Sailors Learn to Sew up Sails AND Fellow Crew

by Sail-World on 12 Apr 2006 Sewing up a torn sail is one thing, but what if you had to sew up a crewmate?
Having to deal with any medical emergency when you are sailing in a remote area is something all cruising sailors hope will never happen. However, the idea of having to actually sew up a fellow crew’s flesh injury is probably one of the worst nightmares you can have, and a long way from most sailor’s skills. Neither is it a part of most First Aid courses, which tend to concentrate on what to do in the first hour before help arrives.

Yet good preparation is one of the keys to safe sailing, so it was no wonder that so many sailors turned up for the ‘Sewing and Suturing’ evening which was run in preparation for the 1850 nm voyage of the Melbourne to Vanuatu race, the longest leg of the ‘South Pacific Boomerang Series, which starts on July 2nd.

UK Halsey held the evening in their sail loft in Sandringham, Victoria, and the information session was part of the race preparation series, organised by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria.

However, this session would stand all sailors in good stead, whether cruising or racing, as they were taught how first how to sew up their sails, and then how to sew up their fellow crew members

Sailors who attended the evening were treated to lessons in emergency sail repair at sea by Mark Rimington from UK Halsey sails, and lessons in suturing severe lacerations, by Dr. Rosie Colahan. The information session was the first of its sort for an Australian ocean race preparation program.

Unlike shorter journeys, in which injured sailors find themselves still within reach of a medical evacuation by helicopter, any yacht crossing an ocean could have to wait days for outside assistance in the event of a medical emergency. That being said, the information presented by Dr. Colahan will hopefully arm sailors with necessary skills when forced to rely on themselves in the event of an emergency.

'Prevention, prevention, prevention – that is of course the most important aspect of safety on a yacht. But being prepared when prevention isn’t possible is just as important. As part of a safety plan, it’s important to make sure things operate correctly. This principle extends to first aid as well. Crews should know where medical equipment is and how to use it,' says Dr. Colahan.

Participants of the 'Sewing and Suturing' information evening had the opportunity to practice potentially life-saving medical techniques – and race performance saving sail repair – in the dry, stable, light, environment of the sail loft, under the supervision of physicians and a sail maker. This was an environment more conducive to learning such techniques than the environment on board a yacht in the middle of a sailing journey

Sailors practiced a variety of suturing techniques on pieces of meat, such as how to close deep tissue lacerations, in addition to learning how to administer a local anaesthetic injection. Sustaining a serious cut on a yacht when far from help is one of the more likely medical emergencies. If not properly treated, the patient could bleed to death. Suturing the laceration is one of the most successful ways to stop severe bleeding, and with a bit of practice, any sailing cruiser can perform this task. The stitches may not win the praise of a plastic surgeon, but they could just save the injured sailor’s life.

George Shaw, race organiser for the South Pacific Boomerang Series, stresses the importance of such information sessions aimed at preparation for long distance ocean racing. After participating in the 2003 Melbourne to Osaka on his boat BOOTS, Shaw is familiar with the sort of issues with which sailors might unexpectedly be faced while offshore. Shaw has used this experience to assemble a program of lectures – some being hands on – to help ensure sailors are as well prepared as they can be.

'We want to prepare sailors for the reality of not having first aid on hand. They could be days without assistance. By making relevant information available to the sailors before they leave land, we hope that they will be able to deal with such emergencies successfully, until assistance can get to them,' says Shaw.

For most of the participants, seeing suture material – much less using it – was a first. James Ryssenbeek, a co owner of Runaway - another two-handed entrant for the Melbourne to Vanuatu and youngest combined crew (29 and 30), found the main benefit of this exercise was the familiarity it brought.

'Just knowing what each instrument looks like and is used for is a huge advantage. I’m more confident now that if I needed to use them in an emergency on the ocean, I could,' says Ryssenbeek.

A sentiment echoed by many. ‘Greater confidence’ was the take home message from the evening. Katharina Pieczonka, who will be doing the M2V on Helsal II, explains these feelings. 'After getting the first awkward feeling out of the way on land – of using specialised medical instruments – I feel better equipped to handle a situation that would actually require such tools,' says Pieczonka.

Sail maker Mark Remington also reinforced this idea. 'The information sailors get from these sessions should give them more confidence to tackle any problems that occur at sea,' says Rimington. 'If you are confident and have some training, you should be able to make tactical decisions quicker, for instance - weather. You should be able to see problems coming and fix them.'

These practical skills aren’t only useful for the race to Vanuatu, but for any offshore sailing. Hopefully with the extra skills and confidence gained from the 'Sewing and Suturing' evening, sailors will be better prepared to deal with any emergency in all their future sailing.

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