Safety on the Supermaxi’s

by Teki Dalton on 24 Dec 2005 Sail-World feels its timely to re-run this story, that we published in early November 2005 from Teki Dalton. We feel its food for tough, just two days for the Hobart race

'On Boxing Day five 90’-100’ super maxi’s will set sail in one of the toughest ocean races in the world. A line honours and record-breaking victory in Australia's 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is the main goal but it is this race that may test them all to the limit.

Canting keels, water ballast, canards, towering rigs and massive sail power can be a recipe for disaster in the large waves that the Tasman Sea will throw at them. The graphic pictures of the overturned hull of Skandia and the structural damage suffered by Konica Minolta during the last Hobart race are still in our memory.

The inclusion of the super maxis in the Sydney Hobart race has caused race management to change several of the fundamental rules of sailing.

Although sail stacking and moving of ballast is against the rules (Rule 51) and Rule 52 allows for only manual power to be used in operating running rigging and appendages, both the rules have been expunged in the Notice of Race for the 2005 Sydney Hobart Race.

The winches on boats like Alfa Romeo and Skandia, used for the hoisting and adjustment of sails, have a mechanical power capable of 90 metres a minute at first speed and safety load actor of 9 tonnes. The possibility of clothes, limbs and fingers being caught in these winches and the numerous uncovered turning blocks is no doubt to should be of major concern. The friction on the winches develops so much heat that the casing of the sheet or runner tail will melt. “The super maxi Mari Cha melted a 20mm Dyneema spin sheet while surging it off a winch” (Bob Ross, Sept 2005, Australian Sailing)

You don’t have to sail on super maxis to know that yacht racing is dangerous. Falling or being washed overboard, injury and even death are potential dangers that are with all sailors regardless of the size of the boat.

Neville Crichton, owner and skipper of Alfa Romeo, the red-hot favourite for line honours in the Hobart race, said at the Hamilton Island Race Week in 2005….that the canting–keel super maxis 'are certainly more dangerous than what we have been used to sailing. In the middle of a gybe doing 35 knots…. and you have a complete computer glitch, guys are going to get killed on one of these boats'

Many of the supermaxi’s, if not all, have a large proportion of professional crew and like it or not, that crew must be covered by workplace safety and occupational safety regulations. It was the aftermath of the 1998 Sydney Hobart Race, and subsequent legal actions against some owners that exposed these regulations and how they applied to yacht racing.

Put very simply, the yacht under these circumstances is regarded as a workplace and occupation health and safety regulations apply. Again, very simply, this means the identification of workplace hazards and dangers, the provision of approved safety equipment and the preparation and implementation of a safety management plan are mandatory.

Whether these yachts sail with a professional or amateur crew, the concept of duty of care exists in all situations and by all parties. Each time we sail there is an acceptance by the individual of the knowledge of danger and potential injury which are inherent in the sport.

In some cases we share the blame and consequences of injury with some court judgements including a factor for contributory negligence. In yacht racing, and particularly where the skipper and crew have attended Yachting Australia’s Safety and Sea Survival Certificate, this concept of duty of care has been accepted by all. Unsafe practices and behaviour, no matter by whom should not be tolerated.

The owners and skippers of the super maxis recognise they have an obligation, if they accept that racing is dangerous, to identify those areas where crew can get hurt. Reducing the risk of injury on these boats, particularly during the Sydney Hobart Race, will not be easy.

You don’t always need to break anything or hit an object to cause an injury or death. The sheer speed of these yachts through the water creates huge problems if a crew is washed or falls overboard. During the recent Hamilton Island Regatta the sailing master of Brindabella, Andrew ‘Jacko’ Jackson was swept overboard during a gust when he was on the leeward side just after a start.

'The water was no higher than my knee but the force of the surge washed me over' he said. The nearby racing yachts were unable to pick him up and he was subsequently rescued by a media boat. Even though he was in the water for a short time, he needed assistance in recovery.

The possibility of falling or being washed overboard from one of the super maxis should rate highly in any safety audit. Un-harnessed for’rard hands attaching spinnaker tacks to bowsprits outside the pulpit and unharnessed crew generally are the most vulnerable.

There is a belief among some owners of fast yachts that crew are better off being unharnessed in the event of falling overboard. They say this because of the strong risk of drowning from being towed through the water at speed in the time it takes to either slow down or stop.

I was an official observer during testing of harnesses and tethers by the Tasmanian Water Police in relation to the Coroners inquest for the 1998 Sydney Hobart Race and observed the difficulty faced by them in trying to release themselves under tow. The only tether that was effective was the Stormy Seas model with double-ended release lines. If the crew are able to release themselves in some way either by knife or superhuman effort, the problem then becomes a crew overboard situation.

If a tethered crew is swept or falls overboard on the high side when going upwind, there is a chance of recovery, with a one or two metre tether, before the yacht goes head to wind.

In Sydney, where most of these super maxis will be audited under Special Regulations, some Safety Auditors insist on full length webbing jackstays for super maxis even though the stretch factor, under load by one or more crew, is beyond visual and untried calculation. Although Spectra webbing may have less stretch than other materials, many sail makers refuse to stitch-finish the ends for fear of legal liability should the stitching fail under load. It would be safer, given the regulations allow it, to have shorter overlapping jackstays and the crew to have the tethers with a mid point snap hook ensuring that they can stay hooked on at all times when moving around the deck.

The speed predictions for the super maxi Alfa Romeo are 35 knots down wind, 20-22 knots on a reach and 12 knots upwind. If someone falls overboard from Alfa Romeo at the speed of 30 knots downwind (15 metres per second) that person will be 900 metres behind in one minute.

The other distances between the yacht and the crew in the water are frightening:
• 6 knots 3m/sec 180 metres one minute
• 12 knots 6m/sec 360
• 18 knots 9m/sec 540
• 24 knots12m/sec 720
• 30 knots 15m/sec 900

Even with the shortest response time, at any of those speeds, to deploy the lifebuoy and flag marker, the automatic inflatable Jonbuoy or other proprietary equipment, it can be seen that the crew in the water will be far beyond throwing distance and at higher speeds, will be out of sight. Add to the time taken to slow down, turn and sail back to the general area (splash point) it can be seen that the sighting of the victim will be difficult.

Unless the lifebuoy/flag marker/Jonbuoy danbuoy apparatus is landed next to the crew in the water, to provide buoyancy and precise location, the only advantage of the apparatus is that it