New Years boating resolutions, minding the tides—World Cruising news

by David Schmidt, Sail-World Cruising Editor on 1 Jan 2015 The New Year is always a great time for quiet reflection of times passed, anticipation for great adventures to come, and perhaps a chance to evaluate habits and trends that are working well, and ones that need a bit of 'editing'. While plenty of landlubbers focus their attention on terrestrial-based activities and behaviors, we cruisers are lucky to have an entire other world in which we operate, and in which we can always improve our safety, our preparedness and our situational awareness…not to mention one of the finest playgrounds imaginable.

So, as I hear murmurs from friends at coffee shops about trying to drop a few pounds (or kilos) or about quitting smoking, I can’t help but think that my New Year’s resolutions are a bit more focused on enjoying my time on the water, the places that I hope to visit this year, and the sail-powered adventures that I hope to engage.

Still, the simple truth is that that proper seamanship and great onboard awareness are critical ingredients for positive outcomes afloat, so the Royal Yachting Association has put together a list of ten smart-boating resolutions for the New Year. Not to fear-you won’t find any preachy advise about giving up your favorite libations, but you will find time-honored counsel about getting your liferaft serviced and registering your EPIRB/PLB.

Get the RYA’s safety suggestions, inside this issue, and be sure to also spend a bit of time considering all the great places that you want to cruise to in 2015 and start taking concrete steps to make these dreams happen. After all, not every New Year’s resolution needs to be centered on career advancement or escaping familiar old ruts.

Speaking of escaping bad situations, Aussie sailor Damien Smith learned a big lesson in trusting old charts and his own inexperience when he wound up aground on Stanwell Park Beach, less than a day after leaving Sydney on his maiden voyage aboard his small sloop. 'I've been looking for a long time and I've had the dream for a while, of buying my own yacht,' said Smith. 'I actually sailed fine at first. The weather was very calm - perfect seas - and I came in at Cronulla but I was told to move because the ferry was due.'

Smith consulted his aged chart and headed for a now non-existent jetty at Coalcliff; here, he mistook Stanwell Park Beach for a sheltered cove and quickly wound up on the sand, where his sloop suffered a cracked keel and other associated calamities.

‘‘All is not lost, it’s still a boat, even if it’s damaged,’’ said Smith. ‘‘I’m not in any trouble with police and I didn’t lose my life, so that’s something.’’

While Smith works to sort out a rescue option for his stricken sloop, wise cruisers will add two line items to their New Year’s sailing resolutions, namely to always carry up-to-date cartography, be it of the paper or electronic variety, and to always ensure that the skipper and crew have a proper level of boating experience.

And speaking of finding the hard, British sailor Sam Fortescue reports on two big 'learning opportunities' regarding the tide that he recently experienced. While Fortescue and company successfully managed Greece’s Meltemi winds on a holiday cruise, a month later they found themselves trying to escape the draining tide on Fortescue’s childhood waters.

''It’s shallow,' I told Alex, my wife,' wrote Fortescue in his report, which is inside this issue. ''But there’s plenty of water once we’re in.' No sooner had I spoken then the boat lurched and came to a halt in the putty–an unhelpful reading of 0.3m on the [depth sounder]. We spent 20 minutes trying various kedging off techniques, but she was soon bobbing at about 20 degrees off the horizontal so, with low water only half an hour away, we settled down to wait.'

Fortunately for the Fortescue’s Sadler 34, the putty was soft and the consequences minimal, but again, the wise cruising sailor will quietly add another line item to their cruising resolutions, namely about checking the tides prior to hoisting sail, even on familiar waters. Get the full story, inside this issue.

Also inside, find out how home-security cameras can protect your home-stored fleet, learn about all of the new website changes that Santa Claus and the New Year have brought to your favorite sailing website, and get the latest news on deep-sea exploration.

And just a couple of Rolex Sydney Hobart stories to make sure you are not completely out of the loop.

And finally, best wishes to you and your family for a happy, healthy and successful 2015!

May the four winds blow you safely home,