Newsletter Archive
Here's an archive of the weekly Newsletters written by Jim Murrant and Ann Reynolds for The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship.
Recent newsletter index - January-March 2010
2009 Newsletter Archive
2008 Newsletter Archive
What people are saying about our Newsletter
 |
I like the style of your newsletters - shorter and crisper than most, so people probably open them immediately, rather than putting them to one side if they're busy. |
Michael Kingdom-Hockings |
http://www.newfreebooters.com |
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How little things lead to big disasters + The plot against plotters + Navigating in the ninth century - 5 Mar 10
First of all, sorry about the delay. We've had great difficulties with our computer system. A bug got into it without us knowing and destroyed or infected a lot of files. We had to take the main unit to our maintenance company and so we were without computing power for a few days.
Anyway we're back on deck now so please bear with us as we pick up the threads.
1. How little things lead to big disasters
The CYCA has released its final report on the PricewaterhouseCoopers incident during the Flinders Islet race last year. The comprehensive and intelligent report is available for download.
We highly recommend that anybody who travels at sea whether they race or cruise should read the report thoroughly. In any case we'll give some highlights here of what describes a series of apparently unrelated incidents which led to the deaths of two highly respected and highly skilled sailors, Andrew Short and Sally Gordon.
a. Fatigue and boat organisation
A critical factor pointed out in the inquiry's findings was that of fatigue. The owner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (formerly known as Shockwave) was Andrew Short, a boat dealer who had done a full day's work in his business before getting to the yacht and preparing for the race which goes approximately 45 nautical miles south from Sydney, around the islet, and back to Rushcutters Bay which is the home of the CYCA.
On the boat he took the following roles - skipper, navigator, principal helmsman - and he was on the wheel for all but a few minutes of the seven hours before the yacht went aground on the islet.
The first of the things to go wrong was that the bowman popped his shoulder during a spinnaker manoeuvre and he had to be taken below and secured in his berth. The tactician was sent to take his place on the bow and the skipper added the tactician responsibility to his list.
Sally Gordon was a well-known and very experienced ocean race navigator but who was not taking any navigational role on this voyage.
b. Navigation of the vessel
The inquiry found several things about the navigation of the vessel. There was complete reliance on the GPS system which was relayed to two chart plotters, one below decks in the navigation station and the other attached to the frame of the starboard wheel in the cockpit. It was this plotter that Andrew Short was using to navigate the boat.
It was shown later in the report that at the time the boat hit Flinders Islet there was a serious anomaly in the GPS signals being received in the area of the race. The position on the plotter would have been at least 100 metres out.
However, as a photograph in the report shows, there were flares from the Port Kembla steelworks which created a clearly visible silhouette of the islet.
Note: I have done this race several times and the steelworks glare and the nearby lighthouse are the two factors which lead the navigator to the islet. But for this to work the vessel needs to have extremely good lookouts during the whole approach.
Some of the rescued crew gave evidence to the inquiry that the islet had been seen so it is hard to understand how a clearing bearing wasn't initiated for the approach.
c. Watch system
A final although small factor was that there had been no watch system initiated on the boat. It has to be remembered that this is a 30m boat capable of very high speeds both on and off the wind.
This is only speculation that it may have been that the attitude aboard was "this is a short race and it will be over pretty quickly and there is no point in splitting into watches". But it would mean that people didn't have dedicated duties, particularly that of
keeping a good lookout.
d. Conclusion and lessons learned
There are so many lessons to be learned that we again strongly recommend that as many people as possible should read this report. The report has numbered paragraphs and the numbers listed below are the points that I found most relevant:
40, 46-47, 50, 62, 70, 78-79, 86, 107, 109, 111, 114-115, 174, 210 and finally 260.
Those who read the report thoroughly will be impressed with the behaviour of some of the competing boats in the race that stood by and helped in the search and rescue operation after the grounding. It should be remembered that there were 18 crew on board and 16 of them survived.
It was a very sad event but serious sailors need to learn from it.
2. The plot against plotters
Springing from the report above I would like to make some comments about how I view chart plotters.
I've never liked them as I consider them a toy compared with a properly devised GPS navigation system feeding on to charts that contain the same information as paper charts and which can be corrected in line with the Notices to Mariners so that they remain up-to-date.
I will tell you briefly when I formed this aversion.
For many years I had navigated with a laptop and a program called Ocean Vision which used charts as I described above, which relate completely to paper charts. I never had a problem with it even during quite severe weather in several Sydney to Hobart
yacht races.
In the 1990s I went to Robe to help the late Megga Bascombe, deliver a 52ft diesel motor boat 900nm to its new owner in Sydney. After being delayed by a Bass Strait gale we continued our voyage and were nearing Wilsons Promontory using a chart plotter to navigate.
Both of us knew the area well as we had sailed it many times before. Both of us became nervous that we were being told an inaccurate position. At that moment we received a very welcome flash of lightning which showed us that the island which was making us nervous was much closer to us than we either wanted or expected.
Since then I have always considered plotters to be highly suspect. I believe that they can seriously mislead an unwary navigator because they show a simple outline of hazards, and not the detail of what that hazard is.
3. Navigating in the ninth century
The Jewel of Muscat, a replica of ninth century sailing ship, has been built in Oman and is retracing part of the historic trade route between Oman and the Far East. On her way to Singapore she will have stopovers in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The project has been jointly funded by the governments of Oman and Singapore and is seen as important to the heritage of both countries.
Built without nails, its planks are sewn together with coconut fibre and the wood coated with a layer of goat fat and lime for protection. Her sails are made of woven palm leaves.
(Photograph from Oman Daily)
Middle East Online describes how the ship is being navigated:
"The team on the ship will use ninth century navigation techniques, plotting the course for the 18-metre ship with a 'kamal' (a small block of wood connected to a piece of string that can calculate latitude), and the stars and the sun.
"Observation of the sky and sea colour, marine and bird life, and wind direction will also be used as aids to navigation. Modern instruments will only be used to check the navigation techniques."
Now, doesn't that make you think?
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The Bible on the ARC + Groupama 3 and the Jules Verne Trophy + An offer I did refuse + Avoiding bad weather by picking the weather patterns - 25 Feb 10
1. The Bible on the ARC
Last week we talked about the 25th ARC, this week we are pleased to let you know that one of our subscribers, Rui Soares, from Lisbon, Portugal, is participating in the ARC World Rally.
He emailed to say that he is currently in the Galapagos Islands, leaving soon for the Marquesas. He also confirmed that he has aboard his six disks of The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship as well as many other references to prepare him and his crew for anything they may face.
We can't promise that we can get later reports on his intrepid voyage but if we can, we will pass them on to you. Fair winds, Rui.
Which reminds me, some years ago I donated a copy of my book, The Boating Bible (on which the Manual of Seamanship is based) to the ship's library aboard the Young Endeavour, Australia's Bicentenary gift from the UK. Then as now, she operates as a youth sail training ship.
2. Groupama 3 and the Jules Verne Trophy
Although not big fans of multihulls, we've been following the progress of Groupama 3, a 105 ft trimaran skippered by Frenchman Franck Cammas, in its attempt to win the Jules Verne Trophy awarded for the fastest round the world voyage.
At the moment, they're 60 nm ahead of Orange 2, the current record holder.
To give you an idea of the speed Groupama 3 is travelling at, it took just under seven days to sail from Cape Agulhas (near the Cape of Good Hope) to Cape Leeuwin (Western Australia). That's a distance of around 4,000 miles.
On her biggest day so far, she covered 751 nm. To make a comparison, we consider a 200 nm day a great achievement in the sorts of yacht we generally sail.
Fred Le Peutrec, one of the nine crew aboard reported yesterday:
"Happiness is a funny thing! Not only are we getting used to these average speeds in excess of thirty knots, our enthusiasm is waning...
We've noticed on board that when you're sailing at 28 knots, it feels like you've come to a standstill! At times you have to get it into your head that you're sailing at 33-35 knots, or even forty...
We've got our bearings now since we've been sailing on the same tack for the past five days: we're organising ourselves to eat, sleep and keep up the maintenance on the boat.
We're going to have one manoeuvre to perform during the course of tomorrow, Wednesday. A gybe will be required to reposition ourselves given that the low off New Zealand has filled in. At that point we'll hook on to a fluctuating W'ly breeze."
It's almost impossible to imagine travelling at such speed for days at a time. And staying on one tack for so long.
3. An offer I did refuse
Talking about Groupama 3 reminded me of an 'almost' voyage I was offered a few years ago. A mature-aged student at Flying Fish class asked me if I would accompany him as navigator of his boat from Cape Town to Florida, USA.
I would be paid and "would have a cabin of my own". This last made me think of the sort of boat that had enough space to have one person in a cabin was either going to be bigger than anything I had complete knowledge of, or a multihull.
It turned out to be the latter so I politely refused what would have otherwise been an interesting voyage.
I refused because I do not believe multihulls can handle really extreme weather as well as monohulls.
4. Avoiding bad weather by picking the weather patterns
So I pondered the Groupama 3 situation and came up with the following theory. I believe the reason a voyage at such speeds can work is twofold one is the speed itself. The other is the modern ability to pinpoint dangerous weather and communicate its position to a boat's navigator.
At the speed of travel the multihull can outrun or avoid a storm with ease.
There is a lesson here for mere mortals in monohulls who travel at much lower speeds. They may get the information about a storm but they won't have the ability to evade it.
This highlights one of the recurring pieces of advice I give to student yachties you MUST learn to watch the weather all the time because it is only by knowing well in advance that bad weather is coming, and where from, that you have a chance of avoiding it.
Most times, people who watch the weather every day, looking at the sky, will have up to 48 hours knowledge of a looming storm. In The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship's CD on weather I tell you how YOU can do it.
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James Spithill wins the America’s Cup + Grib files + Vancouver + The ARC turns 25 - 17 Feb 10
After several days of not enough wind, the America's Cup has finally been competed for and won. And it did give Australia a place on the podium!
And, from little wind to more than enough
Alex Whitworth warns about his experience of the accuracy of grib files.
With the Winter Olympics in full swing, it's a good opportunity to find out a bit about George Vancouver, the man behind the eponymous city and island.
You know of the ARC as a vessel built by Noah and his sons to save pairs of animals and birds from the flood, perhaps during an earlier period of global warming. But read on to learn about this great annual event for cruising sailors.
1. James Spithill wins the America's Cup
While we didn't follow the legal battles around the America's Cup, we were glad when the boats were finally able to compete on the water. Although neither vessel appeals their inability to handle any wave height, let alone a good blow the winner was helmed by Australian, James Spithill.
Apparently, at the age of only nine, James stated that one day he was going to win the America's Cup. Now that he's achieved that, we wonder what his next life goal will be!
2. Grib files just another weather forecast tool
These days every long distance racer and most blue water cruisers download grib files regularly. But many of us may not know what grib is. It stands for GRIdded Binary, i.e. computer-generated forecast files that provide sea surface pressure and wind speed information.
Alex Whitworth, skipper of Berrimilla who is returning to Australia from Falmouth via Lisbon, Cape Town and the Kerguelen Islands, commented recently on his blog that:
... the Grib files always underestimate the maximum wind in any low pressure system
- if you double the grib forecast you are in the ballpark.
Skippers in the Clipper Round the World race 2009-10 have echoed this observation.
With all the weather modelling that is available worldwide we'd like to see more accurate forecasts but we wonder if this will ever become a reality.
3. Vancouver
George Vancouver entered the Navy at 13 and a year later went to sea under Cook on his second (1772-1775) and third (1776-1780) voyages. Then, after nine years' service in the Caribbean, he was given command of an expedition (1791-1795) to chart the Pacific coast of North America, from near San Francisco northward, from 30° to 60° north.
Most of his detailed chart work was carried out in small open boats launched from Discovery and Chatham, the ships under his command. Part of this exploration included establishing that Vancouver Island was separate from the mainland by passing through Queen Charlotte Sound.
Vancouver's experience under Cook's leadership made him an excellent hydrographer, as is recorded by the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online:
The survey had been carried out with remarkable accuracy. Vancouver's latitudes vary little from modern values; the more difficult calculations for longitude show an error that varies from about one-third to one degree.
Vancouver was even more unlucky than Matthew Flinders, who died shortly after publication of his Voyage to Terra Australis.
Vancouver died in 1798, just three years after returning from his great voyage, leaving his brother, John, to complete the revision of his journals and publish the Voyage Of Discovery To The North Pacific Ocean, And Round The World In The Years 1791-95 posthumously.
4. The ARC turns 25
We've read that 150 entries have already been received for the 25th ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers). As there's a limit of 215 yachts - the number that can be accommodated in the marina at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) where the cruise starts anyone wanting to join in needs to apply soon!
For those of you who don't know the ARC, each year the rally supports many first-timers across the Atlantic, ending at Rodney Bay marina in St Lucia.
And it's not just the back-up provided by cruising in company but also the opportunity to participate in associated seminars and courses to develop your sailing and passage planning skills before setting out.
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Clipper ship retraces the voyage of the Beagle + More charges to follow + Buddy Melges and the cows + Correction - 9 Feb 10
1. Clipper ship retraces the voyage of the Beagle
The beautiful Randstad Clipper Stad Amsterdam, pictured above, will arrive in Sydney on Saturday 13 February. It is sailing around the world retracing the 1830s voyage of the Beagle, which carried Charles Darwin and during which he began to formulate his world-changing theory of the origin of species.
I am unashamedly a great fan of both Darwin and the theory. I have read the whole original On the Origin of Species something I wish some of Darwin's nay-sayers would do.
Darwin's great, great grand daughter, Sarah Darwin, is onboard. The ship will be docked at Pier 2 Walsh Bay in Sydney for only four days, before setting sail to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth as part of a documentary for a Dutch TV network.
Unfortunately, it will not be open to the public.
2. More charges to follow?
Last month a Queensland sailor was charged with "not preparing properly to go to sea, and unsafe operation of a vessel" after he allegedly ignored rough weather conditions and set sail with one crew member from Abbot Bay, north of Bowen.
Shortly after his departure the yacht started taking on water and he made a distress call, seeking help.
In response the Townsville Water Police sent a volunteer rescue vessel from Bowen and a helicopter from Mackay to assist the two men. In the meantime the pair managed to anchor the yacht and swim ashore, where they were met later by the police.
Question is, is this a dangerous precedent? Or merely a timely reminder of the skipper's responsibilities to his vessel and crew? If found guilty, should he be fined the cost of the rescue?
3. Buddy Melges and the cows
Well-known American yachtsman, Buddy Melges, turned 80 on 26 January. Since then Scuttlebutt has published a stream of reminiscences of his sailing prowess and good humour including this:
* From Eddie Trevelyan, Gold medalist, 1984 Olympics:
At the 1980 Soling Worlds in Puerto Rico
I witnessed a display of Buddy's unique ability to apply both sailing skills and "animal husbandry" skills on the racecourse.
During one light-wind race (probably the first time in memory that strong trades didn't blow in PR), Buddy was the first (probably only) one to notice that cows grazing on a hillside were giving important clues.
He took a sharp turn toward the edge of the course, and proceeded to sail past the fleet with a new breeze signaled by the cows' rear ends. This sailor from the "Heart of America" was surprised that the rest of us didn't know about cows' instinctive tendency to graze downwind.
Happy Birthday, Buddy!
So the message is to use whatever clues you can to gain a better understanding of changing weather conditions. Your personal observation of the effects of local weather, coupled with published forecasts, will give you an edge over your competitors.
4. Correction Sean Langman's boat is called Loyal
Our thanks to Lynn Forrester for pointing out this error in last week's newsletter, which has been corrected, below. OOPS! But we weren't wrong about Sean's seamanship.
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When did you last check your boat? + An example of good seamanship - 5 Feb 10
In the last few weeks, we've been watching some extreme weather around the world. There was a fantastic satellite picture of England totally covered in snow and ice. Then the whole of Europe was frozen, with days of subzero temperatures.
In Australia, we've had our share of extreme heat, torrential rains and strong winds. The rain in Sydney has come down in short, sharp falls causing gutters to overflow and roads to be inundated. One southerly that came through was particularly gusty, picking up litter and hurling it around.
Which made us wonder
1. When did you last check your boat?
If you're a racing sailor who races all year round, you don't need to heed this as you already go aboard regularly.
If you're an occasional weekend sailor, you really need to check your boat, particularly after storms. If you're lucky, other club members may keep an eye on your floating investment but you shouldn't rely on that.
Debris can block drainage holes in the cockpit. Lines can come uncoiled and cause the same problem. Sail covers that haven't been tied down securely will flap and, in a really strong blow, the eyelets may be pulled out and the cover come free.
As your boat yaws on its mooring, or when traffic passes too fast and creates a big wake, rocking your boat violently, little bits of rubbish paper, cardboard, grunge, etc. may roll into the bilge and block your automatic bilge pump. No one likes to think that water can get down below in their yacht but rain falling heavily can find ways to do so.
If the yawing is severe enough, or goes on long enough, it will cause erratic shocks to the mooring system. Make sure you check that out, even if you have to employ a diver.
2. An example of good seamanship
We caught up, belatedly, with a story about this year's King of the Derwent, a yacht race held in Hobart on 2 January each where competitors from the Sydney-Hobart, Melbourne-Hobart and Launceston-Hobart races race against local yachts.
It's held after lots of racing crew members have flown home to the mainland, leaving yachts short-handed or gathering their delivery crews and taking on local sailors who are keen to experience sailing on ocean-racing yachts.
Sean Langman had entered his yacht Loyal but was concerned about the level of his crew's experience in handling a 100 ft yacht.
But as he still wanted to take part, so he called for the No. 4 jib and storm trysail to be rigged. This meant that the boat would be easy to tack and wouldn't get overpowered.
In fact, during the race a squall hit the fleet and, although still underpowered, Loyal sailed through the fleet and finished one whole leg ahead of the second boat over the line!
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Surviving four knockdowns + Response to our lighthouse story + Some thoughts on 'electronic kit' - 29 Jan 10
1. Surviving four knockdowns
We were interested to read how well Jessica Watson and Ella's Pink Lady came through a recent storm where winds reached 65 knots.
During the storm the yacht was knocked down four times, and the second time not just flattened but over 180°. Lucky for Jessica, each time the yacht righted herself and no major damage occurred.
It shows just how well S&S 34s are built and how well prepared this particular S&S was for surviving all conditions. Her mast builder and rigger should be congratulated.
During the eight hour storm she remained strapped in below.
Even though everything had been tied down or stowed below the boat was still a mess that took some time to clear up. The meth stove had to dry out before Jessica could fire it up. She also had to reassemble the head which had fallen apart and pieces scattered throughout the cabin.
After expressing some concerns early on about her level of experience, I am now impressed by how well she is handling herself, her yacht and her voyage.
2. Response to our lighthouse story
Mike Kingdom-Hockings of New Freebooters.com commented:
Yet another sign of the UK becoming a Third World country? Since I am not in regular contact with today's cruising yachtsmen, I can't really comment. Everything I read (most of it published by the people who fit and maintain onboard electronic kit) suggests that it is now mandatory for larger yachts to carry an amazing collection of kit, but it doesn't seem to be mandatory for them to know what it doesn't do. Anyway that still leaves the smaller boats, particularly those under 7 metres long - and quite a few in that category have crossed the Atlantic.
Times they are a-changin'.
3. Some thoughts on 'electronic kit'
One of the hazards for the skipper/navigator is turning off layers of information to make the screen easier to follow and not realising what you're not seeing.
Also, if you want to learn how to use equipment properly, you need to find someone to teach you who is prepared to demonstrate each step slowly first and then allow you to practice yourself. And many technical people become impatient when learners take time to catch on not a good learning environment!
I've always been a fan of reading the manual and bookmarking important pages. This is not so easy now that so many manuals are supplied electronically, but at least you can search them and don't have to rely on the accuracy of the index.
These days, finding a good video on YouTube may provide the help you need. Perhaps I should make one or two myself?
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Not all corks float + Lighthouses under review + Year of the Seafarer - 20 Jan 10
1. Not all corks float
Last week the Irish entry in the Clipper Round the World race, Cork, ran aground on a submerged reef near Gosong Mampango on the leg from Geraldton to Batam.
When it became obvious that the yacht was firmly stuck and that the effect of the tide could damage both it and its crew, Cork's skipper, Richie Fearon, ordered his crew to launch their liferafts. They then paddled from the stricken yacht to solid land.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Team Finland and California to come to their aid, each taking eight crew members aboard, providing them firstly with cups of tea and comfort, then clothing and time and place for a well-earned rest.
It was also lucky that the crews had stocked up, not just for the current leg but also for the Singapore-Qingdao trip, so shortage of food was not a worry. They did, however, have to run the engine almost continuously to make enough fresh water for the 24 people aboard.
California resumed racing soon after, but Team Finland stood watch over Cork and made a preliminary survey of damage. Photos and videos were transferred to the Clipper race officials who, after consultation shipwrights and other experts decided that the yacht was not reparable.
Crew were able to board the vessel and retrieve personal belongings before Team Finland left the scene and continued racing.
Only the three yachts first to arrive in Batam were unaffected by the incident, so I expect there will be six claims for redress.
2. Lighthouses under review
Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority for England and Wales, recently published the findings of its 2010 Aids to Navigation Review. Before naming the six lighthouses that it plans to close down, the report provided the following as justification, my italics:
In December 2008, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) approved an E-Navigation strategy. Whilst the end result and the timeframe to complete are not certain, nonetheless navigational technology continues to advance*.
At the same time, the reliance on the traditional system of lighthouses around the coast diminishes. With the exception of leading lights and "PELS", landfall lights and passing lights are now less important and their primary function is for coastal navigation, confirmation of position and spatial awareness. Thus the "traditional" AtoN's can be regarded as a secondary but complementary system to the primary navigation system of GNSS.
* The triumph of hope over experience?
IMO International Maritime Organization
PELS Port of Entry Lights
AtoN's Aids to Navigation
GNSS Global Navigation Satellite Systems
This raises some disturbing questions:
- How many people go to sea without electronic navigation equipment?
- How often do electronic systems provide inaccurate or no information?
- To what extent should the needs of recreational boaters and sailors be taken into consideration?
- And, in relation to the list below, will the increases in range of the adjacent lights be sufficient to compensate for the switched off lighthouse?
All aids to navigation will be discontinued at Orfordness, Beachy Head, Hartland Point, Blacknore and Skokholm. Negotiations will be held to hand over Maryport Lighthouse to the Local Lighthouse Authority. Some lights will be extended to 'compensate'.
Ocean voyagers will remember that lighthouses were spaced, generally, about 30 miles apart so that commercial vessels with a height of eye well above sea level usually would be able to see two lights at once. Smaller vessels would have dark gaps between lights.
What will the situation be for them now? I hope this sort of 'advance' doesn't catch on in other parts of the world.
Of particular interest is the Beachy Head Lighthouse, situated on the south coast of England, halfway between Brighton and Hastings. The head is quite a prominent landmark and it's hard to see how increasing the range of only the Royal Sovereign lighthouse at Eastbourne will provide adequate coverage.
Read the full TRINITY HOUSE 2010 Aids to Navigation Review and take the opportunity to submit your views on the draft plan by 29 January 2010.
3. Year of the Seafarer
2010 has been designated Year of the Seafarer by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with the aim of encouraging more to choose seafaring as their profession and of recognising the efforts of those already making their living at sea.
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Flinders Islet yacht race incident update + Radar, rain clutter and sea clutter + Around Cape Horn, Sydney-Hobart and London 2012 - 14 Jan 10
CYCA internal inquiry into the Flinders Islet yacht race incident
We've been waiting to read the full report by the committee appointed to review the tragic accident that happened in October last year when Shockwave was broken up on Flinders Islet and two people died.
A preliminary report was released by the Board of the CYCA in mid-December to allow Sydney-Hobart crews, in particular, to make any additional preparations based on the recommendations and findings.
Rather than paraphrase them, we thought it best to quote the six recommendations made here:
- Although it is not yet clearly determined, there is a possibility that GPS error contributed to the
Flinders Islet incident, and in circumstances where there is need to rely upon a chart plotter, it should
not be assumed that the GPS or chart plotter is necessarily accurate to the degree required for safe navigation.
It is for this reason that manufacturers have a disclaimer on GPS and chart plotters referring to the variability of the readings from these instruments and to the fact that they should not be solely relied upon for safe navigation. It is suggested that the position should be verified by other means, including visual reference, visual bearings, depth sounding or reference to relevant maritime charts.
- A handheld portable spotlight be carried on board in a readily accessible position, as it has been demonstrated that the standard floating torch or equivalent does not have sufficient candle power to illuminate objects at a distance from the yacht, particularly in a search and rescue situation.
- In the event of complete power failure on the yacht, the yacht's electrical system cannot be relied upon to provide illumination below decks, and it may be useful to have battery powered emergency lights which are easily activated.
- The same end may be achieved by providing each crew member with a small portable torch for use in the event of complete electrical failure on the yacht or any other emergencies.
- The Board recommends that owners consider providing a 'mini grab bag' that is easily accessible from the cockpit of the yacht containing at least a VHF handheld radio, 2 flares and, if possible, an EPIRB.
- Although it is not a requirement of YA, the Board commends the use of PFDs, particularly at night time and where there is a chance that the sea state and/or conditions on the boat warrant their use.
Nancy Knudsen reported on the Sail-World website in "Basic seamanship recommendations after Flinders Islet sailing
incident and provided thoughtful comments on each of the recommendations and how they relate to the cruising sailor.
We have been checking to see if the CYCA Board has released more information from the full report that was to be delivered by the end of December. We may, however, have to wait until the inquest into the deaths of the skipper Andrew Short and crew member Sally Gordon to learn more about what took place that night.
In the meantime, we welcome your comments and thoughts on this.
Radar and the effect of rain clutter and sea clutter
When you first start to use radar to track other vessels it can be very confusing, even in good conditions light breeze, clear sky and flat sea.
But you really need to be really alert when conditions deteriorate, which is just when you are most likely to need your radar. In pouring rain, you should adjust your radar settings to reduce the effect of rain clutter as far as possible.
Similarly, when seas are choppy, your radar may pick up a lot
of sea clutter. If you're not careful, you may find it difficult to distinguish the images of actual vessels from the sea clutter on the radar screen. Adjust your radar to lessen this effect.
Always remember, though, that radar is just one navigational tool, and that you must maintain a proper lookout at all times.
And, when appropriate, get on the radio and call up because the ship you are tracking may be curious and trying to get a look at you and, therefore, it is following your every move while you are desperately trying to get away from it!
Around Cape Horn, Sydney-Hobart and London 2012
While we've mentioned Jessica Watson several times and talked
about her solo, unassisted circumnavigation, there's another
sailor who has just rounded Cape Horn. Commander Dilip Donde,
aboard the Indian Navy's yacht, Mhadei. The 56 ft fibreglass
yacht is named after the river in Goa on which she was built in 2008.
Dilip is the first Indian to attempt a solo circumnavigation.
His preparation for this voyage included a two-handed sail last May from Goa to Mauritius, followed by a solo return to India.
His circumnavigation includes a number of stops: Fremantle, Western Australia in October and Lyttleton, New Zealand in December. His next port of call is Stanley in the Falkland Islands, followed by Cape Town, before the final leg back to Mumbai. You can watch his progress via his blog, Indian Navy Solo Circumnavigation.
I have often wondered about the popularity of sailing in India.
I'm sure Dilip's voyage is raising awareness there of sailing as both recreation and a way of life.
In our 24 Nov 09 Newsletter we wrote about Ajay Rau - an Indian laser sailor who crewed in the 2009 Sydney-Hobart on Merit. Merit, an Open 60, finished 19th over the line and 15th overall in PHS.
I'm sure Ajay has plenty of tales to share with fellow members of the Royal Madras Yacht Club in Chennai. We wish him well in his preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.
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Sailing highpoints for 2009 - 7 Jan 10
The first week of 2010 has already slipped away from us. We thought we'd look back briefly at some of the highlights of last year before resuming our more usual newsletter format of news and learning from the sailing experiences of others.
Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09
Following the eight yacht fleet around the world occupied us from its start in Alicante in early October 2008 through to the finish in St Petersburg in late June 2009. The overall winner, Ericsson 4, took 127 days to sail some 37,000 miles.
Interestingly, race organisers have announced a reduction in the number of pre-race sails each team may have (15, down from 17) and of sails built during the race (15, down from 24).
Although this will result in significant financial savings, teams will be challenged when selecting their pre-race sails and while at sea to preserve sails, rather than pushing them to (and beyond) their limits.
Vendee Globe 2008-09
Being a non-stop circumnavigation, the Vendee Globe kept us occupied for a shorter period - November 2008 to March 2009. One of the highlights was the rescue of Jean Le Cam by Vincent Riou. Le Cam's yacht had lost its keel 200 miles west of Cape Horn.
Riou, who sailed to his aid, was forced to make a number of passes before finally succeeding in getting a line to Le Cam. Unfortunately for Riou, his own yacht was damaged when the two boats touched. He was later given redress for the rescue.
Clipper Round the World 09-10
We've been interested in the Clipper race for several reasons:
* We know the skipper of Uniquely Singapore, Jim Dobie. Both he and I worked as Yachtmaster Offshore Instructors with Flying Fish Australia for several years.
* People with no previous sailing experience can take part.
* If you damage your sails and can't repair them yourself on board, you lose precious points, i.e. skippers and crews must read the weather and change down to avoid blowing out sails.
Berrimilla
Alex Whitworth's blog covering his voyage home to Australia continues to amuse and instruct us. But even with thousands of sea miles behind him, he can still lose a drink by putting it down carelessly in the cockpit.
Launch of Nautical Knowledge
In September we launched Nautical Knowledge which presents the critical regulations which candidates for marine qualifications, students in sailing schools and anyone who sails in busy ports should know. It's a simple download and a great bargain at AU$9.95.
Jessica Watson
After a very poor delivery voyage when Ella's Pink Lady collided with a ship, Jessica Watson seems to be handling her solo, unassisted circumnavigation quite well. She's now approaching Cape Horn, experiencing colder temperatures and rugging up in many layers before venturing on deck.
http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/
Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race
After all the fuss made about the competition for line honours, the overall winner almost always goes without great acclaim. The 2009 race was won by Two True, a brand new Farr-designed Beneteau 40, with no canting keel, water ballast or button-controlled winches, i.e. a REAL sailing yacht!
Looking forward
Finally, we look forward to picking out for you interesting sailing and safety items that you might otherwise not find.
And don't forget, if you have a question, either we will answer it from our knowledge and experience or we will find out the answer for you.
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