Oceangoing Vessels; Large and Small...
Over the years I have met enough former navy and merchant marine sailors with scary tales of the effects of bad weather on their big motor vessels, often resulting in their determination to never ply the oceans in a small sailing vessel, to make me wonder how relevant such experiences really are. First of all, I completely agree with the need for humility when sailing the ocean in any kind of boat. Compared to nature's power every vessel is merely a floating nutshell and even the most accomplished sailor may sooner or later become the nut inside that shell. Secondly, I am not writing this to encourage anyone to take a 27 ft Hunter offshore. I probably would not do that myself, certainly not as a form of recreation. Within the typical size range of recreational sailing vessels that one commonly encounters offshore, let's say 25 - 60 ft, it appears true that there are distinct advantages to being on one of the larger vessels when running into bad weather. At the end of Rousmaniere's gripping account of the Fastnet storm there is a table that says it all. Just citing from memory (my copy of "Force 10..." is on Rivendel II in Townsville) I seem to recall that all the loss of life was associated with the smaller boats and that none of the larger boats was even abandoned although several capsized, or were rolled, at least once. At the same time,however, Rousmaniere's book also tells the story of the sizeable Dutch Navy vessel ("The "Overijssel) which came to the rescue and was in great peril of being rolled over in these conditions. In fact, time and again in accounts of large vessels in heavy weather, whether involved in rescue operations or simply trying to keep going, I cannot help but to be deeply impressed by the many risks these vessels face. Monster waves that would have lifted up much smaller vessels simply wash over the decks, threatening to sweep sailors and deck cargo overboard while ripping off the hatch boards that cover the holds. The violent rolling of these ships, without deep ballasted keels and often carrying huge deck loads, in cross seas threatens to dislodge or shift cargo, sometimes with disastrous results. Close to banks and reefs their great draft puts them at increased risk for running aground or tearing up the hull. Their lurching, sickening motion and pervasive smell of diesel fumes, food and vomit tends to upset all but the most hardy stomachs. Fear grips many a sailor; fueled by the harrowing tales of old salts attempting to get more respect from the young pollywogs. In short, life aboard these large motor vessels in big winds and seas is no walk in the park and the dangers to life and limb are very real. Some of us watching the documentary describing the loss of the huge MV Scott Fitzgerald (a quarter century ago on the Great Lakes in 60-70 knot winds) on TV a few days ago might have come to the conclusion that they would rather try to survive a big storm on a small, well founded sailing vessel than on a typical motor vessel, large or small. I know I did. Therefore, I say to all former or active merchant marine and navy sailors on this board: my hat's off to your accomplishments, you managed to do a tough job under sometimes extremely dangerous conditions. However, don't let it scare you away from becoming your own master of your own small sailing vessel prepared with your own sweat and blood on your own offshore passage to your own destiny. It is still a heck of a lot safer than driving your car down the highway any Godgiven working day! Flying Dutchman
