Having regulations is not always a bad thing. To gain a sailing qualification, you’re required to hold a current Senior First Aid certificate. If you’re racing skipper, you must equip your yacht with a first aid kit. Each racing category, 0-7, has its own detailed list of contents.
If you’re a weekend cruiser, you are not governed by these rules. But you should be aware that accidents are just as likely to happen on your boat as on a racing one.
We’ve always carried a ‘ready box’ of bandaids, sunscreen, etc. in addition to the official first aid kit. This means that we only have to access the ‘official kit’ occasionally. So keeping it fully stocked is less of a problem.
Keeping a first aid kit up to date, however, can be expensive. But it’s important to be able to administer the correct treatment when it’s required.
Keep safe!
GRAB BAG
1. Correction – Chris Lewin owns another Challenge
The yacht that Jessica Watson will skipper in this year’s Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race is owned by Chris Lewin.
Chris has achieved good results with the boat in the Sydney 38 division, coming third in 2004 and second in 2010. Let’s hope Jessica can go one better!
The crew have already started training together. You can read more about them.
Thanks to Mike O’Reilly for pointing out our error.
2. Beautiful yachts
It seems that J Class yachts are making a comeback! The J Class Association was formed in 2000 to modernise the design rules.
Sail magazine reports that there’s a J Class regatta planned for Cowes in the lead up to the Olympics next year. Won’t that be a great sight?
3. Respect for the sea
The devastation caused by the tsunami in Japan has shocked the world. Its effects will be felt for years to come. It serves as a reminder that we must all respect the sea.
National Geographic has before and after photos of tsunami-affected Japan. If you have a scroll-button on your mouse you can zoom in and out to see more detail.
And a BBC video link of when the tsunami hit, showing substantial fishing boats being pulled from their moorings and demolished under a bridge upstream.
In their own words: HAL ROTH
Long ocean passages usually don’t require engines;
it’s the ports and headlands at each end that may
demand some expert sailing.
And isn’t that the truth? How often do we hear of single-handers relaxing, catching up on sleep because they’re close to the end of the voyage and/or back in familiar surroundings? But it shouldn’t surprise us – research shows that most car accidents occur close to home.
In the early 1960s, Hal Roth (1927-2008) and his wife Margaret cruised the Pacific aboard their yacht, Whisper, a 35 ft sloop. Prior to setting sail, Hal had worked as a journalist, good training for authorship.
McGraw-Hill republished the story of that voyage, his first sailing book, Two on the Big Ocean in The Hal Roth Seafaring Trilogy. This compendium was released in 2005 and includes Two Against Cape Horn and The Longest Race. These books have inspired a generation of cruisers.
Not just a cruiser, Hal competed in Class 2 (40-50 ft) of the 1986 BOC Challenge (now the Velux 5 Oceans, i.e. single-handed) and finished fourth in a field of 14 in 171 days.
Hal’s final book, Handling Storms at Sea: The 5 Secrets of Heavy Weather Sailing was published just after his death.
Read more about Hal Roth, a remarkable man.
Basic hull maintenance also involves checking for hull fittings every year, checking or repairing scratches and cracks each time your yacht is not on the water, checking for corrosion of bolts and bearings, and keeping hull attachments in top condition. Also, remember to always have a repair kit ready, that should contain duct tape, epoxy resin, and a paint or gel that matches your hull’s color.