Learning seamanship lessons from the other side—World Cruising news

by David Schmidt, Sail-World Cruising Editor on 15 Jan 2016 While no one likes to contemplate the unthinkable happening on an offshore cruise or a pre- (or post-) race delivery, the simple fact remains that the world’s hungry oceans consume sailors of every stripe each year. The reasons for these mishaps are myriad, but the good news is that sailors can take some time-honored steps to increase their safety, while also learning from history and from their stable mates back at the YC or marina.

Long-term cruising sailors tend to operate on their own frequency and time frames, casting their dock lines when the sun is shining, hunkering-down and heaving-to offshore when the weather turns truly snotty, and finding safe anchorages for times when serious storms catch them at port. Moreover, cruising sailors are generally excellent at poring over weather reports in order to find their safest weather window, irrespective of whether that arrives tomorrow, next week or-in some cases-next season.

Racing sailors are a different breed when it comes to time. While most serious racers are excellent seamen, the fact remains that organized races have published start dates, meaning that delivery skippers have much firmer arrival dates than most cruisers. The same typically holds true for the delivery home after a race, as owners and racing crew want the boat home to start preparing for the next event.

In short, delivery crews usually have a much more committed time frame surrounding their delivery cruises, creating a situation of accepting what Mother Nature throws in their path, rather than trying to cherry pick her kindest moods.

Then, there’s the simple matter of speed, and of how hard the boat gets pressed. While some cruisers head offshore in performance-minded steeds, most choose heavier-duty bluewater machines that are capable of surviving hardscrabble passages and the occasional crew mistake (say, an accidental gybe) with minimal consequence.

Not so with twitchy raceboats that often shave all extraneous grams in order to bolster the vessel’s VMG. Here, running backstays are critical for keeping the mast vertical, meaning that an accidental gybe can have dire consequences. Moreover, everything about the boat’s design and her DNA is designed for speed, which can make for some challenging sailing if a crew needs to slow the vessel down in big, square-shaped seas.

While all sailors aim for safety offshore, cruising sailors are far more likely to wear their PFD on deck at all times, and to always remain clipped in, even if the seas are calm. (N.B., make sure to always buy tethers with three clips, namely a quick-release snap shackle for your harness, plus two carabineer-type hooks for clipping into pad-eyes, jacklines or lifelines, as this ensures that you are always clipped to something, even while scrambling around the deck.) While this is especially important on short-handed deliveries, not everyone takes this potentially life-saving step.

Keel failures are fortunately a rare occurrence, but the tragic reality is that monohulls tend to get into trouble fast when their keels fall off. Because of this inherent Achilles Heel, it is imperative to immediately get your keel inspected if your vessel has suffered any sort of grounding or a collision. While this is obviously a serious challenge offshore (e.g., a collision with a submerged object), plenty of boats suffer small groundings, which go uninspected.

While sailing literature includes tragic accounts of both cruising and racing boats loosing their keels, the simple fact remains that racing boats tend to get pushed a lot harder than cruising boats (read: raced hard and put away wet). Because of this, owners are advised to regularly inspect their vessel, its rigging, and its appendages before offshore events or deliveries for any signs of wear and tear or damage, and to immediately fix any discovered mechanical shortcomings.

Likewise, it’s never a bad idea for cruising sailors to also take the time to regularly inspect their vessel (say, while waiting on that perfect weather window for a passage), and to never leave port unless all mission-critical systems are in fine working order.

Ultimately, sailing offshore carries with it certain inherent risks, but there are smart precautions that can be taken to ensure safety, starting with choosing a stout vessel and a good weather window, and extending all the way down the line to ensuring that all crewmembers are clipped-in at all times.

Moreover, while most cruising sailors could learn a great deal about sail trim and shape from their racing friends, the go-fast crowd can also learn plenty of lessons of seamanship, safe passage planning, and storm management from their cruising brethren.

Have fun sailing, but always have an eye on safety!

May the four winds blow you safely home,