Royal Yachting Association goes rally cruising
by Barry Pickthall on 16 Jun 2010
19 crews gather in Victoria Marina, St Peter Port, in the Channel Islands Photo: Barry Picktall, PPL Copyright SW
There are many reasons for the exploding popularity of rallies world-wide, and for experienced rally participants, the 'safety in numbers' reason is relatively minor - but it can be major if it's your first venture on the high seas!
Here Britain's Royal Yachting Association tells of their successful rally for those just entering the world of the long range cruising sailor:
Cruising abroad for the first time can be as nerve-wracking as jumping from the top dive board. You want to do it, but are uncertain about the execution – or landing!
Well, 19 crews, all with limited offshore sailing experience, did just that in mid-June, as part of a ‘cruise in company’ organised by the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) sponsored by Hamble School of Yachting and run in association with World Cruising Club – and passed the test with flying colours. The week-long sail took the fleet from Gosport to Cherbourg, then west to the Channel Islands before returning in their own time back to the Solent.
For some like Christian Koefoed-Nielsen and his crew of three friends, the confidence boost this gave, now has them planning a far grander expedition, first to the Mediterranean, and then across to the Caribbean in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).
Koefoed-Nielsen, a former City trader, bought his Hallberg Rassy 37 Psyche in 2008 and sailed her down from Sweden with the assistance of a deliver skipper. He had already completed his RYA Day Skipper and VHF practical qualifications and signed up with a sailing school to give him and his crew an intensive course on boat handling and mooring in tidal waters.
“We have all sailed on flotilla sailing holidays, but this is the first time we have sailed much further afield than the Solent. It has taught us a great deal and given me the confidence to start planning something more adventurous. The cruise has been well worth-while.” He says.
The RYA Cruising office planned the route and arranged berthing for each yacht so that skippers could devote their energies to getting their passage and pilotage plans right, and to prepare their yachts. The RYA also produced a very detailed booklet covering every aspect and requirement for a foreign cruise.
It included a check-list of documents and advice about the yacht’s registration document, radio licence, marine insurance and proof of VAT status. Crew necessities included a passport and a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which can now be applied for online at www.ehic.org.uk. This entitles the holder to free or reduced-cost emergency medical
treatment throughout the European Economic Area, but not the Channel Islands for which you now need separate travel insurance.
Skippers do not require an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) when coastal cruising around France and the Channel Islands, and the RYA cruise made no stipulation for Day Skipper or Yachtmaster tickets, though most participants had one or both.
The RYA did however stipulate a minimum list of safety equipment, and gave suggestions for tools and spare parts from flares, VHF/DSC radio to navigation lights and man-overboard equipment.
Skipper briefings:
Roger Seymour (the cruise YMI from Hamble School of Yachting presented a detailed briefing to skippers prior to each stage, providing high and low water times, routes, dangers to navigation, weather updates and timing suggestions for departure and arrival. He was also available to check individual passage and pilotage plans and provide any detailed advice required. We asked Roger what were the biggest lessons skippers can take away from the cruise?
“Going foreign for the first time can be quite a challenge. Skippers are going out into the unknown and often overplan their passage and pilotage with the result that they lose sight of the overall picture and can’t prioritise. Since most don’t have a lot of practical experience or knowledge, they don’t know what questions to ask and simply learn from their mistakes. It is our job to ensure that those mistakes aren’t major.
“Record keeping isn’t always as good as it should be. We try to impress on everyone that a log book should be a journal, and not just a list of lats and longs. It should say what has been happening onboard, list course and wind changes, time the passage through shipping lanes and use any method to confirm
position such as the sightings of a buoy or headland.” Says Seymour.
10 Tips for Going Foreign for the first time (or anytime you sail anywhere):
1.Check the boat and her safety equipment thoroughly before departure
2.Draw up a passage plan and include refuge ports in case problems arise.
3.Make a detailed pilotage plan for you destination and alternative refuge ports
4.Check the weather forecast during the days leading up the voyage to give you a good grasp of expected conditions.
5.Brief your crew on use of safety equipment and its stowage onboard.
6.Insist that all crew wear lifejackets and harnesses at night(or anytime the skipper so instructs) and whenever they feel the need to.
7.Carry a comprehensive tool kit and list of spare parts for the engine.
8.Carry plenty of food and water. Good hot meals are a great morale booster, and hot water, stored in a vacuum flask will allow for hot drinks to be served at any time.
9.Keep a narrative log and enter the vessel’s position every hour.
10. Keep a good lookout, especially when crossing the shipping lanes. If a bearing on a closing vessel never changes, then you are likely to collide. Take decisive action early
Info for those close enough to be interested next time:
The RYA Cruise is run for 1 week each June. The
cost this year for yachts between 9-10.49m was £475, and £495 for yachts up to 11.99m which includes the participation of skipper and mate, all berthing charges, booklets and parties. Extra crew were charged a £65 supplement. To register interest in the 2011 RYA Cruise, call RYA Cruising on +44 (0)23 8060 4233 or email: cruising.events@rya.org.uk
**Editor's Note: We assume that the depth of vision is foreshortened in this photo, and that the ship is much further away from the yacht than it appears.
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