Emergency steering, World ARC, Galley Guys —World Cruising news

by David Schmidt, Sail-World Cruising Editor on 25 Sep 2014 While loosing your rudder might be an easier situation to contend with than a dropped rig, dealing with the loss of steerage can be a serious safety challenge, especially if you’re not familiar with steering your vessel with drogues. Fortunately, Michael Keyworth of the Cruising Club of America has prepared an excellent multimedia piece on maintaining steerage control over your yacht, sans the rudder.

Keyworth arranged for a comprehensive test of drogues off of Newport, Rhode Island aboard a modified Swan 44 MK I using a series of drogues (different sizes) that were built by the Stamford, Connecticut-based sailmaker Hathaway, Reiser and Raymond. According to Keyworth’s report, using different diameter drogues was key to maintaining proper control, especially at different speeds and in different wind and sea conditions.

'What I learned from the extensive testing is that you can achieve a great deal of control using a drogue,' wrote Keyworth. 'I would bet that if any boat is able to sail 100+ miles without a rudder to a safe port, the crew will want to take a victory lap around the harbor to 'show off' the newfound skill and seamanship ability.'

Don’t miss this excellent multimedia report, inside this issue.

On a greener note, the non-profit Sailors for the Sea produces great monthly articles on ways to improve marine health, and this month’s story-inside this issue-looks at ways that sailors can help lower their environmental profile. Fortunately for most cruisers, the advise is easy (enough) to follow, and the positive impacts can be great, especially if the entire cruising community makes a serious effort to accept and embrace these best practices.

'Boaters can play a direct role in reducing a very specific threat, by not anchoring on seagrass beds,' wrote Steven Katona, author of this month’s article. 'Anchors disturb or destroy the root systems, not only does this kill the plants, the sequestered carbon is released into the atmosphere as heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Since most seagrass beds occur in relatively clear and shallow water, boaters should anchor elsewhere and not disrupt the remarkable benefits they offer.'

And in global cruising news, the World ARC fleet has now reached the Cocos (Keeling) Islands after a brief stop at Christmas Island. Here, the fleet of eleven cruising boats will rest-up for several days before continuing on to Mauritius, which represents a leg of 2,530 nautical miles, early next week. Learn how the fleet is spending their time in paradise, inside this issue.

Meanwhile, from the Gulf of Aden, reports have emerged of a EU naval frigate, the 'ESPS Navarra', that came to the rescue of a stricken cruising yacht, which was running extremely low on water and fuel. Additionally, the Spanish frigate managed to talk the cruising boat into reconsidering their routing so as to avoid waters with active pirates. Get the full report, inside, and be sure to also check out the Somali piracy warning from the International Naval Counter Piracy Forces for all cruising boats.

Also in rescue-related news, word has emerged from the still-united UK that a yachtsman started taking on serious amounts of water in the middle of the Bristol Channel. But instead of hailing the rescuing authorities on his VHF, this yachtsman instead decided to text his girlfriend requesting that she call for help.

'This man was lucky he was near the island when his craft sank,' said Simon Cresser of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, who was involved with the rescue. 'He was found because of a text message but this is not a secure way of calling for help. He should have had a VHF radio he knew how to use and flares for calling for help.'

And in more lighthearted news, the international cruising culinary rock stars known as the Galley Guys (AKA Sail-World’s own Greg Nicoll and his mates) recently hit the Vancouver International Boat Show to seek out the event’s best victuals (not to mention to conduct more serious business).

'All day long, we were checking out new boats, looking into ice lockers, peeking into storage compartments, seeing what’s new for gourmet cooking onboard and being forced to live on 'show food' by day,' wrote the Galley Guys. 'By night, however, we could be found researching Vancouver restaurants that cater to hungry boaters. Our mission was straightforward; find great dining establishments that are easily accessible, with incredible views of the water, kitchens that serve great food and sommeliers that specialize in award-winning BC wines.' More, inside.

Also inside, learn about the Arctic sea ice minimum, get the latest news on onboard carbon monoxide safety, and-for anyone who could use a shot of sunshine on this midweek morning-don’t miss the cruising overview of the Virgin Islands.

May the four winds blow you safely home,