure Island is always to be considered carefully, and thankfully furlers and so forth have removed a lot of the need. Like who wants to hank on the storm jib with frozen hands, or worse, corroded hanks?! Equally, it always happens in the dark, well it does to me anyway, so it is good to know that all the gear up there is fit for purpose, and I'm 100 kilos! Should it all go sideways on you and you 'step off', then the rule to always consider, is that the best asset to retrieve you is the one you just left...
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These days it is rare when reviewing a boat to comment on how low the boom is. Most sit atop a targa bar or similar, and many a cruising cat with a flying bridge have it so far up, as to request a chopper ride to get there. Yet it is important to consider with any boat. I once sailed a 12m that had a raised poop deck for Chris Dickson, so he could see over the crew. Only problem was that the owner also had another 12m with a normal deck height. If you're over six feet in the old language, then all 12s require you to hit the deck as if about to endure an air raid. Being on KZ3 meant you had to dig a trench WW1 style, and as you have probably worked out by now, one day I got it wrong. It hurt (a lot), but you only do it once! QED.
Whilst on deck, literally as well as metaphorically, it's time to look at how quickly you can get to the quadrant or other steering mechanism, and how quickly you can fit the emergency tiller (or other). When it goes badly, all things on a boat require speed, not haste, and this is especially true of the liferaft. I always thought Amel's idea of having it integrated into the fence was brilliant. One pin release and it is in. Perfect for the smallest member of crew, and ideally placed to remember it is about stepping up to the raft, not down!
It is quite the thing now to have the dinghy on davits out aft. Many are powered to make it even easier, and it also means you can leave the donk on the transom, if you are only making a short hop. Do note that bung holes on dinghies are small, which means water comes out slowly. When I was a boy we had to depart an anchorage smartly and try and out run a Force 11 gale. We didn't quite make it, and with no cover on the dinghy, it filled pretty smartly, and the result was it was time to get the bolt cutters out and wave goodbye to my best friend (you could row, sail and motor this little glass gem). This is why you often see them on the foredeck for long hauls...
Up for'ard, how accessible and well secured is your anchor chain? Apart from ensuring the bitter end is attached to your craft, think about the brake and/or lock. Do you have an additional backup of Spectra or Dyneema? We were delivering a cat down the coast once when the anchor started to rattle out at a prodigious rate. It was all chain, given where the cat was doing its cruising, and we were lucky to catch it before it all went to Davey Jones. We hove to, but as a cat, it meant feeding it all back in under the trampoline was not going to work out, so we jury rigged a system to the electric primary to bring back 10m sections at time. Long and slow, but again, a wonderful reminder to check, not assume!
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Large freeboard is de rigueur these days. Cats have steps down each transom usually and a ladder, monos often have a transom door to lower in. But what if the person is unconscious, or incapable of returning themselves to the craft? Have you practised the drill with your halyard? Who is going in to retrieve them? Who has checked there are no lines in the drink before the diesel is fired? Having this stuff sorted before it happens is just good sense.
Down below, it is good to have everyone know how to access the bilge to check for issues, as well as to note how the pumps work and ensure they are doing the job when required. Equally, where are the manual ones, and how are they deployed? Time spent on all these items is well spent, and a mere fraction of what will be required if you had to do it when it was under stress.
The final section of a discussion about safety is the electronics, and as a subset, what to do when they are not working. The following items seem standard to me:
AIS transceiver
GPS, plus hand held back up, with additional power supply
HF (SSB) radio for comms and weather
VHF, plus hand held back up, with additional power supply
Satellite phone
Inverter for running laptop with your preferred nav system/software
Tablet for using your preferred nav system/software
Relevant charts (and tools to use them) for your area, as well as Pilots or extracts from Pilots for your area (your insurer may well want this as standard)
Compass with light, plus handheld bearing producing compass
Chart table with white and red lighting
Depth Sounder
So then, how to weigh it all up? Well I am always reminded of the cruisers adage that you'll know how to repair everything, or get there soon enough. We have talked a bit about this in previous editorials, most specifically about getting a larger boat than you might really require, and having the spares on board to get the job done.
You do make mistakes, but stopping and acknowledging them, so as to move on, is another primary skill of the cruiser. Sharing with the many other cruisers you'll meet along the way is probably the best way to increase the common knowledge. So if you have made sure the boat is ready, do the best you can with yourself, via training and deliveries etc, where applicable. The sea never stops teaching.
I once read about how people who started sailing on smaller less sophisticated boats made the transition up quite easily, but it was the others who started with all the mod cons - until they stopped working - that could not go back the other way. Indeed, I have found this to be true in most of my working career. Knowing how things got to be the way they are now is a vital component of appreciating how they are now. As I say, the sea never stops teaching, so if you feel you need some more, then get out there in smaller leaps, or go with someone on board, or in convoy.
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Time to tack now, and as if putting the proverbial full stop after the noting of the rise and rise of the multihull, I note that Multihull Central is to have a dedicated hardstand area inside the Royal Queensland Yacht Club. Yes, RQ (as it is known) has the space, and an onshore mutlihull display is not an entirely new concept, but the combination is what was most noteworthy. When you add in the trades just adjacent to the area, the overall ambience of the club, as well as its significant amenities, then its centralising of all things cruising looks to be a winner.
OK. So today you will find that we have information for you about deep sea ecosystems, sailing around an island versus driving on it, the ARC, big multihulls launched, new audio products from JL, whales, World Ocean Day, rallies and regattas, coming form the outback to have a trip at sea, debris from the lost containers, museums, food, as well as much more.
So you see, there are stories, lessons, inspirations and history to regale yourself with. Please do savour... We're really enjoying bringing you the best stories from all over the globe. If you want to add to that, then please make contact with us via email.
Remember too, if you want to see what is happening in the other hemisphere, go to the top and the drag down menu, select the other half of the globe and, voila, it's all there for you.
In the meantime, do you love being on the ocean? Well remember to love them back too. They need our help. Now more than ever! Until next time...
John Curnow, Editor, Sail-WorldCruising.com
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