Safety on yachts (Both sailing localy and cruising globaly)

[Efraim]

I am going to have my 2nd talk in NYC about the most important (IMHO) subject of sailing and cruising: SAFETY!!!

So if you have any plans to spend time on the water... It is very important for you to have a good understanding of safety while sailing.

There are two questions I get asked all the time: ...
1) How much does it cost to sail...
2) Aren't you afraid of Pirates, Storms, Fire, Equipment failures...

This talk will give you answers to the second question and will make your sailing adventures much safer as you gain knowledge and understanding that is based on my 30+ years of building and sailing SY Aliza around the world.

Remember, safety is about coming back from your sailing adventure and having great stories to tell... The other alternative (Unsafe sailing) is not really fun and can cost someone their life.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1754230797935720/

I prepared my thoughts on the subject and wanted to share it with this group and get feedback on the list and potentially get your thoughts on the subject. Please feel free to provide constructive feedback or better yet come to the meeting and contribute ;-)

 

[JohnShannon]

Not much in modern conveniences like Radar, AIS DSC EPRIb or PLB
PLB EPRIB is cheap and gets rescue to you anywhere in the world
DSC is cheap and lets everybody within several miles of you plus the CG that you are in trouble and where you are.

AIS lets you know where the big boys are going and if you are going to crash into them. AIS B lets them see you.

 

[Efraim]

Hello John, Thank you for the input.
Indeed all of the points you made are very important and have potential for major impact on safety. My talk was 2 hours long and covered all of them under the Communication (For the AIS, DSC, EPIRB, or PLB) and Under the Watch (For Radar and AIS) and there are many other things that are included on the next level.

I will try to include a PDF file that lists (in red) the next level which was covered in my talk. Feel free to provide any additional feedback.

 

[Kermit]

AIS lets you know where the big boys are going and if you are going to crash into them.

EPIRB let's the Coast Guard know where you fell in the drink after hitting one of the big boys.

 

[Efraim]

Points well taken about importance of AIS, EPIRB and how they work. It is all part of my talk and even some more info about one very important aspect of a good Class B AIS system on board:

You can buy a AIS MOB personal device (Around $300) and if you have a MOB it will transmit an alarm to you and any Yacht/Ship in the area with the GPS coordinates of the person in the water! The unit also show position on the screen and calculates a course for MOB pickup!

So my pointy is that the information provided here was just the high level subjects and if I put the whole talk here... It will be a book for you to read and not a talk for you to participate in.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Yacht Safety:
Under Emergency Operation
Storm Tactics--need to review other active approaches--e.g., lying a hull, running under bare poles or minimum sail, fore-reaching under storm jib and deeply reefed mainsail, or trysail, etc.

Emergency Steering--subdivide as to what type of emergency. Your remedies are for the loss of rudder function only. For loss of steering due to quadrant cable failure or similar, then 1) activate autopilot if there is one attached directly to the rudder post (hydraulic); 2) attach emergency tiller; one should be on board.

Crew Safety
Medical--include passive dehydration and hypothermia as risks; how to avoid. Also, need aboard remedies to common ailments--such as cold/flu & food allergies (e.g., cough suppressant, decongestants, analgesics, epinephrine, etc.)

 

[NotCook]

A factor which we found helpful, including for crew confidence, was actually practicing some of the emergency procedures, such as Man Overboard and retrieval, emergency tiller installation (also helps make sure you have all the parts, and know how to use it. Include also steering the boat with the emergency tiller, so you understand the importance of a block system to hold it! We actually experienced a steering failure at the start of a passage a few years ago. While part of teh crew implemented the emergency tiller, others diagnosed the problem - which turned out to be a loose set screw! But, one of the things we learned, and KG alluded to it above, was that, as it turned out, our autopilot was still functional in this failure mode. We didn't realize it at the time, but we discovered it later. So, just being aware that that could be a possibility is worth mentioning.
Deployment of drogues and sea anchors. If possible, attend live demonstrations of life raft deployment and setting off flares. All of this stuff may seem easy, but actually doing it, without ever having done it before, on the actual boat you will be sailing, can really be an eye opening experience. I'm sure your presentation also emphasizes actually using your harness, and not being casual about it.

We started with a watch system of 2 hours on, followed by two hours on "standby", where you were available to the on duty watch captain, but could nap during that time if not needed, followed by a 2 hour off duty rotation. It eventually morphed into a voluntary 3 hour watch, and finally a 4 hour watch, as the on duty watch captain voluntarily allowed other crew members to catch up on sleep. We found this 3-level approached worked well with both 3 and 4 person crews. Basically, it was a flexible system which adjusted to conditions as they changed and the weather improved.

Good luck with your presentation.

 

[Efraim]

Thanks for your feedback. Indeed all of these are great suggestions and I implement a few as Crew Confidence building exercises. It works well as it builds teamwork, gives confidence and also provides knowhow.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

For the sailing I do an personal EPRIB will only let the CG find my body. I think the AIS personal beacon is the way to go to be rescued alive.

Les

 

[Kings Gambit]

With respect to Hull Breach, you may find interesting discussion at the SBO thread below.
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/plan-to-save-or-to-abandon-the-ship.165801/

 

[capta]

Last time I entered Bermuda, Bermuda radio requested my MMSI number, and a bunch of other things they considered to be the minimum safety equipment aboard. He seemed absolutely shocked I'd even found the island. He was rude and belittling and it pissed me off. He asked how they would be able to help us without all this equipment.
I lost it and told him I'd been finding his island since before he was out of diapers and before any one thing on his list of "must haves" were in existence. I also told him that it was not his responsibility to send anyone out to save me or look for me if I was a few days late on my float plan (which I don't file for that exact reason).
If I am out there on the briny for pleasure (not commercially) then I would never ask others to risk their lives to bail me out of trouble. I am of a generation that firmly believes that if we can't get ourselves back to land safely on our own, then we have no business going out there at all.
Fire control, damage control and jury rigging were all necessary subjects to be learned BEFORE we ventured offshore. Reading books like "Once is Enough" were more text books than sailing stories and quite honestly, that book saved my boat and her crew when we were capsized three times in a hurricane at sea. I knew EXACTLY what I needed to do when the hatches were torn off the boat and water was pouring in, in roughly 50 foot seas and a hundred plus knots of winds. No hesitancy or thinking necessary; just get to work.
I was taught, "one hand for the boat and one hand for you. If you need more than one hand, then call a mate." by the Cape Horners who taught me to sail. Harnesses? I'm not putting my life on a piece of gear. I don't want to be bashed to death on the hull if I go over the side. If we needed a 'harness' that bad (usually to go out the bow sprit in heavy weather) we'd tie a line around our waist and have a couple of crew members tend the line. If someone went in the water, the line was slacked until the person in the water was astern, then they pulled him in.
When a bunch of boats leave the mid-Atlantic US coast for the Caribbean in a rally and 5 are in enough trouble they need to call for help within the first 48 hours, something seriously wrong. If sailors today can't judge CPA without AIS then something is seriously wrong. If someone is out cruising and they can't do basic DR navigation (relying only on their GPS), then something is seriously wrong.
Sailing is one of the safest sports there is, but relying on fancy electronics, tethers, pfd's and a personal GPS locator beacons, are not the answers to safe sailing. Knowledge, experience and self reliance are where safe sailing come from, IMO.

 

[Efraim]

Hello capta and thank you for your input. (All good and makes sense IMHO).

I totally agree with you on self reliance, knowledge how to prevent problems and solve emergencies. (This is how I started my PDF info:
Ability to end a cruising adventure according to plan & without adverse consequences!
We achieve the above by preventing & solving all problems & overcoming all emergencies

However... I do have the respect for people who invent new equipment which IMHO has the potential for improving safety and feel that in my talk I need to let the less experienced potential sailors be aware of the existence of such items and what they do. I think that once they have that understanding they will make up their mind about what to take on their yacht, how to conduct themselves and hopefully be the masters of their own journey in life.

I was not lucky enough to be taught by very experience sailors and had to learn all of it on my own. This means that I made lots of mistakes, created my own emergencies, and had to solve them on my own.

I think that the invention of AIS is wonderful! For the first time I am getting answered when I call a ship on the VHF and they do not ignore me. I think that the addition of the AIS MOB device which I clip to all inflatable life vests which my crew wear when they need to go on top in a storm is great as I am no able to rescue a MOB in the middle of my ocean crossing without any external help! (No need to use the EPIRB or the PLB)
And the fact that there is a double ended tether on the life vest harness is even better when my crew is on deck in the storm. (I do not have the luxury of having additional crew holding a line in case of MOB).

So while I respect you personal experience and knowledge and agree with almost all that you wrote. I do think that in a safety related talk it is my responsibility to provide knowledge to the new sailors and allow them to make up their mind how they choose to implement their newly found knowledge.

 

[jwing]

My experience with seminars, webinars, talks, etc. would have informed my decision to skip your presentation. You cover way too many things in two hours. Therefore, I know that most of the information you convey will be overview level - not the kind of insight from an expert that would be beneficial to me. You may share several high-value nuggets in your talk, but with the avalanche of information that you cover, chances are slim that I would remember them even if I could keep my attention focused for two hours. My advice to all seminar leaders - go much narrower and much deeper. For example, all cruisers should know CPR. I participate in a 2-hour long CPR class every two years. Think of all the things you talk about in the time that the Red Cross takes to teach just the technique of CPR.

I have been certified as a Wilderness First Responder. The course took an entire week, at least 8 hours per day. There may be a similar type of course for First Aid most likely to be needed on a sailboat. Your talks should at least provide a list of most common sailing injuries and sicknesses. Then you should list good sources of education on how to respond.

All of your topics are good, and there could be more. But spread them out over many sessions, and go into detail. Videos are a good way to do this, you could reach more people in a shorter amount of time, with less expense. Many topics are best taught with a practical component as well.

 

[capta]

So while I respect you personal experience and knowledge and agree with almost all that you wrote. I do think that in a safety related talk it is my responsibility to provide knowledge to the new sailors and allow them to make up their mind how they choose to implement their newly found knowledge.

I have nothing against all the new and better tech, AFTER one has mastered what each one makes easier for us. For example, the bow thruster is a marvelous invention! Using a bow thruster, one can effortlessly dock a boat in almost any situation. But if one can't do the same, perhaps with a lot more effort, without a bow thruster, then one is going to be in very deep kaka if it fails in a situation where the fate of the boat is at stake.
When I sailed with celestial navigation, as much as 6 hours (occasionally more) were spent just getting a fix, or trying to. Today, with my GPS/chartplotter, that's 6 more hours sleep, or whatever I need or choose to do, because I can have a fix in just seconds any time of day or night, clouds, rain or shine.
Just because I was lucky enough to have a pair of old Cape Horners as my mentors, don't think I've not made mistakes. Mistakes aplenty for sure, some pretty darn stupid and trivial ones and some very serious ones. It really doesn't matter how much one has prepared, studied and thinks one knows about hurricanes and heavy weather sailing, the real thing at sea is something one must figure out as one goes (each boat and crew is different as well). The guidelines and suggestions of others only go so far to prepare one for that kind of experience.
Fortunately, none of those mistakes has resulted in the loss of a vessel, or the death or injury to any crew or passenger aboard a vessel I was operating. Never in over 50 years has anyone gone overboard, but that may be because it is strictly forbidden aboard any vessel I'm operating.
I'm certainly not suggesting that folks avoid your talk. I'm sure that you have a wealth of information to offer others. I just wanted to make the point that all this new tech should be considered "aids" to knowledge one already has and that safety is a personal responsibility for each person aboard any vessel. Even on a cruise ship, each passenger should know their muster station and several routes to that station.

 

[MitchM]

wise points by Capta. to his points I add: read adlard cole's 'Heavy Weather Sailing.' Then read Total Loss, which tells you how not to lose your boat to a variety of disasters...

 

[NotCook]

Never in over 50 years has anyone gone overboard, but that may be because it is strictly forbidden aboard any vessel I'm operating.

I especially like this! RULE #1: STAY ON THE BOAT!