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Of old goats and bold climbers—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond
| Start of the Trophy t10 Section - 104th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac MISTE Photography | I'll admit it: I love a good adventure, be it on sailboats or in the mountains, as I learned a long time ago that these experiences are-for me at least-the cure-all tonic for life's more mundane ailments (read: taxes, mortgages, insurance premiums and grocery lists), as well as a fantastic opportunity to get out in nature with friends and family and intentionally put yourself in a situation where preparation can meet opportunity and where smart decisions can pay handsome dividends when it comes to reaching the summit or the finishing line. The key, of course, is ensuring that one's preparations are broadband enough to account for life's unexpected possibilities and rigorous enough to ensure a serious shot at success.
By this, I mean that no offshore sailing team goes out for a single afternoon of practice on an untested boat before racing transatlantic, and no Himalayan climbers go on a single stroll up Mount Washington (6,289 feet) before taking on the Rupal Face of Pakistan's Nanga Parbat (26,660 feet; generally considered to be the Himalaya's hardest climbing challenge, including K2), as both teams understand that the challenges far outstrip these paltry training efforts.
But what if the offshore sailing team first competed in an Annapolis to Newport Race, several Newport Bermuda Races, a few Marblehead to Halifax Races, as well as a couple Transpac Races? Are they ready for the rigors of a North Atlantic Race? Provided that their vessel is structurally solid and racecourse ready, and provided that all participating sailors are fully versed with man overboard and safety-at-sea procedures, odds are good that this Transatlantic team will arrive in the UK full of smiles and ready to celebrate their success.
| 105th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac MISTE Photography |
Unlike mountaineering, however, where there are few (if any) mandatory pieces of equipment that a team must carry (aside from the government-mandated climbing permits, and, in some countries, government-mandated guides and/or porters), sailboat races usually dictate that teams must carry certain pieces of life-saving equipment, for example VHF radios, EPIRBs, GPS, life rafts, and-increasingly-the Automatic Identification System, or AIS. While all of these technologies can save lives, AIS is of particular interest to racing sailors as it can be used to avoid ship-to-ship collisions, check in on the competition, and, critically, find a man overboard who is carrying a properly deployed AIS MOB beacon, which broadcasts an emergency signal to all nearby vessels (within VHF range, so ballpark four nautical miles) that carry an AIS receiver.
This last bit is critical, however, as a non-AIS equipped boat could sail right past a MOB with an activated AIS MOB beacon at night and have no idea that they were so close to a life-or-death calamity or that they were possibly that MOB's last shot at returning home.
| Head in the Sails - Chicago Yacht Club's 2011 Race to Mackinac Jennifer Richmond |
Such a tragedy almost unfurled during the Chicago Yacht Club's 2017 Race to Mackinac (July 15-18, 2017), which experienced some rough, thunderstorm-induced weather that saw at least one boat capsize (High Priority, a Corsair 31 trimaran) and also led to the stomach-turning story of Mark Wheeler's man overboard experience, which fortunately turned out well.
Wheeler, as described in an excellent SpinSheet Magazine online article that he self-authored, was sailing aboard the Farr 400 Meridan X in the 289.4 nautical-mile race when the vessel encountered 40 knots of air and the call was made for all hands to come on deck to help take down the staysail and the A2 kite. As Wheeler was reaching for a winch, the helmsman put the wheel over hard to starboard to drive down in the increasing air, and Wheeler went through the lifelines and into the drink.
While Wheeler tried to clutch a spinnaker sheet, it was quickly torn from his hands as Meridan X ripped along at (ballpark) 18 knots, leaving him floating in a lake in the middle of a dark night.
| McMurdo Smartfind S20 Personal AIS MOB Beacon Home Port Marine |
Fortunately, Wheeler was carrying an AIS MOB beacon, which he activated. Less fortunate was the fact that his MOB strobe light wasn't properly working. “Besides my failed light, I had a whistle, my AIS transmitter and my safety knife,” wrote Wheeler in SpinSheet. “AIS was not mandatory for this race and we did not have it on Meridian X. My transmitter would have to be picked up by another boat or the USCG if someone with AIS was within a couple of miles of me.”
Meridan X may have been electronically blind to Wheeler's plight, but her capable crew quickly got the sails down and retraced their steps, positioning the boat close enough to Wheeler so that the crew could (eventually) hear his whistle and were able to safely conduct their rescue. All told, Wheeler spent (roughly) one hour and six minutes in the water, which would have been more than enough time to introduce full-blown hypothermia (or much worse) in many cold-water races.
| 105th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac MISTE Photography |
The Chicago Yacht Club's 109th Race to Mackinac Safety Requirements (3.7.1) states that “A boat shall carry a Lifesling or equivalent man overboard rescue device equipped with a self-igniting light stored on deck and ready for immediate use”. Additionally, requirement 3.7.2 states that “A boat shall have a man overboard pole and flag, with a lifebuoy, a self-igniting light, a whistle, and a drogue attached. A self-inflating Man Overboard Module, Dan Buoy or similar device will satisfy this requirement. Self-inflating apparatus shall be tested and serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. These items shall be stored on deck, ready for immediate use, and affixed in a manner that allows for a 'quick release'.” Lastly, requirement 3.7.3 states “A boat shall have a throwing sock-type heaving line of 50' (15m) or greater of floating polypropylene line readily accessible to the cockpit.”
Note that these requirements do not say a thing about mandatory AIS use, nor does the USCG require that a vessel of this size carry this equipment.
| 2017 109th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Bob Carr |
Forty years of sailing and adventuring have long taught me that it's never wise to play Monday morning quarterback to someone else's adventure-gone-astray, but these same 40 years have taught me that just because a requirement isn't in place doesn't mean that I should forgo carrying this gear. For example, the climbing rangers at Mount Rainier National Park have never asked to inspect my climbing rope, but if they did, they would find a brand-new, top-of-the-line dry-treated rope (so as not to absorb glacial melt water and freeze), not to mention a personal locator beacon (also not required).
While safety gear can be expensive, a Class B listen-only AIS receiver can be purchased for as little as $500, and a send-and-receive Class B AIS receiver fetches roughly $800-dirt-cheap insurance against a MOB situation, as well as an inexpensive way of being able to render assistance to other distressed mariners.
| Mackinac Island, famous for the Grand Hotel, and finish line for the annual Chicago - Mac and Port Huron - Mac races Oversee Yachts |
So, while a race (or a climbing ranger) might not require a particular piece of equipment, prudent sailors are strongly advised to carry the necessary tools to ensure that their adventure stays within the lines of sanity.
As my climbing mentor liked to say, “there are old climbers and bold climbers, but very few old, bold climbers.”
| WingNuts SW |
Given that the Chicago Yacht Club's Race to Mackinac likes to celebrate its Old Goats (veterans of 25 “Mac” races, who are invited to join the exclusive “Island Goats Sailing Society”), the race should also strongly consider updating its list of mandatory safety equipment to deal with situations like Wheeler's, and to stave-off a repeat of their tragic 2011 race, when Suzanne Bickel and Mark Morley were lost when the Kiwi 35 WingNuts capsized.
After all, there's not so much difference between old goats and bold climbers if they aren't carrying the right tools.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor
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